Austin Shambhala Meditation Center

Established in 1976, the Austin Shambhala Meditation Center provides a place to practice meditation with others, to take classes to deepen understanding, and to connect with others interested in cultivating mindfulness. It is the Shambhala view that every human being has a fundamental nature of goodness, warmth and intelligence. This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society. We welcome everyone to join us for meditation instruction, public meditation practice (four times each week), tea on Sundays at noon, or a class. We offer an extensive number of classes on the Shambhala tradition, Buddhism, and the Contemplative Arts. The Shambhala tradition teaches a view of living an uplifted life, fully engaged with the world. Way of Shambhala is a series of weekend and week night classes that presents Shambhala warriorship, a path of nonaggression born from the bravery and gentleness of meeting our world without bias or judgment, and Buddhism. These classes show how to take the challenges of daily life in our modern society as opportunities for both contemplative practice and social action. As a community, Shambhala embraces a variety of contemplative arts and practices. As a process, Shambhala Art brings wakefulness and awareness to the creative and viewing processes through the integration of contemplation and meditation. It is based on a collection of teachings by Chögyam Trungpa that appreciate the uniqueness of everyday sensory experience, the art of everyday life. Shambhala Art does not teach a particular skill or technique such as painting, sculpture, or dance. It is about the source of inspiration, its manifestation, and how it speaks to us. Seeing the simplicity of things as they are provides the ground for genuine creative expression. In addition to teaching classes on Shambhala Art, we offer classes on a number of Contemplative Art practices: Kyudo (Zen archery), Miksang (contemplative photography), Kalapa Ikebana (traditional Japanese flower arranging), and Chado (The Way of Tea).