About Us

Established in 1974, the Kootenay Shambhala Meditation Centre is a nonprofit, volunteer-run part of Shambhala, an international community of over 170 meditation centres and groups founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The community is now led by his son and lineage holder, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche.

At the heart of the community is the Shambhala Buddhist path. Unique in the world of Western Buddhism, this path combines the teachings of the Kagyü and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism with the Shambhala tradition of living an uplifted life, fully engaged with the world.

Our Centre, located on the top floor of a heritage building in downtown Nelson, is home to a wonderfully diverse and vibrant group of about 35 members. We share a connection to mindfulness-awareness meditation and the aspiration to create a society where people appreciate their innate goodness. This goodness is personified in the Primordial Rigden, depicted in the central image in our main shrine room (see above).

Our offerings include:

• Free introductory and ongoing meditation instruction
• Weekly public meditation practice sessions
• A clearly defined path of Shambhala Buddhist practice and study
• Online courses
• A range of community activities
• Our own retreat land
• Two annual one-week meditation retreats—a public retreat each summer and a vajrayana retreat each fall
• Program participation through an accommodating Generosity Policy
• An atmosphere of wakefulness, protected by the Dorje Kasung
• A welcoming place to be what you are!

We invite and value everyone’s presence.

For more about Shambhala, go to shambhala.org/about_shambhala.php.

Learn more about meditation and buddhism at shambhala.org

Home  About Us  Meditation  Programs  Buddhist Study  Shambhala Training  Arts  Community

Kootenay Shambhala Meditation Centre
3rd Floor - 444 Baker Street, PO Box 136, Nelson,  BC V1L 5P7
Tel. 250-352-5560    Email: info@nelsonbuddha.com