Kalapa Acharya Adam Lobel was drawn to the path of meditation when he was 16 years old, in response to the social and ecological injustices he saw. He soon encountered the writings and vision of Tibetan meditation master, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Inspired by the path of warriorship and the vision of enlightened society, he pursued meditation retreats and training in the Shambhala Buddhist path. Adam connected with Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, head of the Shambhala lineage, while on retreat in Parphing, Nepal in 1997. He was co-editor of the Sakyong’s book Turning the Mind into an Ally. Adam was named an Acharya in 2004 and completed a Masters of Divinity at Harvard Divinity School. In 2008, the Sakyong named Acharya Lobel the Kalapa Acharya. The Kalapa Acharya presides over the Pillar of Practice and Education within Shambhala. Acharya Lobel is particularly responsible for curriculum and path development as well as training Shambhala teachers. Adam is involved with various social and ecological transformation initiatives both within and beyond Shambhala. Adam is a doctoral candidate at Harvard University and lives in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with his wife and two sons.