How to Meditate

Ideally, meditation instruction is best given in person, where there is an opportunity to have an experienced meditator pay attention to posture, answer questions, and arrange to check in as experience deepens. People in Vancouver wishing to learn to meditate are encouraged to drop in at any Monday or Wednesday Open House, where personal meditation instruction is available at 7pm with no charge. The following links are offered as resources to people in addition to personal instruction in mindfulness/awareness mediation, (shamatha/vipashyana) and for those who for whatever reason find face-to-face instruction is not possible but who are still interested in learning to meditate.

• What is Meditation?
• How to Meditate, by Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche
• An Introduction to Meditation - three articles on meditation and on taking refuge as a buddhist
• Meditation Instruction - on the Toronto Shambhala Website
• Meditation and Contemplation: Using the power of thought
• Turning our Mind toward the Buddha
• The Four Foundations of Mindfulness, by Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche
• An overview of meditation practice on kalachackranet.org
• The Dalai Lama's advice on meditation practice

What the Open House Programs are like:

Because each week includes people who are coming for the first time as well as returning meditators, every evening is designed to stand on its own, but also to combine with succeeding weeks' talks to create a whole greater than each single week's material. Shambhala talks are often drawn from "Shambhala: the Sacred Path of the Warrior" by the founder of our center, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche (refered to as "The Vidyadhara" in the Buddhist tradition and "The Dorje Dradul" in the Shambhala tradition) or "Turning the Mind into an Ally" by the current head of our lineage, the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Buddhist talks draw on a core of buddhist material that represents approximately two years worth of talks. Newcomers are always welcome, as are "regular" open house participants.

You can drop in whenever you choose. There is no charge, though contributions – to cover the cost of tea and cookies – are warmly appreciated. The evenings generally wrap up around 9:30pm. On the first Monday of every other month a video of the Vidyadhara is shown from the Shambhala archives.

George Klima has compiled a thorough list of Buddhist temples and centers (a wide spectrum of lineages and organizations), organized by province. Meditation in Vancouver and Buddhism in Vancouver and in our region is a very rich and diverse landscape. Mr. Klima's directory of buddhist organizatons can be found at http://buddhismcanada.com

The Shambhala Centre of Vancouver combines the Dharmadhatu Buddhist Meditation Centre (founded in 1975) and the Shambhala Training Meditation Program (founded in 1980). Both are guided by life and teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and the students and teachers he inspired. We have operated from our present storefront location at 17th and Heather Street for the past 30 years. A lot of just sitting meditation has taken place on the cushions here, in Vancouver, as well as Shambhala Training programs, classes in Hinayana, Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Ikebana, children's programs, and visits from teachers and meditation masters. For more on the organization we are part of, browse Shambhala International (www.shambhala.org). For local programs see our Calendar of Events.
Give us a call at (604)874-8420 or email vancouver@shambhala.org if you have any questions or comments or would like to receive our newsletter in the mail.