Three ‘Yanas’
The Buddhist Path
Chögyam Trungpa, the founder and teacher of the Shambhala community, combined the tradition of the three ‘yanas’ (meaning ‘vehicles’) of Tibetan Buddhism with his commitment to making the Buddhist teachings accessible and relevant in modern Western society.
The Shambhala community preserves these teachings and offers everyone the opportunity to explore and practice the teachings of Buddhism in an open and accessible way. And we study and practice together in groups because shared insights and human connection can be helpful and inspiring.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche also developed a secular path that focuses on confronting the social problems of our time with openness and fearlessness (see Entrenamiento Shambhala).
The Buddhist Way and Shambhala Training complement each other and offer different perspectives on the profound questions of human life. They can be followed separately or together.
The Three Yanas
There are many traditions within Buddhism.
Here are three of the main approaches.
Hinayana Buddhism
Liberación
The practice of mindfulness awareness meditation allows us to get to know our minds and see how we get confused by our reactions and misconceptions about the world. This understanding, along with guidance on how to maintain a clear and realistic view and conduct a wholesome way of life, are essential components of basic Buddhism.
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Elements of the Hinayana
We practise and study to liberate ourselves from suffering and the root of suffering.
Three Characteristics of Existence
Impermanence
Everything changes, the Buddha taught. This may seem obvious, but much of the time we relate to things as if their existence were permanent. So when we lose things we think we can’t live without or receive bad news we think will ruin our lives, we experience a great deal of stress. Nothing is permanent, including our lives.
Suffering
This is among the most misunderstood ideas in Buddhism. Life is suffering, Buddha said, but he didn’t mean that it is all unhappiness and disappointment. Rather, he meant that ultimately it cannot satisfy. Even when things do satisfy―a pleasant time with friends, a wonderful meal, a new car―the satisfaction doesn’t last because all things are impermanent.
Non-self
Non-self, or egolessness—can be difficult to grasp. The Buddha taught that there is no unchanging, permanently existing self that inhabits our bodies. In other words, we do not have a fixed, absolute identity. The experience of “I” continuing through life as a separate, singular being is an illusion, he said. What we call the “self” is a construct of physical, mental, and sensory processes that are interdependent and constantly in flux.
The Four Noble Truths
- There is suffering.
- There is a cause of suffering.
- There can be an end to suffering.
- The way out (or through) is the Eightfold Path.
The Three Jewels and Taking Refuge
The Three Jewels are are the Buddha (the example of awakeness), the Dharma (the teachings), and the Sangha (the community of practitioners). Many rituals and ceremonies in Buddhist communities around the world, as well as the daily practice for individuals, begin with recitation of the three refuge vows:
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the dharma.
I take refuge in the sangha.
For many practitioners, taking refuge is one of the first steps in declaring oneself a Buddhist and formalising a commitment to following his example and teachings within the Buddhist community.
Mahayana Buddhism
The Path of the Bodhisattva
The Mahayana Buddhist path encourages us to follow the example of the Bodhisattva and to develop our natural disposition for kindness, compassion and wisdom, called bodhichitta (literally, “enlightened mind/heart”). As our habit of keeping others at a distance, clinging on to them or ignoring them weakens, we catch a glimpse of the open and interconnected nature of reality.
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Practising the Mahayana
We practise and study for the benefit of all beings.
The Four Immeasurables
- Equanimity
- Loving Kindness (or Friendliness)
- Compasión
- Joy (or Appreciation)
The Lojong Slogans
Sometimes referred to as ‘Mind Training’, these 59 ‘Slogans’ organized into ‘7 Points of Mind Training’, were created by Atisha, a 10th century Indian Buddhist teacher. They provide an earthy, practical way to work with our ego-clinging and to cultivate tenderness and compassion, both through meditation and through the events of everyday life.
The Six Paramitas
- Generosity
- Discipline
- Patience
- Diligence
- Meditación
- Wisdom
Tonglen
This is the practice of ‘sending and taking’ or ‘exchanging self for other’. This ancient Buddhist practice to awaken compassion has been popularised by Pema Chödron.
You can learn Tonglen in some of our Buddhist Programmes.
Vajrayana Buddhism
Sacred View
The Vajrayana (sometimes known as the Tantric path_ builds on the Mahayana view, and includes a number of additional methods. The main focus is on realising the inseparability of relative and absolute truth. We learn not to exclude any area of our lives from our practice. We cultivate ‘indestructible wakefulness’ and discover a “sacred view” of the world.
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Vajrayana in the Shambhala Tradition
Chögyam Trungpa succeeded in combining the esoteric practices of Vajrayana with the other Yanas in a historically unique approach and making them understandable for Westerners.
In our Buddhist programmes, we present teachings based on the wisdom of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
Entrenamiento Shambhala incorporates aspects of Vajrayana Buddhism throughout.
Opportunities for Deepening
This Buddhist path consists of regular meditation practices and intensive retreats. Likewise, participation in the Shambhala training is recommended, including the study and practice of the treasure teachings (Terma) received by Trungpa Rinpoche.
Cultivating our innate creativity, the capacity for open perception and our body consciousness are also helpful means to explore with others how we can nourish the natural world and build good human societies.