Trungpa, Chogyam - Timeline Biography
Time Period
03-05-1939 - 04-04-1987
Description
Chogyam Trungpa was abbot of Surmang Monastery in Tibet until 1959, when the Chinese took over his country. He fled to England and began studying at Oxford University. Two years later, he shed his monastic orders and became a layperson.
In 1970, Trungpa married and emigrated to the United States, where he started a meditation center in Vermont. He was a popular Tibetan Buddhist teacher and as he traveled around, he started more centers. In 1973, he created an umbrella organization, Vajradhatu. The next year, he began an educational arm, which led to the formation of Naropa University, a liberal arts college in Boulder, Colo., that blends Eastern practices with Western scholarship.
In 1985, Trungpa moved to Canada and expanded Vajradhatu internationally. After his death in 1987, his son succeeded him and later changed the group’s name to Shambhala International. With major centers in Vermont and Colorado, Shambhala is the largest Tibetan Buddhist group in the U.S.
In 1970, Trungpa married and emigrated to the United States, where he started a meditation center in Vermont. He was a popular Tibetan Buddhist teacher and as he traveled around, he started more centers. In 1973, he created an umbrella organization, Vajradhatu. The next year, he began an educational arm, which led to the formation of Naropa University, a liberal arts college in Boulder, Colo., that blends Eastern practices with Western scholarship.
In 1985, Trungpa moved to Canada and expanded Vajradhatu internationally. After his death in 1987, his son succeeded him and later changed the group’s name to Shambhala International. With major centers in Vermont and Colorado, Shambhala is the largest Tibetan Buddhist group in the U.S.
Interactive Timeline(s)
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Religious Groups
Timeline Entries for the same religious group: BuddhistBuddhist: Other ARDA Links
Buddhist: Religious Family Tree
Photographs
Chogyam Trungpa- Wikimedia Commons
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Chogyam Trungpa framed portrait- Flickr- photo by Big Mind Zen Center (CC BY 2.0)
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Shambala Center, Boulder, Colorado- Wikimedia Commons- photo by IslandsEnd (CC BY 3.0)
Book/Journal Source(s)
Melton, J. Gordon, 2009. Melton's Encyclopedia of American Religions, Eighth Edition Farmington Hills, MI: Gale.Web Source(s)
https://www.naropa.edu/about-naropa/Naropa University website
Web Page Contributor
Sandi DolbeeAffliated with: Former Religion and Ethics Editor, The San Diego Union-Tribune
