What is Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche?
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1939–1987) was an 11th-lineage holder of the Kagyu and Nyingma schools of Tibetan Buddhism who became one of the most influential—and controversial—Buddhist teachers in the West. Recognized as the supreme abbot of the Surmang monasteries in eastern Tibet at age 18 months, he fled the Chinese invasion in 1959, eventually settling in the United States in 1970. Trungpa founded Naropa University, the first accredited Buddhist university in North America, established hundreds of meditation centers through Shambhala International, and authored over two dozen books including Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism and Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior. His teaching style emphasized directness, humor, and the dismantling of what he termed “spiritual materialism”—the tendency to use spiritual practice to reinforce ego rather than dissolve it.
Origins & Lineage
Born Chökyi Gyatso in March 1939 in the Geje region of Kham, eastern Tibet, Trungpa was identified as the 11th Trungpa tulku (reincarnate lama) of the Surmang Dutsi Til monastery. He received extensive monastic training in the Kagyu lineage founded by Gampopa (1079–1153) and transmitted through Marpa and Milarepa, as well as Nyingma teachings tracing to Padmasambhava (8th century). His primary teachers included Shechen Kongtrul and Jamgön Kongtrul of Sechen. After the 1959 Tibetan uprising, Trungpa undertook a perilous nine-month journey across the Himalayas to India, chronicled in his memoir Born in Tibet (1966). He studied at Oxford from 1963 to 1967, established Samye Ling monastery in Scotland with Akong Rinpoche, then renounced his monastic vows in 1969 before moving to North America. This controversial decision—along with his marriage to a sixteen-year-old student, Diana Pybus—marked his transition to teaching as a lay practitioner.
How It’s Practiced
Trungpa introduced Westerners to Vajrayana Buddhism through a structured path beginning with shamatha-vipashyana (calm-abiding and insight) meditation. Students typically start with simple sitting meditation focused on breath awareness, often in group practice sessions lasting 30 minutes to several hours. He established the shastri and acharya training programs, multi-year curricula combining meditation practice with study of Buddhist philosophy, psychology, and texts. Advanced students might receive pointing-out instructions in Mahamudra or engage in ngöndro (preliminary practices): 100,000+ repetitions of refuge vows, prostrations, Vajrasattva mantras, mandala offerings, and guru yoga. Trungpa also created the Shambhala Training program, a secular meditation path rooted in warriorship principles from pre-Buddhist Tibetan culture. His teaching environments ranged from intensive dathüns (month-long meditation retreats) to Seminary—a three-month immersion in the three yanas (Hinayana, Mahayana, Vajrayana). He employed unconventional methods: teaching while drinking sake, using profanity, creating “crazy wisdom” situations to disrupt students’ conceptual fixations.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Today
Trungpa’s legacy operates primarily through Shambhala International, which maintains over 200 centers worldwide, and Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. His son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, led the organization from 1987 until 2018, when he stepped down amid sexual misconduct allegations, prompting institutional restructuring. Practitioners today access Trungpa’s teachings through his published works (The Myth of Freedom, Training the Mind, The Heart of the Buddha), recorded talks in the Shambhala Archives, and programs at affiliated centers. The Ocean trilogy—compilations of his Vajrayana teachings—remains restricted to students who have completed preliminary practices. Naropa University continues to offer accredited degrees integrating contemplative education with liberal arts. Debate continues about separating Trungpa’s dharma transmission from his personal conduct, which included heavy alcohol use, sexual relationships with students, and the 1975 “Great Naropa Poetry Wars” incident involving Allen Ginsberg and W.S. Merwin.
Common Misconceptions
Trungpa is not a “New Age” teacher—he explicitly rejected self-help spirituality and syncretism, insisting on rigorous adherence to traditional Buddhist view and practice despite his unconventional presentation. His concept of “crazy wisdom” does not justify harmful behavior by teachers; rather, it describes advanced practitioners whose actions transcend conventional morality through realized compassion—a standard Trungpa himself arguably failed to meet consistently. The Shambhala teachings are not separate from Buddhism but rather complement Vajrayana training, presenting secular language for Buddhist principles. Trungpa’s alcohol consumption was not tantric practice validated by his lineage; Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and the 16th Karmapa reportedly expressed concern. His organizations are not cult-like in structure, though critics note hierarchical dynamics and periods of insularity, particularly during the 1980s Vajra Guard era.
How to Begin
Read Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (1973) for Trungpa’s foundational critique of ego-driven spirituality, or The Path is the Goal for meditation instruction. Locate a Shambhala center through shambhala.org and attend an introductory meditation program or Shambhala Training Level I weekend. If no center exists nearby, access online programs through Shambhala Online or recorded teachings at chronicleproject.com. Approach with critical awareness: Trungpa’s transmission is powerful but embedded in complicated history. Consider supplementing with teachings from other Kagyu or Nyingma lineage holders—Mingyur Rinpoche, Pema Chödrön (Trungpa’s student), or Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche—to provide broader context.