Spark your heart and mind
through the practice of meditation.

Meditation is a personal journey and a path of social transformation. Learn to meditate, and naturally grow your confidence, mindful awareness, and compassion.

Northern California Shambhala

Northern California Shambhala is a community of meditation centers and study groups located in Berkeley, Davis, San Francisco, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Sonoma, Sonora, Silicon Valley and Grass Valley. To locate a center near you, click a location on the map or click here.

Find a center near you.

We are part of Shambhala International, a community of meditation centers founded in 1973 by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master, artist, author, and poet. Today, the Shambhala tradition is led by Trungpa Rinpoche’s son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Along with a number of senior dharma teachers such as Acharya Pema Chodron, these timely teachings are being offered at Shambhala Centers worldwide.

It is the Shambhala view that every human being has a fundamental nature of goodness, warmth and intelligence.  This nature can be cultivated through meditation, following ancient principles, and it can be further developed in daily life, so that it radiates out to family, friends, community and society. Shambhala vision is rooted in the contemplative teachings of Buddhism, yet is a fresh expression of the spiritual journey for our time.

Shambhala offers an extensive structured path of training in authentic meditation practices and teachings for people who are interested in pursuing such a path.  The name of this path is The Way of Shambhala. If you would like a simple introduction, you may choose to sample a workshop, a course or a weekend or several, at any time. Click here for an overview of the full Way of Shambhala program.