Shambhala Art can be seen as a process, a product, and an arts education program. As a process, it brings wakefulness and awareness to the creative and viewing processes through the integration of contemplation and meditation. As a product, it is art that wakes us up. Shambhala Art is also an international non-profit arts education program based on the Dharma Art teachings of the late Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the founder of Shambhala Buddhism. Please see Shambhala Art webpage for more information and history: www.shambhalaart.org.
Shambhala Art’s purpose is to explore the creative process and the product we call art, from the viewpoint of a meditative discipline. It is a viewpoint that encourages us to see things as they are, rather than just how we think or imagine they are. Shambhala Art does not teach a particular skill or technique such as painting, sculpture, or dance. It is about the source of inspiration, its manifestation, and how it speaks to us beyond the limits of its container. Once a view and a path are established it can be put into practice within any artistic discipline. Although the Shambhala Art teachings are inspired by Shambhala Buddhism, they are not in any way religious or about adopting a religion. They are about discovery and play, and the universal nature of creativity and communication.
“Our
message is simply one of appreciating the nature of things as they are
and expressing it without any struggle of thoughts and fears. We give up
aggression, both toward ourselves, that we have to make a special
effort to impress people, and toward others, that we can put something
over on them.” — CTR
SHAMBHALA ART PROGRAM:
Part I: Coming to your senses
Part II: Seeing things as they are
Part III: The creative process
Part III: The creative process
Part IV: The power of display
Part V: Art in everyday life
The core of the arts education program is Shambhala Art training. Consisting of five parts, this training progressively expands our view, starting with our own senses and guiding us to see how art manifests in our everyday life. Each part consists of a series of experiential exercises, supplemented with short lectures. These parts can be offered in different combinations, or as five-part intensives. Each part has the previous part as its prerequisite. This program is taught by trained and authorized Dharma Art teachers. Open to everyone, artists and non-artists, with and without a meditation practice.
She was authorized Shambhala Art teacher for Parts 1 to 3 on January 2018 in Los Angeles (California) with directors Sandra Ladley and Steven Saitzyk, and Anne Anderson Saitzyk assisting. On January 2020 she was authorized as a teacher for the full program Parts 1 to 5 after her training again in LA with the international director Steven Saitzyk. Here some pics from her trainings in Los Angeles (California):
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| Graduates SA Parts 1-3, January 2018 |
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| SA Parts 4&5, January 2020 |