The Art of Being Human: Shambhala Training Level I

The Art of Being Human, Shambhala Training Level I

with Craig Sargent & Susan Smith-Sargent

Open to All

Learn to meditate. This class is for beginners and introduces the practice of minfulness meditation. Through meditation, we begin to glimpse that our fundamental nature is one of compassion rather than aggression, that goodness, rather than confusion, is the unconditional ground of our existence. Opening to ourselves with gentleness and appreciation, we begin to see our potential as genuine and compassionate human beings.

What is Shambhala Training? Shambhala Training is a series of classes created by Chögyam Trungpa. In the first chapter of his book, Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Chögyam Trungpa writes...

“The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world’s problems. This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, nor does it come from the West or the East. Rather, it is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures at many times throughout history.”

Thus, these teachings are secular and accessible to everyone.

Teacher Bios:

Craig Sargent  has been a student of Shambhala for more than 30 years, and has been teaching Shambhala Training Levels for some 20 years. He is actively engaged in our Center's outreach in the arts, and has shot many videos of our Center's hosting visual and performing artists. He is working on developing classes on the interface between Shambhala Training and the Contemplative Arts. Recently retired from being a Biology Professor at the University of Kentucky (Ecology, Evolution, Behavior), Craig is now a fulltime photographer in the genres of Nature (Animals, Plants, Landscapes) and Fine Arts (Visual, Performing).

Susan Smith-Sargent has been a student of Shambhala for more than 30 years. She did the Dharma Art teacher training in 1998, and recently completed a 2-year Teacher Training with Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield, Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program (MMTCP). Susan has taught Contemplative Arts for more than 20 years, and more recently taught two programs at our Center on Mindfulness in the Insight tradition. Currently retired from directing an afterschool program at the Community Montessori School, Susan is now a full-time 2D artist with a studio at The Artists' Attic.