Today is April 4th and is the Parinirvana of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche – the date of his passing in 1987 – and we wanted to share with you the important work being done to preserve his incredible legacy, both now and far into the future.
The Shambhala Archives requires ongoing support and funding so it can continue its work of:
- Maintenance and special care of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s personal belongings.
- Storage rental for Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s personal belongings and extensive audio-visual libraries.
- Special conditioned storage rental for specific archival film.
- Ongoing software upgrades to ensure all digital collections are being stored properly.
You can help us continue to protect and preserve these precious artifacts and teachings.
And the Shambhala Archives does so much more!
Here are just a few recent projects worked on by the Archives Team
- VHS video tapes to digital – The herculean task of digitizing all the remaining Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche VHS tapes has been completed, which comprised hundreds of videos from the 90’s and early 2000’s. Included in those were community gatherings for Nyida Days, Kalapa Assemblies, Vajra Assemblies, Seminaries and much more.
- Database additions – The Archives database has been updated with countless uploaded materials. As a result, many online classes have benefited from more easily accessible archived materials, including the Dön season class with His Holiness Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, the Directors Talks from Dorje Denma Ling, and the Robin Kornman Class offered by Dorje Denma Ling.
- CTR Writings – The Nalanda Translation Committee is assisting with the scanning of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Tibetan writings, in order to document those precious writings for their translations and publications. This entails scanning, numbering, describing, and entering the data into our database thereby making this material more available for researchers, as we have had several requests for material from students working on their PhDs.
- Photographs – Photographic scanning and database entry is ongoing, as we have thousands of photographs documenting the history of our community and lineage holders.
Current special projects include
- CTR Ladrang – The “Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Ladrang Project” is an in-depth, museum-grade inventory of over 1,600 of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s personal belongings that will preserve these precious items for future generations of Shambhalians. This important work has received a grant from the Shambhala Trust and other donations to hire someone to do this important work. Materials for upgrading and replacing tissue wrapping and archival boxes are still needed and can still use more support.
- Translation Committee Audio Files – The Nalanda Translation Committee, based in Halifax partnered with the Shambhala Archives offices over the summer to digitize the audio tapes of the translation meetings with various Tibetan Khenpos and Rinpoches. There is a wealth of translation best practices that can be mined in these audio files, and they were cataloged, described, and digitized for future research on how many of the translations in Shambhala came to be. These digital recordings will be added into the Shambhala Archives database this year.
- Personal and Business Writings – Five boxes of personal and business correspondence addressed to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche have been cataloged this summer with another 10 to complete. An additional 10 boxes of records from Vajradhatu publications were entered this summer, and there are approximately 20 more boxes in the Vajradhatu series to be cataloged.
- SMR Teaching Records – The records from Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche’s teaching and travels from 1998 – 2008 are in need of description and data entry. There are approximately 20 boxes in that series.
- Photographic scanning and database entry – is ongoing, and we are now photographing and entering calligraphy, artwork, and design drawings created by Chögyam Trungpa
Please Donate Today!
The Shambhala Archives requires around $4,700 CAD monthly just for basic operations, and brings in $1,280 CAD in monthly donations.
Won’t you help us bridge this gap?
Even small monthly donations of $5, $10, and $25 add up and really help!
Please support the Shambhala Archives and its work to restore, protect, and disseminate the Shambhala dharma through a recurring monthly donation or one time gift. We are so fortunate to have these precious holdings and need to care for them as best we can.
Thank you for your support of the work we are doing to preserve the profound Shambhala teachings and legacy for generations to come.
In the Vision of the Great Eastern Sun,
The Shambhala Board
Mark Blumenfeld, Susan Engel, Lilly Gleich, Peter Nowak, Susan Ryan, Paulina Varas
The Shambhala Archives Team
David Brown, Rosie Pittas, Jeanne Riordan-Perks