Why is Shambhala called a “warrior” tradition?
The Tibetans talk about “Shambhala warriors.” This isn’t warrior in the sense of aggression. It is warrior in the sense of having the courage to be genuine, care for others, and stay in contact with your heart. You can be a government worker, an ambulance driver, a mother giving birth, or a person on one side of a conflict. What makes you a warrior is not that you fight with bombs and guns. You might also be a soldier, but that’s not what’s brave about you. Your bravery is that you engage the essence of your humanity as you do what you do — while you drive a cab, write a memo, give birth to a child, and engage in a conflict. Your bravery is personal. You trust in your humanity and in your own kind of intelligence. You have sympathy or compassion for human experience, your own and that of others.
