Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (1940-1987) was formally educated in the Tibetan monastic tradition as the eleventh Tülku Trungpa and abbot of the Surmang monastery in eastern Tibet. He fled his country after the communists took power and went to India as a refugee. From there he traveled to Great Britain, where he studied Western art and culture at Oxford University, later moving to North America in 1970.

He founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, Shambhala Training, and Vajradhatu, an international association of meditation centers (now known as Shambhala International).

He has been a renowned meditation teacher, scholar, artist, and author of numerous bestselling books, including Shambhala; the sacred path of the warrior, Crazy wisdom, The myth of freedom or Buddhist psychology; reflections on the Abhidharma (all published by Kairos).