Appointment of the Sawang Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo

In 1990, at the urging of Khyentse Rinpoche, Trungpa Rinpoche's eldest son, the Sawang Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo (now known as Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, as indicated below) returned from a period of practice and study with Dilgo Khyentse in Nepal to lead the community and direct the work his father, Chögyam Trungpa, had begun. As the Shambhala lineage is passed from parent to child, Chögyam Trungpa had trained his eldest son from childhood to take on this role. The Sawang's first major directive was to bring the many activities of his father's students under the umbrella of Shambhala International and to declare each of the centers throughout the world a "Shambhala Centre," offering secular meditation, spiritual training, and cultural activities under one roof.

With this in mind, the Shambhala community, under the leadership of the Sawang, continued to explore ways to make the value of what it had to offer more broadly known. For example, the Shambhala Sun became available on thousands of newsstands and was internationally recognized for its insight into contemporary society and its captivating design. Geographic expansion occurred as well with the establishment of a major rural meditation center near Limoges, France.