Chogyam Trungpa (1940-87)

An important though somewhat controversial modern master of the Kagyü and Nyingma schools who was especially instrumental in popularizing Tibetan Buddhism in the West. Born in Tibet, he fled the country in 1959 and was initially resident in the United Kingdom where he studied at Oxford University and founded the Samyé Ling centre in Scotland. Subsequently he moved to the USA in 1970 where he founded the Vajradhatu Foundation in 1973. With the founding of Naropa University in 1974, he realized his vision of creating a university that would combine contemplative studies with traditional Western scholastic and artistic disciplines. In 1977 he founded Shambhala Training, an international network of centers offering secular meditation programmes designed for the general public. After his death in 1987, Trungpa Rinpoche left a legacy of teachings and writings. Among his many publications are Born in Tibet, Cutting through Spiritual Materialism, The Myth of Freedom, and Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior.

A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, 2003, 2004 (which is available in electronic version from answer.com)