Vegan Aharonian began studying Shambhala Buddhism in 1996 and has been teaching Shambhala Buddhism since 2007. Originally from Armenia (the former Soviet Union), he came to the United States as a graduate student at Columbia University in 1991. In addition to teaching regularly in New York, he has also taught international Shambhala programs in Russia and Ukraine. Vegan holds a PhD in geophysics and has worked as a software engineer for most of his career. His last engagement was at the United Nations. He is currently serves as co-Director of Karme Choling and leads practice and education for NY Shambhala Center.