Warrior Assembly

In 1975, Agness Au became a student of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the renowned and brilliant meditation master and Tibetan Buddhist teacher. As an artist and designer, she was initially moved by his interest in the arts and the Buddhist science of perception, but gradually began to see how perceiving and the artistic journey were deeply intertwined with meditation and post meditation practices. In 1985, Rinpoche bestowed upon her, the title of Sangyum, empowering her as a holder of the feminine lineage.

A senior Shambhala Buddhist teacher and Warrior Assembly director, Agness teaches internationally on “The Inseparable Union of the Feminine and Masculine Principles”, the Drala principle and Enriching Presence. She is a long-time teacher in the Sogetsu School of Ikebana and a devoted student of improvisational movement and performance.

In New York City, Agness had a 25-year career as a fashion director and business owner, and after 10 years, has retired as the creative director for The Synergy Company, in Boulder, CO. She is happily married and the loving mother of two young men. Agness is truly committed to the vision and possibility of a wakeful, sane and kind society, a sustainable living earth and the importance of community building.

Daniel Naistadt has been a teacher in Shambhala tradition for nearly 40 years. He began his study of Buddhism and far eastern religion as an undergraduate at Columbia College, and later as a graduate fellow at Columbia University. During his time in New York City, he met two of the most important people in his life, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his future wife, Agness Au with whom he raised two sons. Daniel has had a lifelong interest in the Drala principle and has received personal instructions and guidance on these teachings from Trungpa Rinpoche and Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

In New York, Daniel served on the Board of the N.Y. Shambhala Center and in 2001, co-founded Sky Lake Lodge in Rosendale, N.Y. After a long career as owner and CEO of several apparel and dietary supplement companies, Daniel has recently retired from full-time work. He continues to serve as a senior Shambhala teacher, Warrior Assembly Director and avid explorer of the natural world. Daniel presently lives in Boulder, CO, where he serves as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Boulder Shambhala
Center.