Lodro Rinzler is a 28-year-old Buddhist teacher in the Shambhala Buddhist lineage. During the last decade he has taught numerous workshops at meditation centers and college campuses throughout the United States and London. His column appears on the Huffington Post and the Interdepedence Project. His website is www.lodrorinzler.com.

Many of us have been trained to think of life as a battleground where we fight, compete, and do whatever it takes to be the winner. Buddhists in the Shambhala tradition have a different view: the world is a playground and we are all good people put in the game to benefit both others and ourselves.

Rinzler challenges us to manifest the qualities of the tiger (one of the Super Friends of Tibetan Buddhism): discernment, gentleness, and precision. Through meditation, we come to know the emotions which animate our lives. It is also a training session in being present with whatever shows up during our period of stillness. Rinzler calls chores and other everyday activities "attending to the details of life."

Another Super Friend is the snow lion, who spurs us toward compassion and the six paramitas (generosity, discipline, patience, joyous exertion, meditation, and superior knowledge). The garuda (mythical bird) tutors us in impermanence, groundlessness, and equanimity. The fourth and final dignity is provided by the dragon who helps us maintain a sense of humor and delight, shows us the importance of genuine presence, and challenges us to see the world as sacred.

Rinzler admits that he read a lot of comic books when he was growing up. That practice has enabled him to carry the positive dimensions of the Buddhist path so that today's young seekers will be able to find joy and delight in the adventures of meditation, doing good, and bringing light into darkness.