The Soft Spot of Compassion
Compassion is based on some sense of “soft spot” in us. It is as if we had a pimple on our body that was very sore–so sore that we do not want to rub it or scratch it….That sore spot on our body is an analogy for compassion. Why? Because even in the midst of immense aggression, insensitivity to our life, or laziness, we always have a soft spot, some point we can cultivate–or at least not bruise. Every human being has that kind of basic sore spot, including animals. Whether we are crazy, dull, aggressive, ego-tripping, whatever we might be, there is still that sore spot taking place in us. An open wound, which might be a more vivid analogy, is always there….We are not completely covered with a suit of armor all the time. We have a sore spot somewhere, some open wound somewhere. Such a relief! Thank earth!
Completing the digital transcription and captioning of Chogyam Trungpa’s 2,500 lectures
Togden Achö – Recollections
Escape from Tibet with Trungpa Rinpoche
The Question of Magic
As far as tantra is concerned, magic is working with the real world on a completely ordinary level. Magic is completely relevant to our world, our life and our path.
Touch and Go
Chögyam Trungpa's Epic Journey to the West
It Was the Memory of His Kindness
I read something recently that recalled the evening I heard Chögyam Trungpa speak in Toronto in the autumn of 1971. My memories of that evening come back to me...
The Karme Choling Rock Garden
“The Japanese would be very proud of this!” -CTR
Tibetan Buddhist Path
This fourteen-lecture series from the first session of Naropa (summer 1974) is commentary on the entire Buddhist path.
Tenga Rinpoche on Chogyam Trungpa
Tenga Rinpoche described the contributions of Chogyam Trungpa and the Shambhala community in hosting the Sixteenth Karmapa's tour of the West.
THE FUTURE IS OPEN
A conversation with Carolyn Gimian and Barry Boyce celebrating the launch of this important new title from Chögyam Trungpa
It’s Up To You
A Review of Chögyam Trungpa's Latest Title
Tyler Dewar
Barry talks with Tyler Dewar about his training as a Tibetan translator, the experience of traveling with HHK and his party from Dharamsala to New York, and his work as one of His Holiness's English language interpreters.
Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche
Trungpa Rinpoche came to America in the early days of the spread of Buddhism in the west. He was able to connect with many people and many became his...
Banana Leaves, Butlers, and a Miracle on Mapleton Avenue
The household was a whirlwind of activity, packed at all hours of the day and night with family, guests, Kasung, and household staff. It was chaos wrapped in a pervasive atmosphere of precision, joy and humor ...
We Can Run!
Karme Choling, 1978. We were all excited that Rinpoche was coming to give a teaching program. I was 22 years old. I’d been on the staff at KCL for...
Cooking Indian Food at Kalapa Court
The first time I cooked Indian food at Kalapa Court in Boulder was in the summer of 1978. I was absorbed searching for some ingredients in the corner cupboard...
Where Were You When You Heard the News?
I think it must have been a Saturday, that sunny day, April 4, 1987, because both Alice Yang and Dominique LeGrand were with me working at the store. Alice...
My Very Short Life in Tibet
Here's a short one from Michael Chender in the spirit of Alan Sloan's My Very Short Life with Milarepa
Very early on, I was looking to see if maybe I had...
Guru and Student in the Vajrayana
I have written the following in response to a number of requests, including some from the press, for my take on the present situation in the Rigpa Sangha over Sogyal Rinpoche’s behaviour.
The Impression Suzuki Roshi Made on 15-Year Old Me
At one of the high points in my life, at the tender age of 15, I met Suzuki Roshi at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center in California. My mother, Carol...
Lessons from Milarepa’s Life and Songs
Review of a New Book by Chogyam Trungpa
The Boulder Premiere of “Crazy Wisdom”
As Clay Evans, a staff writer for the Boulder Daily Camera who recently reviewed "Crazy Wisdom" aptly put it, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche "haunts Boulder."
Protecting the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
Dear Friends,
This past summer, a devastating forest fire in the Poudre Canyon near Fort Collins destroyed tens of thousands of acres of forest and many homes in the area....