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On Chögyam Trungpa
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche is the quintessential spiritual guide. His teachings—steeped in ancient tradition and presented with relaxed fluency in western language and culture—are profound, accessible, and fresh. In addition to the buddhadharma, he offered the secular path of Shambhala, cultivating an appreciation of inherent bravery, dignity and goodness beyond cultural and religious bounds. Through his many books, Trungpa Rinpoche continues to be an incomparable source of wisdom and courage in the world. The Chronicles is an ongoing celebration of his profound teachings and life example.
Copyright Diana J. Mukpo. Used here by arrangement with Diana J. Mukpo and Shambhala Publications, Inc.
These teachings by Chögyam Trungpa are selected at random from Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: the email service that brings Trungpa Rinpoche’s dharma to your inbox several times each week. For more information, or to add your name to the list, visit OceanofDharma.com.
Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week is edited and produced by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Thank you to Lady Diana Mukpo, Mrs. Gimian, and Shambhala Publications for making these teachings available on the Chronicles.
Tradition Is Common Sense
Tradition is not necessarily a system developed by anybody, but tradition is the natural understanding of things as they are, which is based on why we see–and everybody agrees–that the sky is blue and the grass is green. Tradition is that way, rather than anybody’s established law and order or personal opinion of any kind. Therefore tradition is common sense at its best.
Enlightenment is also the height of common sense. Therefore it is regarded as a tradition. It is also regarded as infallible, as true and powerful. It never can be contradicted. Nobody can say, “the sky is green” or “the grass is red”–maybe some people, but basically speaking, nobody can say that. That basic logic–that hot is hot, cold is cold, daytime is light, nighttime is dark–is tradition. That is the truth and at the same time it is tradition.
Self Deception
The original audio recording from 1971
Noble Heart
In the vajrayana Buddhist tradition, we talk about how we can discover wisdom behind our passions and delusions. If you simply cut out your passion or your desire, you...
Mindfulness and Awareness
Trungpa Rinpoche begins by pointing out the necessity of beginning at the beginning. Otherwise it is like "building a castle on an ice block, or an apartment on an airplane."
Year of the Earth Sheep: Shambahala Day 1979
In this address, Rinpoche talks very movingly about our individual responsibility to benefit everyone and anyone with whom we are connected.