Monday, January 08, 2007

THE BODHISATTVA'S FEARLESSNESS

Student: Could you explain more of what you mean by being a warrior or a soldier on the path?

Chogyam Trungpa: Being a warrior is not necessarily being a soldier, but it is being fearless and willing to trod on the path.....It is not that you are unafraid of enemies or fearless towards certain particular things. It's different than saying, "I'm not afraid of rattlesnakes. I'm not afraid of dogs." That's very dualistic, a special kind of adolescent approach, a boyish approach to growing into manhood. When we talk about basic warriorship here, we are talking about being a bodhisattva [someone who has taken a vow to put others before him or herself], someone who's willing to include everything and willing to work with everything without any fear. Even fear itself is frightened by the bodhisattva's fearlessness.

From "Bodhisattva and Paramita," Talk Nine of THE TIBETAN BUDDHIST PATH, the first seminar given by Chogyam Trungpa at the Naropa Institute, Summer, 1974. Unpublished.

Of interest to readers: For continuing reports on the activities of the Chogyam Trungpa Legacy Project, see the blog at ChogyamTrungpa.com

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo

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