The First Wakefulness

December 7, 2007

THE FIRST WAKEFULNESS

Lha in Tibetan literally means "divine" or "god," but here lha refers
to the highest points on earth, rather than a celestial realm. The
realm of lha is the peaks of snow mountains, where glaciers and bare
rock are found. Lha is the highest point, the point that catches the
light of the rising sun first of all. It is the places on earth that
reach into the heavens above, into the clouds, so lha is as close to
the heavens as the earth can reach. Psychologically, lha represents
the first wakefulness. It is the experience of tremendous freshness
and freedom from pollution in your state of mind. Lha is what
reflects the Great Eastern Sun [the vision of wakefulness] for the
first time in your being and it is also the sense of shining out,
projecting tremendous goodness. In the body, lha is the head,
especially the eyes and forehead, so it represents physical
upliftedness and projecting out as well.

From "Natural Hierarchy," in Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the
Warrior, pages 108 to 109.
.
All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used
by permission.

NOTICE OF INTEREST TO SUBSCRIBERS:

Our friends at Shambhala Sun Foundation (publishers of the Shambhala
Sun and Buddhadharma magazines) are hosting their first-ever online
auction. The auction began November 21 and continues through December
12. They have assembled a wonderful selection of unique auction items
-- including original art, photographs, gift certificates from
contemplative publishers, meditation supplies, and retreat
opportunities. An original calligraphy by Chogyam Trungpa is being
auctioned. Bidding is underway.You can browse and bid
at http://www.shambhalasun.com/auction

OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 5, 072 subscribers.
Please send comments on and contributions to OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES
OF THE WEEK to the list moderator, Carolyn Gimian at: carolyn@shambhala.com.

Carolyn Rose Gimian

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of
his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
TO SUBSCRIBE visit the Chogyam Trungpa website by clicking on the
following link: http://OceanofDharma.com