THE BIRTH OF ENLIGHTENMENT

We have the idea that an enlightened person is supposed to be more or
less an old-wise-man type: not quite like an old professor, but
perhaps an old father who can supply sound advice on how to handle
all of life's problems or an old grandmother who knows all the
recipes and all the cures. That seems to be the current fantasy that
exists in our culture concerning enlightened beings. They are old and
wise, grown-up and solid. Tantra has a different notion of
enlightenment, which is connected with youth and innocence. We can
see this pattern in Padmasambhava's life, the life of the great
teacher who brought the tantric teachings of Buddhism to Tibet. Here
the awakened state of mind is portrayed not as old and adult but as
young and free. Youth and freedom in this case are connected with the
birth of the awakened state of mind. The awakened state of mind has
the quality of morning, of dawn -- fresh and sparkling, completely awake.

From "Primordial Innocence," in CRAZY WISDOM, pages 26 to 27.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used
by permission.

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