Tuesday, July 22, 2008

OBVIOUSNESS BECOMES SACREDNESS

The approach of vajrayana Buddhism to sacredness is not so much a matter of things being big and enormous and beyond the measure of one's thought; rather it has to do with things being so true, so real, so direct. We know a fire burns. We know the earth carries us. We know that space accommodates us. All these are REAL facts, and so obvious. Obviousness becomes sacredness from the point of view of vajrayana. It is not that things are sacred because they are beyond our imagination, but because they are so obvious. The magic is simplicity. Winter gets cold, summer gets warm. Everything in every situation has a little magic. If we forget to eat, we get hungry. There is a causal aspect, which is the truth. So in this case, the sacredness is a matter of truth, of the obviousness of the whole thing.

From "The Levels of Mahamudra," in ILLUSION'S GAME: The Life and Teaching of Naropa. Page 133.

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

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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Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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July 21, 2008

Of interest to readers: Yesterday, July 20, there was a ceremony to install 3,000 gold CDs of Chogyam Trungpa's teachings in the Great Stupa of Dharmakaya at Shambhala Mountain Center in Colorado. This was the Speech Empowerment of the Stupa, which also contains the body relics of Chogyam Trungpa. For photos and more information on this event, go to http://chronicleproject.com/speech_empowerment/speech_empowerment.html

Thursday, July 10, 2008

WHAT HAPPENED TO EGO?

Student: How can you distinguish between ego-based self-confidence
and trust in oneself?

Chogyam Trungpa: Ego doesn't cut its own ground. Ego nurses its
ground. An egoless experience like prajna, or discriminating
awareness, cuts its own ground. That's where the irritation and
resentment come from. Within the realm of resentment, a soft heart
begins to develop, softness toward oneself. The softer you become
toward yourself, the more you want to cut your ground. Somehow the
question of ego doesn't apply at that point. Ego is already
dissipating and has given up its hold on you. This is an organic
thing that happens slowly in your practice. Somebody might ask you
later, "What happened to your ego?" And you might say, "Oh, I never
thought about that."

From "Giving Birth to Intellect," in ILLUSION'S GAME: The Life and
Teaching of Naropa. Page 83.

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

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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
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Monday, July 07, 2008

PROTECTING THE MIND

You might say that it is very easy to understand or experience pain. Oh no. It takes a lot of understanding to realize pain....The method used in tantra to enable us to realize pain is called mantra. In this case, mantra has nothing to do with some verbal gibberish that you repeat over and over. Mantra here is an upaya, a skillful means. The derivation of the word mantra is the Sanskrit mantraya, which is a combination of two words. Manas means "mind," and traya means "protection." So mantra protects the mind, the fundamental intelligence or wakefulness. It does not protect it by using guards or putting it under a glass dome. Protection here is clearing away obstacles, clearing away threats. All threats to that intelligence are cleared away. This is the style of protection here.

From "Pain and Hopelessness," in ILLUSION'S GAME: The Life and Teaching of Naropa. Pages 56 to 57.

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

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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


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Friday, July 04, 2008

FREEDOM FROM IMPRISONMENT

The experience of mahamudra is the pinnacle of the tradition of
tantra. Maha means "great," and mudra means "sign" or "gesture." To
experience mahamudra is to realize that the literal truth, the
symbolic truth, and the absolute truth are actually one thing, that
they take place on one dot, one spot. One experiences reality as the
great symbol that stands for itself. The bliss of mahamudra is not so
much great pleasure , but it is the experience of tremendous
spaciousness, freedom from imprisonment, which comes from seeing
through the duality of existence and realizing that the essence of
truth, the essence of space, is available on this very spot. The
freedom of mahamudra is measureless, unspeakable, fathomless. Such
fathomless space and complete freedom produce tremendous joy. This
type of joy is not conditioned by even the experience of freedom
itself; it is self-born, innate.

From "Sacred Outlook," in THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA, pages 168 to 169.

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

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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