Facing Ourselves

We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot of people. A lot of peopleturn to something that they hope will liberate them without their having to face themselves. That is impossible. We can't do that. We have to be honest with ourselves. We have to see our gut, our excrement, our most undesirable parts. We have to see them. That is the foundation of warriorship, basically speaking. Whatever is there, we have to face it, we have to look at it, study it, work with it and practice meditation with it.

From Talk One of "Warriorship in the Three Yanas," an unpublished seminar given by Chogyam Trungpa at the Rocky Mountain Dharma Center, August 22, 1978.

What is a Warrior?

Anyone who is interested in hearing the dharma [teachings], anyone who is interested in finding out about oneself, and anyone who is interested in practicingmeditation is basically a warrior. The approach of cowardice is looking for some tremendous external help, whether it comes from the sky or from the earth. Youare afraid of actually seeing yourself; therefore you use spirituality or religion as a seeming way of seeing yourself without looking directly at yourself at all. Basically,when people are embarrassed about themselves, there's no fearlessness involved. Therefore, anybody who is interesting in looking at oneself, finding out aboutoneself, and practicing on the spot could be regarded as a warrior.

From Talk One of "Warriorship in the Three Yanas," an unpublished seminar given by Chogyam Trungpa at the Rocky Mountain Dharma Center, August 22,1978.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo

MISUNDERSTANDING AWARENESS

Openness and awareness is a state of not manufacturing anything else; it is just being. And there is a misunderstanding,...which regards awareness as an enormous effort -- as if you were trying to become a certain unusual and special species of animal. You think now you're known as a meditator, sonow you should proceed in a certain special way, and that way you will become a full-fledged meditator. That is the wrong attitude. One doesn't try to hold oneself in the state of meditation, the state of awareness. One doesn't try painfully to stick to it.
Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche

Page 118, in "From Raw Eggs to Stepping-Stones" in THE PATH IS THE GOAL: A BASIC HANDBOOK OF BUDDHIST MEDITATION.

There are different types of boredom

There are different types of boredom that we usually experience. Insecurity, lack of excitement, being idle, nothing happening... In vipashyana, the boredom we are talking about is a sense of being idle, and this is unconditional boredom. The experience of vipashyana awareness has a quality of all-pervasive, thick cream. It has body, at the same time it is fluid, and it is somewhat challenging. - Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

Awareness is like a wind

In talking about open mind, we are referring to a kind of openness that is related with letting self-existing awareness come to us. And awareness is not something thatneeds to be manufactured: when there is a gap, awareness enters into us. So awareness does not require a certain particular effort. Such an effort is unnecessary inthis case. Awareness is like a wind. If you open your doors and windows, it is bound to come in.

Page 116, in "From Raw Eggs to Stepping-Stones" in THE PATH IS THE GOAL: A BASIC HANDBOOK OF BUDDHIST MEDITATION.

When alone

When alone watch your mind,
when with others; watch your mouth...
Lama Karma Rynchen Rinpoche