Obama Had The Dalai Lama's Scarf In His Pocket During His Swearing In

1. Obama Had The Dalai Lama's Scarf In His Pocket During His Swearing In

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Beliefnet.com - New York

Friday January 23, 2009

Lama Surya Das passed on this fascinating bit. Richard Blum, who is the
husband of California Senator Diane Feinstein, also happens to be a major
supporter of Buddhism. He was up on the platform during the swearing in.

Beforehand, he told Barack Obama that he had with him a white khata -- a
silk Tibetan scarf -- given him by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Blum
described what happened next in a letter to an associate of the Dalai Lama:

"I offered it to President Obama before the ceremony. I said that I
could get it delivered to him later. He said, no, that he was going to take
it and have it with him; in fact, it was in his pocket when he was
sworn-in."

A Kind Heart

To make things as easy as possible to understand,
we can summarize the four boundless qualities
in the single phrase -"a kind heart."
Just train yourself to have a kind heart
always,and in all situations.


Patrul Rinpoche

INDIVIDUAL LIBERATION

It might be a somewhat depressing prospect to realize that you are so thoroughly soaked in this greasy, heavy, dark, and unpleasant thing called samsara, or confused existence, but that realization is tremendously helpful. That understanding alone is the source of realizing what we call buddha in the palm of your hand -­ the basic wakefulness already in your possession. Such vajrayana possibilities begin at this point, right here, in realizing your samsaric anxiousness. Understanding that anxiety, which is very frustrating and not so good, is the key to realizing where you are.
The only way to work with this anxiety is the sitting practice of meditation, the taming of your mind, or shamatha practice. That is the basic idea of pratimoksha, or “individual liberation”: taming yourself. The way to tame yourself, or to talk yourself out of this particular anxiety, is through the concentrated practice of
shamatha or meditative discipline. The beginning of the beginning of the path...is about how you can actually save yourself from samsaric neurosis.

From Chapter One, "Recognizing the Reality of Suffering," in THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING AND THE PATH OF LIBERATION, edited by Judith Lief, forthcoming this Spring from Shambhala Publications. To preorder your copy at a 20% discount, go to:
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-668-0.cfm

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

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Basic NO

January 8, 2009

BASIC NO

Basic NO is accepting discipline in our life without preconceptions.
Normally, when we say the word "discipline," it comes with a lot of
mixed feelings. It's like saying "oatmeal." Some people like hot
cereal, and some people hate it. Nevertheless, oatmeal remains
oatmeal. It is a very straightforward thing. We have similar feelings
about discipline and the meaning of NO. Sometimes, it's a bad NO: it
is providing oppressive boundaries that we don't want to accept. Or
it could be a good NO, which encourages us to do something healthy.
But when we just hear that one word, NO, the message is mixed.
Fearlessness is extending ourselves beyond that limited
view. In the Heart Sutra, an essential teaching given by the Buddha,
it talks about going beyond. Gone beyond, gate, is the basic NO. In
the sutra, it says there is no eye, no ear, no sound, no smell -- all
of those things. When you experience egolessness, the solidity of
your life and your perceptions falls apart. That could be very
desolate or it could be very inspiring, in terms of shunyata or the
Buddhist understanding of emptiness. Very simply, it is basic NO. It
is a real expression of fearlessness. In the Buddhist view,
egolessness is pre-existing, beyond our preconceptions. In the state
of egolessness everything is simple and very clear.

From "Overcoming Doubt," in CONQUERING FEAR, forthcoming from
Shambhala Publications, Fall 2009. [Chogyam Trungpa gave the first
teachings on Big No 30 years ago today.]

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

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BUDDHA SAW THE PROBLEM

With tremendous deception, we create samsara -- pain and misery for the whole world, including ourselves --but we still come off as if we were innocent. We call ourselves ladies and gentlemen, and we say, "I never commit any sins or create any problems. I''m just a regular old person, blah blah blah.” That snowballing of deception and the type of existence our deception creates are shocking.

You might ask, "If everybody is involved with that particular scheme or project, then who sees the problem at all? Couldn't everybody just join in so that we don't have to see each other that way? Then we could just appreciate ourselves and our snowballing neuroses, and there would be no reference point whatsoever outside of that." Fortunately -- or maybe unfortunately -- we have one person who saw that there was a
problem. That person was known as Buddha. He saw that there was a problem, he worked on it, and he got beyond it. He saw that the problem could be reduced -- and not just reduced, but completely annihilated, because he discovered how to prevent the problem right at the source. Right at the beginning, cessation is possible. Cessation is possible not only for the Buddha, but for us as well. We are trying to follow his path, his approach.

From "Introduction" to THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING AND THE PATH OF LIBERATION, edited by Judith Lief, forthcoming this Spring from Shambhala Publications. To preorder your copy at a 20% discount, go to:
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-668-0.cfm

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

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A JOLLY GOOD LIFE

Confidence is there. It is a fact. It is the case. But surprisingly, nobody noticed it before. So telling people about this state of being is simply telling the truth. You don't have to make up anything at all. This unconditional confidence manifests in our lives as appreciation: the appreciation of our intelligence, our sympathy towards self and others, the appreciation of good food and drink, appreciation for our meditation practice. Appreciating the details of life begins to open up our life so that it is no longer purely a struggle but a jolly good life. So the real way to share our understanding with others is to cheer ourselves up to begin with.

From "Unconditional Confidence," in CONQUERING FEAR, forthcoming from Shambhala Publications, Fall 2009.

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The Black Dragon Jewel

Through one word, or seven words, or three times five,
even if you thoroughly investigate myriad forms
nothing can be depended upon.
Night advances, the moon glows and falls into the ocean.
The black dragon jewel* you have been searching for is everywhere.


—Xuedou, From: Moon In Dewdrop - Writings of Zen Master Dogen, pp. 60, North Point Press


* The Black Dragon Jewel is a rare and valuable jewel found under the chin of a black dragon, symbolizing Buddha-Dharma and original face. (The image of a black dragon with a jewel is represented in the Zen monastery as a fishlike wooden carving, called a hō, which is struck with a mellet before meals.

Attentiveness

Attentiveness is the path to true life;
Indifference is the path to death.
The attentive do not die;
The indifferent are as if they are dead already.

Buddha Shakyamuni From: The Dhammapada

Buddha said

"Do not believe in anything simply because you have heard it. Do not believe in anything simply because it is spoken and rumored by many. Do not believe in anything simply because it is found written in your religious books. Do not believe in anything merely on the authority of your teachers and elders. Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.”
Siddhartha Gautama Buddha

EATING WITH AWARENESS

When you eat with awareness, you find that there is more space, more
beauty. You begin to watch yourself, to see yourself, and you notice
how clumsy you are or how accurate you are. You notice the way you
pick up your fork and knife, and the way you put the food in your
mouth. When you practice awareness, everything becomes majestic and
good. You begin to see that you have been leading a different kind of
life in the past. You had the essence of mindfulness already, but you
hadn't discovered it. So when you make an effort to eat mindfully...,
you find that life is worth much more than you had expected.

From "Introduction to Practice," in the 1979 Seminary Transcripts,
pages 4 to 5.

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by permission.

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FREEDOM FROM HABITUAL TENDENCIES

There are all kinds of habitual tendencies that are connected with
holding on to what we are. People get divorced because they think
they might find a better mate. People change restaurants because they
think they might get cheaper and better food. The habitual patterns
of ego work that way. The notion of enlightenment is a sense of
freedom from those patterns. And the way to attain that freedom is by
means of the sitting practice of meditation. In sitting practice, we
look at our minds, and we maintain good posture. When we combine body
and mind that way, we find ourselves emulating the Buddha -- the way
to be properly. Then we begin to develop sympathy toward ourselves,
rather than just holding on.

From "Manifesting Enlightenment," in THE HEART OF THE BUDDHA, pages
212 to 213.

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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.
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PERCEPTION AND PERCEIVER

PERCEPTION AND PERCEIVER

The feminine principle is the perception of colors, directions, time. Thus it is the manifestation of the colorful aspect of the world. Without it, there is no perceiver of this. The perceiver is the masculine principle. In this framework, the masculine principle is not regarded as the master dominating the scene. Moreover, we are not saying that the feminine principle belongs to women and the masculine principle to men. Wherever there is a perceiver, that is the masculine principle; wherever there is a perception, that is the feminine principle.

From "Femininity," in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Six, page 565.

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The Great Eastern Sun Vision:

The Great Eastern Sun Vision:
Is the expression of true human goodness, based not on arrogance or
aggression,
but on gentleness and openness. It is the way of the warrior.

The essence of this way or path is transcending cowardice and
manifesting bravery...

The fundamental aspect of bravery is being without deception.
Deception in this case is self-deception,
doubting yourself so that you are cut off from the vision of the
Great Eastern Sun.

âChogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, From: Shambhala - The Sacred Path of the
Warrior, Shambhala Publications

FEMININE INSPIRATION

Feminine inspiration projects a world which it can regard as workable and friendly since it is its own creation.....An aspect of feminine inspiration is regarding what you have created as sacred. You have created Buddhism, Christianity, Sufism -- it is your production. Since it is fully yours, respect it, work with it. These teachings did not come from somewhere else; your own openness gave birth to them. Moreover, you gave birth to pleasure and pain. You built Paris, London, New York City. You produced the president of the United States. These things are the product of feminine inspiration.

From "Femininity," in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Six, page 564.

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POVERTY IS ALSO RICHNESS

The buddha of the human realm is a buddha with a begging bowl. This represents the mentality of poverty, which is the largest concern of the human realm. In order to relate with poverty, you have to speak the language of poverty. But by carrying a begging bowl, in fact, it is as though you always have something to put things into. In other words, the ultimate mentality of poverty is also the mentality of richness at the same time. Whatever situations need to be created, you can create them, and you get it. You are in command of the whole situation. So that is being extremely wealthy.

From "The Human Realm," in TRANSCENDING MADNESS: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SIX BARDOS, page 247.

Meditation _Awareness of Whatever Occurs

As long as you maintain awareness or mindfulness, no matter what
happens when you practice, your practice is meditation. If you watch
your thoughts, that is meditation. If you can't watch your thoughts,
that is meditation, too. Any of these experiences can be supports for
meditation. The essential thing is to maintain awareness, no matter
what thoughts, emotions, or sensations occur. If you remember that
awareness of whatever occurs is meditation, then meditation becomes
much easier than you think.

âYongey Mingyur Rinpoche, From: The Joy Of Living, Harmony Books

Mark Twain on Madness

in one way or another all men are mad. Many are mad for money...Love is a madness...it can grow to a frenzy of despair ... All the whole list of desires, predilections, aversions, ambitions, passions, cares, griefs, regrets, remorses, are incipience madness, and ready to grow, spread and consume, when the occasion comes. There are no healthy minds, and nothing saves any man but accident--the accident of not having his malady put to the supreme test.
One of the commonest forms of madness is the desire to be noticed, the pleasure derived from being noticed. Perhaps it is not merely common, but universal.
- "The Memorable Assassination" Mark Twain

http://www.twainquotes.com/Madness.html

Signs of Successful Practice and the Signs of the Purification of Your Harmful Acts

In particular it is said that you will experience a feeling of
physical buoyancy,
little need for sleep, good health, clear thinking, and glimpses of
realization.

âJamgon Kongtrul, The Torch of Certainty, Pg. 82, Shambhala
Publications

Zen Master Dogen

Where the great function turns, entire sky moves.
Penetrate; no trace on thread road.
Alone I sing in the balcony, only moon color
dyes clouds. Winter shower moistens burning haze.


Zen Master Dogen, From: Moon In A Dewdrop, North Point Press

SIT AND DO NOTHING

The world can be explored; it is workable, wherever you go, whatever
you do. But I would like to plant one basic seed in your mind: I feel
that it is absolutely important to make the practice of meditation
your source of strength, your source of basic intelligence. Please
think about that. You could sit down and do nothing, just sit and do
nothing. Stop acting, stop speeding. Sit and do nothing. You should
take pride in the fact that you have learned a very valuable message:
You actually can survive beautifully by doing nothing.

In THE POCKET CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, page 177. Originally from "Maha Ati,"
in JOURNEY WITHOUT GOAL, page 142.


Of interest to readers:


The Pocket Chogyam Trungpa
Just out! THE POCKET CHOGYAM TRUNGPA. A treasury of 108 short
teachings by Chogyam Trungpa, one of the most influential Buddhist
teachers of our time. Pithy and immediate, these teachings address a
range of topics, including fear and fearlessness, accepting our
imperfections, developing confidence, helping others, appreciating
our basic goodness, and everyday life as a spiritual path. With the
Shambhala discount, this little book costs less than six dollars. Available at
http://www.shambhala.com/html/catalog/items/isbn/978-1-59030-643-7.cfm

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