[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: An Enlightened Version of Friendship

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

April 26, 2008 

AN ENLIGHTENED VERSION OF FRIENDSHIP

Nyen in Tibetan literally means "friend." Nyen begins with the great shoulders of the mountains, and includes forests, jungles, and plains. The dignified shoulders of the mountain are nyen. In the Japanese samurai tradition, the large starched shoulders on the warriors' uniforms represent nyen principle. And in the Western miliary tradition, epaulets that accentuate the shoulders play the same role. In the body, nyen includes not only your shoulders but your torso, your chest, and rib cage. Psychologically, it is solidity, feeling solidly grounded in goodness, grounded in the earth. So nyen is connected with bravery and the gallantry of human beings. In that sense, it is an enlightened version of friendship: being courageous and helpful to others.

From "Natural Hierarchy," in SHAMBHALA: THE SACRED PATH OF THE WARRIOR, page 109.

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Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications,  the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Tapping into Buddha Nature

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

April 23, 2008 

TAPPING INTO BUDDHA NATURE
 
My notion of Shambhala is to create enlightened society out of impossibilities.  The logic there is:  the more impossibilities we experience, as rawness and ruggedness -­ or even as pseudo-gentility -­ the more we find there is always buddha nature, which we can tap like finding fresh spring water in a dry highland valley, or for that matter, finding crude oil in the midst of a cotton field.

From an unpublished letter to M.S.   

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Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications,  the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Exertion Is a Sense of Joy

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

April 19, 2008 

EXERTION IS A SENSE OF JOY

Student: Could you explain the distinction between exertion and struggle?

Chogyam Trungpa: Struggle involves a sense of speed, a sense of distrusting oneself, and a sense of no joy; and exertion is a sense of joy. It is said by one of the great teachers, Atisha or Shantarakshita, that exertion is a source of joy. You are working hard, but at the same time there is joy. That is the difference between the two. Ordinary working hard, or struggle, comes out of pain. But exertion is a sense of joy. It's like eating food, in some sense. When you're hungry, there is no need to struggle to eat food, because you enjoy eating it. Whereas struggle is like being made to eat food, although you don't feel hungry.

From Vajra Assemblies Sourcebook, Volume Two, Page 143.

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 following link: http://OceanofDharma.com

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: No Enemy

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[The Ocean of Dharma is available now. See information below.]

April 16, 2008 

NO ENEMY     

For the Shambhala warrior, the actual, basic notion of victory is not so much that you have one-upped your enemy and therefore you are victorious. Rather, no enemy exists at all; therefore, there is victory. This is the idea of unconditional warriorship and unconditional victory. In connection with this, the concept of sacredness is that fearlessness is carried into everyday life situations, even brushing your teeth. So fearlessness occurs all over the place, all the time. Fearlessness here is also unconditional. In this way, fearlessness becomes cheerful and very light. There's no need for cowardice or fear at all, or any moments of doubt. Actually what we're talking about is doubtlessness, we could say, rather than fearlessness. There's no doubt. There are no second thoughts. Everything is a complete warrior's world. So here victory is not having to deal with an enemy at all. It is the notion of no enemy. The whole world is a friend.

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 119. [Unpublished excerpt from Talk Five of Warriorship in the Three Yanas. August 1978, Rocky Mountain Dharma Center.]

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains quotes from the Ocean of Dharma list serv as well as much new material. Order your copy now at shambhala.com.

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 following link: http://OceanofDharma.com

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Unconditional Cheerfulness

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[The Ocean of Dharma book is available now. See information below.]

April 13, 2008 

UNCONDITIONAL CHEERFULNESS   Transplanting the moon of wakefulness into your heart and the sun of wisdom into your head can be natural and obvious. It is not so much trying to look for the bright side of life and using that side of things as a stepping stone, but it is discovering unconditional cheerfulness, which has no other side. It is just one side, one taste. From that, the natural sense of goodness begins to dawn in your heart.  Therefore, whatever we experience, whatever we see, whatever we hear, whatever we think -- all those activities begin to have some sense of holiness or sacredness in them. The world is full of hospitality at that point. Sharp corners begin to dissolve and the darkness begins to be uplifted in our lives. That kind of goodness is unconditionally good, and at that point, we become a decent human being and a warrior. Such an approach has to be accompanied by the sitting practice of meditation. The practice of meditation acts as a training ground and stronghold. Out of that, the seed of friendliness begins to occur. The main point is to appreciate your world. That kind of world is known as the vajra, or indestructible, world. It is a cheerful world. It never becomes too good or too bad.    

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 98. [Unpublished excerpt from Talk Five of Warriorship in the Three Yanas. August 1978, Rocky Mountain Dharma Center.]

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains quotes from the Ocean of Dharma list serv as well as much new material. Order your copy now at shambhala.com.


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

OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 5,447 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

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Friendliness to Oneself

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[The Ocean of Dharma book is now available. See information below.]

April 10, 2008 

FRIENDLINESS TO ONESELF   The recognition of sacredness comes from developing a basic sense of gentleness towards ourselves, so that the irritation of being stuck with oneself is taken away. When that kind of friendliness to oneself has occurred, then one also develops friendliness towards the rest of the world, at the same time. At that point, sadness, loneliness, and wretchedness begin to dissipate. We begin to develop a sense of humor. We don't get so pissed off if we have a bad cup of coffee in the morning. A natural sense of dignity begins to occur.   

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 10. [Unpublished excerpt from Talk Five of Warriorship in the Three Yanas. August 1978, Rocky Mountain Dharma Center.]

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains quotes from the Ocean of Dharma list serv as well as much new material. Order your copy now at shambhala.com.

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

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: See the World as Sacred

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[The Ocean of Dharma book goes on sale tomorrow. See information below.]

April 7, 2008 

SEE THE WORLD AS SACRED   Usually in life, when we act, when we exist, we tend to have a very wretched and small notion of what we are doing. Sometimes, we try to be good boys and girls. We struggle, taking our journey stitch by stitch. We go to sleep at night, we get up the next day, and we struggle to lead our life. The ordinary approach to that is undignified and very small, like flat Coca-Cola. Sometimes we feel better, we try to cheer up, and it feels pretty good. But then, behind that, there is the same familiar "me" haunting us all the time. We don't have to be that way, at all. We actually could see our world as a big world and see ourselves as open and vast. We can see our world as sacred. That is the key to bringing together the sun of wisdom with the moon of wakefulness.  

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 284. [Unpublished excerpt from Talk Five of Warriorship in the Three Yanas. August 1978, Rocky Mountain Dharma Center.]

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains quotes from the Ocean of Dharma list serv as well as much new material. It is officially available as of April 8, but you can order your copy now at shambhala.com.


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

OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 5,427 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

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Meeting My Teacher

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

April 4, 2008  [The 21st Anniversary of the Parinirvana (death) of Chogyam Trungpa]

MEETING MY TEACHER

Meeting  my teacher, Jamgon Kongtrul, was remarkable. Throughout the whole time I was studying with my tutor and being educated at the  Surmang monastery in Tibet, they were telling me stories about their admiration for people who had died, great teachers they had met, who lived in the past. I had never met any of them. According to these stories, the whole spiritual thing is that you have to be a completely religious person. Even if you are not, you should pretend. You pretend to be good, and you keep smiling at everybody. You say nice things to everybody, and you half close your eyes all the time, as if you are pretending to meditate all the time. That was the kind of story I heard.
        But then, meeting Jamgon Kongtrul, I began to actually see what people really meant. It was not so much that he half-closed his eyes all the time or behaved in a saintly way, particularly. He joked around, he was very jolly, and he was very kind and soft and insightful. Sometimes he didn't even sit upright. I had been told to always sit upright. He lay down in his seat, and he accommodated people. There was immense power coming to you from that presence. From that time onward, I would say that the journey was very definite and really committed. Before that particular point, I felt that I was being made to be a charlatan and asked to make a fool of myself.

From "The Eleventh Trungpa," in MISHAP LINEAGE: THE LINE OF THE TRUNGPAS, forthcoming.

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 following link: http://OceanofDharma.com

[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Basic Sanity

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[Ocean of Dharma book goes on sale next week. See information below.]

April 2, 2008 

BASIC SANITY
 
In contrast to the traditional medical model of disturbances, the Buddhist approach is founded on the belief that basic sanity is operative in all states of mind. Confusion, from this point of view, is two-sided: it creates a need, a demand for sanity. This hungry nature of confusion is very powerful and very important. The demand for relief or sanity that is contained in confusion is, in fact, the beginning point of Buddhism. That is what moved Buddha to sit beneath the bodhi tree twenty-five hundred years ago -- to confront his confusion and find its source-- after struggling vainly for seven year in various ascetic yogic disciplines.
            Basically, we are faced with a similar situation now in the West. Like Siddhartha before he became the Buddha, we are confused, anxious, and hungry psychologically. Despite a physically luxurious prosperity, there is a tremendous amount of emotional anxiety. This anxiety has stimulated a lot of research into various types of psychotherapy, drug therapy, behavior modification, and group therapies. From the Buddhist viewpoint, this search is evidence of the nature of basic sanity operating within neurosis.

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion, number 34.

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains quotes from the Ocean of Dharma list serv as well as much new material. It is officially available as of April 8, but you can order your copy now at shambhala.com.


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

OCEAN OF DHARMA QUOTES OF THE WEEK now has 5,386 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