Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week
August 26, 2009
[Ed. Note: It's summer, so Ocean of Dharma is having a picnic this month.]
CONQUERING THE HOT DOG
Student: What is the difference between aggression and conquering?
Chogyam Trungpa: In this case, conquering is not so much aggression; it's more a sense of inspiration. If you are really hungry, you have a fantastic relationship with food. Let's say it's a hot dog. For many days, you want to have a hot dog. And finally you have a hot dog. You can actually have it on your paper dish, or whatever dish you have. You have a fantastic relationship with the hot dog. You eat it with complete delight and complete communication. That could be said to be a very aggressive trip. But I don't think that's true, actually, because you have open-mindedness toward that particular hot dog. You have designed visualizations and devotions and you have a sense of longing for your hot dog, and everything's completely softened. You become softened, a soft person and a reasonable person. You have a hot dog, and you can eat that hot dog very beautifully, you know. You hold it in your hand and you feel it. You take a bite, and you chew it and feel the goodness of it at the same time. So it's a very real experience. That seems to be the difference between conquering, or expanding, and aggression, which is, you know, just completely off the wall.
From "Kagyu Lineage/Mishap Lineage," in MISHAP LINEAGE: Transforming Confusion into Wisdom, page 15. Newly published by Shambhala Publications.
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Of interest to readers:
Join the Shambhala Sun magazine in San Francisco, October 2-4, for an "Urban Retreat" exploring the theme, Wisdom for Difficult Times: What the Buddhists Teach. The Shambhala Sun will be joined by eminent teachers Sylvia Boorstein, Tsoknyi Rinpoche, and Zoketsu Norman Fischer - three great teachers from three major Buddhist traditions, teaching together for the first time. This special weekend will include talks, meditation sessions, questions, and discussion. For more, visit www.shambhalasun.com/urbanretreat
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Teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, taken from works published by Shambhala Publications, the Archive of his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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