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May 03 Talking Flowers?TAKE ANOTHER STEP Whenever there is doubt, that creates another step on your staircase. Doubt is telling you that you need to take another step. Each time there is an obstacle, you go one step further, beyond it, step by step. You walk or you jump one step at a time until you see the Great Eastern Sun. I wouldn't suggest that in the beginning you look at the Great Eastern Sun directly -- the light might burn you -- but I wouldn't suggest you wear sun glasses all the time either. In the shade of fearlessness, you can appreciate the light that comes from the Great Eastern Sun and then you can appreciate how it illuminates the colors of everything around you. Then slowly but surely, you will actually see the Great Eastern Sun directly without it blinding you. That is the warrior's way, and that is the way that we can conquer fear. February 26 Be good!A BASIC ATTITUDE OF GOODNESS The final characteristic of a dharmic person, which is a basic attitude of goodness, or a general sense of goodness, comes from your own practice and discipline. There is nothing to say about this, except: keep on sitting and you will find out that both sanity and insanity exist in you. Insanity is not particularly regarded as an obstacle; it is simply regarded as kindling wood. Because of your insanity, you are here. But you don't stop there; you go beyond and you brighten up your sanity by sitting and perfectly watching your activities. The basic, hinayana, approach has nothing to do with big explosions of enlightenment, big orgasms of enlightenment on the spot. Instead, we are talking about paying attention to details and to your mind and to your behavior pattern. When you wake up and before you fall asleep, just look and be genuine; you can't fool yourself. If you have been attempting to fool yourself, please don't. It won't work. From "Seven Characteristics of a Dharmic Person," in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Two, page 489. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. February 17 Cultivate your mind!UNDERSTANDING WHO YOU ARE Propagating prajna, or your intellect, fully and thoroughly is a characteristic of a dharmic person. That is to say, you should find out and understand who you are and what you are made of. You should find out what your mind is made out of, what your mind's projections are made out of, and what your relationship with your world is made of....The myth of original sin can be wiped out by realizing and studying how your mind can be unwound by undoing what you are. There are positive and good qualities, or basic goodness, in everybody. From "Seven Characteristics of a Dharmic Person," in THE COLLECTED WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Two, pages 488 to 489. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. February 15 ThornsREMOVING THE SPLINTER OF EGO Understanding suffering is very important. The practice of meditation is designed not to develop pleasure but to understand the truth of suffering; and in order to understand the truth of suffering, one also has to understand the truth of awareness. When true awareness takes place, suffering does not exist. Through awareness, suffering is somewhat changed in its perspective. It is not necessarily that you do not suffer, but the haunting quality that fundamentally you are in trouble is removed. It is like removing a splinter. It might hurt, and you might still feel pain, but the basic cause of that pain, the ego, has been removed. From Chapter Three, "The Power of Flickering Thoughts," in THE TRUTH OF SUFFERING AND THE PATH OF LIBERATION, edited by Judith Lief, forthcoming this Spring from Shambhala Publications. This book is entirely based on talks at the Vajradhatu Seminaries conducted by Chogyam Trungpa. 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. February 01 The Golden Rule?Tzu-kung asked, 'Is there a single word which can be a guide to conduct throughout one's life?' The Master said, 'It is perhaps the word "shu"*. Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.' Lau [15:24] * shu translates as forgiveness January 19 Peace!FATHERS AND MOTHERS OF SHAMBHALA Over the centuries, there have been many who have sought the ultimate good and have tried to share it with their fellow human beings. To realize it requires immaculate discipline and unflinching conviction. Those who have been fearless in their search and fearless in their proclamation belong to the lineage of master warriors, whatever their religion, philosophy, or creed. What distinguishes such leaders of humanity and guardians of human wisdom is their fearless expression of gentleness and genuineness -- on behalf of all sentient beings. We should venerate their example and acknowledge the path that they have laid for us. They are the fathers and mothers of Shambhala, who make it possible, in the midst of this degraded age, to contemplate enlightened society. OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa, #264. Originally from "The Shambhala Lineage," in SHAMBHALA: THE SACRED PATH OF THE WARRIOR, page 211. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. January 13 The TeachingBUDDHA 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. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. December 31 DiscriminationFREEDOM 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. All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by permission. December 02 ImpermananceTRANSCENDING AGGRESSION The experience of hell comes from deliberate, basic aggression. That aggression is the opposite of patience....The basic aggression of hell comes from your wanting to destroy your projection. It is natural aggression: you want to destroy the mirror. Since projection works as it is, in a very efficient and accurate way, it becomes too embarrassing. You don't want to go along with it. Instead of seeing the naked truth, you want to destroy the mirror -- to the extent of not only destroying the projection, or the mirror, but also the perceiver of the mirror. The perceiver is also extremely painful, so there is the suicidal mentality of wanting to destroy the perceiver of the mirror as well as the mirror itself. There is constant struggle, destruction, going on.....However, change is taking place always, constantly. That is why the teachings place tremendous importance on the realization of impermanence. Impermanence becomes extremely important at this particular point of aggression. Aggression is trying to freeze the space, trying to sterilize the space. But when you begin to see the impermanence, you cannot solidify space anymore. That then is the peak experience of transcending aggression. From "The Bardo of Death," in TRANSCENDING MADNESS: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE SIX BARDOS, pages 146 to 147. November 22 Truth! Bhikkhus! In his praise of the Tathagata, a world ling might say thus: 'Samana Gotama abandons all thoughts of slandering and abstains from slander. Hearing things from these people he does not relate them to those people to sow the seed of discord among them. Hearing things from those people he does not relate them to these people to sow the seed of discord among them. He reconciles those who are at variance. He encourages those who are in accord. He delights in unity, loves it and rejoices in it. He speaks to create harmony.' November 12 Sia`The Master said, 'Who can go out without using the door? Why, then, does no one follow this Way?' Lau [6:17] Lun Yu November 10 WenguWang-sun Chia said, Lau [3:13] LUN YU October 08 FearlessnessOctober 8, 2008 THE WARRIOR'S WEAPONS If victory is the notion of no enemy, then the whole world is a friend. That seems to be the warrior's philosophy. The true warrior is not like somebody carrying a sword and looking behind his own shadow, in case somebody is lurking there. That is the setting-sun warrior's point of view, which is an expression of cowardice. The true warrior always has a weapon, in any case....The definition of warriorship is fearlessness and gentleness. Those are your weapons. The genuine warrior becomes truly gentle because there is no enemy at all. From the manuscript of CONQUERING FEAR: THE HEART OF SHAMBHALA. Forthcoming from Shambhala Publications in 2009. Simplicity
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