The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Eight (70 page)

tantra
(Skt.): A synonym for
vajrayana,
one of the three great vehicles, or groups of teachings, within Tibetan Buddhism.
Tantra
literally means “continuity.” It may refer to vajrayana texts as well as to the systems of meditation they describe. More generally, it is used by Chögyam Trungpa to refer to working with or appreciating energy in an enlightened way.
See also
vajrayana.

tathagatagarbha
(Skt.): An epithet of the Buddha, meaning “he who has gone beyond.”
Garbha
means “womb” or “essence.” Tathagatagarbha is buddha nature, the enlightened basic nature of all beings, which is a central theme of many of the mahayana schools of Buddhism.
See also
buddha nature.

vajra
(Skt.; Tib.
dorje
): Adamantine, or having the qualities of a diamond.
Vajra
refers to the basic indestructible nature of wisdom and enlightenment.

vajra sangha
(Skt.): The community of vajrayana Buddhist practitioners.

vajrayana
(Skt.): The diamond way or the indestructible vehicle. Vajrayana is the third of the three great yanas, or groups of teachings, within Tibetan Buddhism. It is synonymous with
tantra
. The lineage of Tibetan Buddhism to which Chögyam Trungpa belonged, the Karma Kagyü, was one of the major vajrayana, or tantric, lineages of Buddhist teachings in Tibet.

yana
(Skt.): A vehicle, in which, symbolically, the practitioner travels on the road to enlightenment. The different vehicles, or yanas, correspond to different views of the journey, and each yana comprises a body of knowledge and practice. The three great yanas in Tibetan Buddhism are the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana.
See also
mahayana
and
vajrayana.

yoga
(Skt.): Literally, yoke or union. Although commonly associated these days with several systems of physical postures and exercise, yoga has a much more spiritual aspect. In Hinduism, yoga has the sense of harnessing or yoking oneself to God and seeking union with the Divine. In the tantric Buddhist tradition, yoga is a means of synchronizing body and mind to discover reality or truth. Great tantric practitioners like Milarepa are considered part of the yogic tradition in Tibet.

yogin
(Skt.): A practitioner of yoga or one dedicated to the yogic tradition.
Yogin is
non-gender-specific. A male practitioner of yoga is a yogi; a female practitioner is a yogini.

zabuton
(Jap.): A rectangular meditation mat, usually about two by three feet, that is placed under a meditation cushion (zafu or gomden) for meditation practice.
See also
zafu.

zafu
(Jap.): A round meditation cushion, usually stuffed with kapok, developed in the Zen Buddhist practice of meditation. The author originally suggested the use of the zafu by his Buddhist and Shambhala students but later recommended instead a rectangular foam-filled meditation cushion of his own design, the gomden.

SOURCES

“Basic Goodness: The Founding Talk of Shambhala Training.”
Vajradhatu Sun
(June/July 1991): 17, 24. © 1991 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“A Buddhist Approach to Politics: An Interview with Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche,” conducted by
Shambhala Review
staff.
Shambhala Review of Books and Ideas
5, nos. 1 & 2 (Winter 1976): 20–22. Used by permission.

“Conquering Comfort.”
Vajradhatu Sun
(June/July 1991): 15. © 1991 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“Conquering Fear.”
Shambhala Sun
(March 2002): 26-33, 70-74. © 2002 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

Foreword to
The Superhuman Life of Gesar of Ling
by Alexandra David-Néel and Lama Yongden. Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 1987. Foreword © 1981 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“Fully Human: Introduction to the Principles of Shambhala Vision.”
Shambhala Sun
(January/February 1993): 4–7, 19. © 1993 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“The Martial Arts and the Art of War.” Unpublished manuscript. © 2004 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“Natural Hierarchy.”
Shambhala Center Banner
8, no. 9 (January 1995): 6–7. © 1995 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala,
edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 1999. © 1999 by Diana Judith Mukpo.

“Political Consciousness.”
Kalapa Journal
(May 1999): 69. Translated from the Tibetan by the Nālandā Translation Committee. © 1972, 1985 by Chögyam Trungpa. © 1996 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Pragmatism and Practice: An Interview with Vajracharya the Ven. Trungpa Rinpoche.”
Vajradhatu Sun
(June/July 1985): 1, 8. Used by permission.

“Realizing Enlightened Society.”
Shambhala Sun
(May/June 1992): 20–21, 27. © 1992 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

“The Seven Treasures of the Universal Monarch.” Unpublished manuscript. © 2004 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior,
edited by Carolyn Rose Gimian. Boulder & London: Shambhala Publications, 1984. Current edition, Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 2003. © 1984 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“The Shambhala World.”
Karma Dzong Banner
6, no. 9 (December 1992): 1, 20–22. © 1992 by Diana J. Mukpo. Used by permission.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

T
O ALL THOSE WHO HAVE
worked on the recording, transcription, editing, and publication of Chögyam Trungpa’s Shambhala teachings, grateful thanks is offered. In the editorial realm, particular thanks is offered to David I. Rome, Judith Lief, Sherab Chödzin Kohn, and Sarah Coleman. Mr. Rome provided overall guidance to the development of the Shambhala Training curriculum, reviewed the manuscript of
Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior,
and worked very closely with the translation of the various Shambhala terma texts. He also edited “The Tiger Lion Garuda Dragon Glory,” the autocommentary to “The Golden Sun of the Great East.” While the Shambhala texts and the commentary do not appear in Volume Eight, their wisdom pervades the Shambhala teachings given by Chögyam Trungpa. Judith Lief has edited a number of the shorter articles that are included in Volume Eight, and she oversaw the editing of the early Kalapa Assembly transcripts for Vajradhatu Publications. Sherab Chödzin Kohn worked on the translation of the “Political Treatise,” of which “Political Consciousness” is an excerpt. Sarah Coleman worked on the editing of many talks from the Kalapa Assemblies and other materials for use in Shambhala Training and edited the excellent foreword to
Gesar of Ling
which appears in Volume Eight.

For many years of excellent and dedicated work on the translations of the various Shambhala terma, thanks are offered to the members of the Nālandā Translation Committee, particularly Larry Mermelstein, Scott Wellenbach, and John Rockwell. As well, thanks to the many teachers, administrators, and students who helped with the organization of Shambhala Training and have participated in its ongoing operation. Shambhala Training provided the atmosphere in which many of these teachings were given and continues to provide a vehicle for sharing them with others. In particular, thanks are due to the Vajra Regent Ösel Tendzin, Mrs. Lila Rich, Dr. Jeremy Hayward, and Mrs. Christie Baker, all of whom worked closely with Chögyam Trungpa and were instrumental—along with David Rome—in guiding Shambhala Training in the early years. Recognition is also due to all those associated with the early Kalapa Assemblies, as well as the Shambhala Education and Directors’ programs, for providing the situation and the audience for those extraordinary teachings to emerge.

For specific help in the preparation of Volume Eight of
The Collected Works,
I would like to thank Melvin McLeod and James Gimian at the
Shambhala Sun
magazine for helpful access to past issues of both the
Shambhala Sun
and the
Vajradhatu Sun
. Thanks also to Richard Peisinger for the copies of the
Kalapa Journal
. Grateful thanks as well to the Shambhala Archives for access to materials in the Archives, including the original typescript of “The Martial Arts and the Art of War,” a small treasure which had been stored away in the Archives for many years. Particular thanks to Larry Mermelstein, Fabrice Midal, and James Gimian for their helpful review of the introduction to Volume Eight.

As this is the last volume—at least for the time being—of
The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa,
I would like to thank all those at Shambhala Publications who helped to conceive of and execute this prodigious and worthwhile project. Thanks to Editor-in-Chief Samuel Bercholz for vision, skillful means, and his years of dedication; to President Peter Turner for a light but helpful guiding hand; to Vice President Jonathan Green for help at many stages; and to the series editor, Kendra Crossen Burroughs, for her guidance in so many aspects of this project. Particular thanks to Kendra for her attention to many important details, for keeping an overview of the importance of the whole, and for her unflagging intelligence and gentle humor. In the early stages of the project, both Emily Hilburn Sell, no longer at Shambhala, and Eden Steinberg helped to provide editorial guidance. Thanks to both of them, Emily Sell especially. She was the in-house editor for many of the books of Chögyam Trungpa, and without her involvement, it is unlikely that many of these volumes would have seen the light of day. In the later stages of production, Liz Shaw lent a hand; thanks to her also. As well, the efforts of Helen Berliner and L. S. Summer in preparing the indexes to all eight volumes of
The Collected Works
deserve a hearty round of applause, both for endurance and excellence in the work. Prior to becoming an indexer, Helen Berliner worked as an editor of many of the talks of Chögyam Trungpa published by Vajradhatu Publications. Thus, she has brought a well-seasoned understanding of and background in the material, which shows in the quality of the indexes themselves. For the design and production of
The Collected Works,
thanks as well to Hazel Bercholz, Steve Dyer, Lora Zorian, James Skatges, and Dede Cummings.

Diana Judith Mukpo, the wife of Chögyam Trungpa, has supported the publication of his work for many years. Thanks are offered both for her specific participation in
The Collected Works,
including the contribution of her excellent foreword, as well as for ongoing dedication to and appreciation of Trungpa Rinpoche’s legacy. In this regard, thanks are due to the entire Mukpo family for their ongoing commitment to the publication of the works of Chögyam Trungpa.

Finally, one last time with feeling, on behalf of all sentient beings, I prostrate to Chögyam Trungpa, Dharma Master, Dharma King. Thank you for your kindness. Thank you for your teachings. May we help to share them with others, so that a good human society may exist on this earth, so that beings need not suffer in the darkness of ignorance but may find a light of wisdom and compassion to illuminate their existence. Truly, may the lotus garden of your good virtues beautify the world for many kalpas to come.

A BIOGRAPHY OF CHÖGYAM TRUNGPA

T
HE
V
ENERABLE
C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA
was born in the province of Kham in eastern Tibet in 1939. When he was just thirteen months old, Chögyam Trungpa was recognized as a major tulku, or incarnate teacher. According to Tibetan tradition, an enlightened teacher is capable, based on his or her vow of compassion, of reincarnating in human form over a succession of generations. Before dying, such a teacher may leave a letter or other clues to the whereabouts of the next incarnation. Later, students and other realized teachers look through these clues and, based on those plus a careful examination of dreams and visions, conduct searches to discover and recognize the successor. Thus, particular lines of teaching are formed, in some cases extending over many centuries. Chögyam Trungpa was the eleventh in the teaching lineage known as the Trungpa Tulkus.

Once young tulkus are recognized, they enter a period of intensive training in the theory and practice of the Buddhist teachings. Trungpa Rinpoche, after being enthroned as supreme abbot of Surmang Monastery and governor of Surmang District, began a period of training that would last eighteen years, until his departure from Tibet in 1959. As a Kagyü tulku, his training was based on the systematic practice of meditation and on refined theoretical understanding of Buddhist philosophy. One of the four great lineages of Tibet, the Kagyü is known as the practicing (or practice) lineage.

At the age of eight, Trungpa Rinpoche received ordination as a novice monk. Following this, he engaged in intensive study and practice of the traditional monastic disciplines, including traditional Tibetan poetry and monastic dance. His primary teachers were Jamgön Kongtrül of Sechen and Khenpo Gangshar—leading teachers in the Nyingma and Kagyü lineages. In 1958, at the age of eighteen, Trungpa Rinpoche completed his studies, receiving the degrees of kyorpön (doctor of divinity) and khenpo (master of studies). He also received full monastic ordination.

The late 1950s were a time of great upheaval in Tibet. As it became clear that the Chinese communists intended to take over the country by force, many people, both monastic and lay, fled the country. Trungpa Rinpoche spent many harrowing months trekking over the Himalayas (described later in his book
Born in Tibet
). After narrowly escaping capture by the Chinese, he at last reached India in 1959. While in India, Trungpa Rinpoche was appointed to serve as spiritual adviser to the Young Lamas Home School in Delhi, India. He served in this capacity from 1959 to 1963.