There are times to cultivate and create, when you nurture your world and give birth to new ideas and ventures.
There are times of flourishing and abundance, when life feels in full bloom, energized and expanding.
And there are times of fruition, when things come to an end. They have reached their climax and must be harvested before they begin to fade.
And finally of course, there are times that are cold, and cutting and empty, times when the spring of new beginnings seems like a distant dream.
Those rhythms in life are natural events. They weave into one another as day follows night, bringing, not messages of hope and fear, but messages of how things are.
—The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Eight.
Having developed a sense of trust in oneself, slowly that expands its expression outward, and the world becomes a friendly world rather than a hostile world. You could say that you have changed the world: you have become the king or queen of the universe. On the other hand, you can’t quite say that, because the world has come towards you, to return your friendship.
—The Teacup & The Skullcup: Where Zen and Tantra Meet by Chögyam Trungpa
Everybody loves something, even if it’s only tortillas.
In the garden of gentle sanity,
May you be bombarded by coconuts of wakefulness.
February 28, 1939 – April 4, 1987
*adapted from Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala https://shambhala.org/teachers/chogyam-trungpa/
The legacy of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche remains vital today in the institutions he founded, the teachings he presented, and the dedicated practice of his students. It is also being preserved for the benefit of future generations in the following ways:
The Shambhala Mandala
One of the greatest accomplishments of the Vidyadhara, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche was the establishment of the Shambhala mandala, a global basis for the transmission of the vision, teachings and practices he brought to the world. The teachings and transmissions passed on by the Vidyadhara are studied and explored in the expanding association of centres, groups and other entities he founded and which are now directed by his son and spiritual heir, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. In addition to centres and groups on five continents, the Shambhala mandala includes a range of other programs and institutions, reaching out into education, health care, social work, organizational change and innovation, publishing, and a broad spectrum of the arts.
Naropa University
Founded by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1974, Naropa is the first of its kind as a Buddhist-inspired university in North America that integrates ancient traditions of wisdom into the curriculum of modern education. Since its inception, Naropa has been dedicated to contemplative education in which awareness of thought processes, sense perceptions and emotions are integrated into the study of specific disciplines.
www.naropa.edu
Shambhala Archives
The Shambhala Archives is dedicated to preserving original records pertaining to the life and teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and other prominent Tibetan Buddhist teachers. It is a repository and resource for transcripts and audio-visual collections of Buddhist teachings. Currently, an Audio Recover Project is underway that will remaster and preserve in perpetuity more than 1,500 recordings of talks given by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
www.archives.shambhala.org
Shambhala Publications
In The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala Publications brings together in eight volumes the writings of one of the first and most influential and inspirational Tibetan teachers to present Buddhism in the West. Organized by theme, the collection includes full-length books as well as articles, seminar transcripts, poems, plays, and interviews, many of which have never before been available in book form. From memoirs of his escape from Chinese-occupied Tibet to insightful discussions of psychology, mind, and meditation; from original verse and calligraphy to the esoteric lore of tantric Buddhism. The impressive range of Trungpa’s vision, talents, and teachings is showcased in this landmark series.
Nalanda Translation Committee
Since 2001, the Nalanda Translation Committee has been dedicated to the preservation and translation of early writings by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s nephew, Karma Senge, spent fifteen years searching out and compiling the writings composed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche before his escape from Tibet. The collection totals about 400 pages and spans diverse topics, including liturgies, songs, and practical advice.
Rebuilding Surmang
The Konchok Foundation is dedicated to preserving the unique spiritual tradition of Surmang Dutsitil, the home monastery of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in eastern Tibet. Initial efforts are focused on supporting the education of the 12th Trungpa Tulku (the successor to Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche at Surmang) and to rebuilding a shedra, or monastic college, there. The medical needs of the local community are being addressed by a sister organization, the Surmang Foundation.
www.konchok.org
Rigden Abhisheka
The Shambhala teachings, first revealed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1976, are being actively propagated through Shambhala Training and the teachings of his spiritual heir Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche. Terma or “treasure” texts are dense kernels of wisdom that often require oral explanation and elaboration into a complete path of meditation. In the case of the Shambhala terma, the Sakyong arranged and bestowed the first Rigden Abhisheka in the summer of 2005 as a prerequisite to advanced practices related to the Shambhala teachings as originally revealed by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Great Stupa of Dharmakaya
Dramatically transforming the landscape of Shambhala Mountain Center, The Great Stupa of Dharmakaya is an expression of the aspiration for peace, harmony and equanimity for all beings and the largest and most elaborate example of Buddhist sacred architecture in North America. Since its consecration in 2001, the Great Stupa has attracted thousands of visitors a year from all over the world.
Chronicles Project
The Chronicle Project is a repository for a rich array of stories, interviews, travelogs, and features about the founder of Shambhala, Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche and his legacy. Its goal is to tell the story of his life in a detailed year-by-year account, to gather the oral history from those who knew him, and to preserve a record of his extraordinary legacy for future generations.
www.chronicleproject.com
Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project
The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project is dedicated to preserving and promoting the dharma legacy of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche through the preservation, propagation and publication of his dharma teachings. The Legacy Project also plans to initiate new projects and programming, to create a comprehensive virtual archive and learning community, and to create the financial base for current and future generations to support this mission. Through this process, the Legacy Project will enhance, enrich, and further inspire existing institutions and other manifestations of the Shambhala world that Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche created.
www.chogyamtrungpa.com
Works
- Born in Tibet (1966), autobiography, story of escaping from Tibet.
- Meditation in Action (1969)
- Mudra (1972)
- Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism (1973)
- The Dawn of Tantra, by Herbert V. Guenther and Chögyam Trungpa (1975)
- Glimpses of Abhidharma (1975)
- The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo, translated with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa (1975)
- The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation (1976)
- The Rain of Wisdom (1980)
- Journey without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha (1981)
- The Life of Marpa the Translator (1982)
- First Thought Best Thought: 108 Poems (1983)
- Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior (1984)
- Crazy Wisdom (1991)
- The Heart of the Buddha (1991)
- Orderly Chaos: The Mandala Principle (1991)
- Secret Beyond Thought: The Five Chakras and the Four Karmas (1991)
- The Lion’s Roar: An Introduction to Tantra (1992)
- Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos (1992)
- Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving Kindness (1993)
- Glimpses of Shunyata (1993)
- The Art of Calligraphy: Joining Heaven and Earth (1994)
- Illusion’s Game: The Life and Teaching of Naropa (1994)
- The Path Is the Goal: A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation (1995)
- Dharma Art (1996)
- Timely Rain: Selected Poetry of Chögyam Trungpa (1998)
- Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala (1999)
- Glimpses of Space: The Feminine Principle and Evam (1999)
- The Essential Chögyam Trungpa (2000)
- Glimpses of Mahayana (2001)
- Glimpses of Realization (2003)
- The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volumes One through Eight (2003)
- True Command: The Teachings of the Dorje Kasung, Volume I, The Town Talks (2004)
- The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology (2005)
- The Teacup & the Skullcup: Chogyam Trungpa on Zen and Tantra (2007)
- Smile at Fear. Awakening the True Heart of Bravery (2010)
- Work, Sex, Money. Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness (2011)
- The Mishap Lineage. Transforming Confusion into Wisdom (2011)
- The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma (2013)
- The Path of Individual Liberation (volume 1) (2013)
- The Bodhisattava Path of Wisdom and Compassion (volume 2) (2013)
- The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness (volume 3) (2013)
This blog post is brought to you by Jeffrey Russell. He practices acupuncture in Louisville, KY. Jeffrey is a Diplomate in Chinese Medicine. He also practices Chinese Herbalism and Auricular Medicine. You can see his website here. He is available at 502 299-8900.
