Sunday

Chogyam Trungpa on Shambhala Sun

OCA sky, photo courtesy of Joey Johannsen

Teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche

The November 2009 issue of the Shambhala Sun features two new pieces, one by, and one about, Chogyam Trungpa. Look inside the November 2009 issue. Below are excerpts and links to classic teachings by Chogyam Trungpa from the Shambhala Sun archives.

One-Shot Mind (July 2009)
“Mindfulness of mind means being with one’s mind. When you sit and meditate, you are there: you are being with your body, with your sense of life or survival, with your sense of effort, and at the same time, you are being with your mind. You are being there. Mindfulness of mind suggests a sense of presence and a sense of accuracy in terms of being there. You are there, therefore you can’t miss yourself. If you are not there, then you might miss yourself. But that also would be a double take: if you realize you are not there, that means you are there. That brings you back to where you are—back to square one.” Read more.

The Bodhisattva (November 2006)
“The bodhisattva vow is the commitment to put others before oneself. It is a statement of willingness to give up one’s own well-being, even one’s own enlightenment, for the sake of others. And a bodhisattva is simply a person who lives in the spirit of that vow, perfecting the qualities known as the six paramitas [perfections]—generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and transcendental knowledge—in his effort to liberate beings.” Read more.

The New Age (March 2004)
Every age is an age of change. This means also change in the social structure of the life of the people. There is never a still or static moment of time. As the time situations develop—there comes new ways of expressing wisdom — new ways of indulging or one might say corrupting people—and new ways of creating a structure for society. So therefore from a Buddhist point of view one sees that the world is not necessarily going to achieve either a Utopian Golden Age or for that matter going to enter a completely Dark Age. Read more.

The Four Foundations of Mindfulness (March 2000)
For the follower of the buddhadharma, the teachings of Buddhism, there is a need for great emphasis on the practice of meditation. One must see the straightforward logic that mind is the cause of confusion and that by transcending confusion one attains the enlightened state. This can only take place through the practice of meditation. The Buddha himself experienced this, by working on his own mind, and what he learned has been handed down to us. Read more.

Visit the Chogyam Trungpa teaching page on the Shambhala Sun.