Thursday

Father as Ancestor

Bill Scheffel reflects on both the passing of his father and the Shambhala teachings of Chogyam Trungpa (whom Bill refers to as “Lord Mukpo”, his family name and the name he often used when teaching Shambhala Training). This essay and collection of poems was inspired by the anniversary of his father’s death, extended periods of time Bill spent in Cambodia between 2004 and 2007, and his connection with Trungpa Rinpoche. It is part contemplation, part travel writing, and also an homage to lineage.

Originally published on The Drala Principle, all photos are courtesy of Bill Scheffel.

Chogyam Trungpa, or Lord Mukpo, is my spiritual father or root teacher. My own father, William S. Scheffel, died exactly one year ago, on August 2nd. In the memory and living presence of both of my fathers, I offer the following prose poems, poems I wrote in three different countries and in three different years. The pieces are not about my fathers per se, but about their imprint, their echo, their request.

Faith

Unconditional faith is not something to believe in but something to know. It is not forcing myself to believe but encountering something believable, something undeniable, something innate. The encounter itself is intangible, a substance I cannot collect, bring home, or experiment on. I cannot prove its existence or even that it happened. Faith is packaged intangibility as terrain, an invisible homeland we emerged from, or once crossed over, or slept on for a night – that continues to exist as a spiritual echo or postcard.
Continue…