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Genuine Joe and Karen Enjoy Life

jweston — Thu, 03 May 2012 11:00:38 +0000

If you are trying to attain Joe Schmidt-hood, egohood, it is problematic. Joe Schmidt-hood is stubborn, aggressive, and speedy. On the other hand, Joe Schmidt-ness is quite reasonable; such a Joe Schmidt is not looking to attain Joe Schmidt-hood at all, but rather a could-not-care-less existence. That Joe Schmidt has a natural sense of dignity.

At that point, Joe Schmidt or Karen Doe has achieved some genuine understanding of him or herself. It may not be a full-blown accomplishment, but at that point, Joe and Karen begin to relax and feel good about themselves. Step by step, the situation evolves and becomes cheerful and humorous at the same time. Karen and Joe enjoy life. They eat good food, they enjoy how they dress, how they walk, how they talk, how they live.

From “Indestructible Nature” in Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery, pages 30-31.

Genuine Joe Schmidt

jweston — Tue, 01 May 2012 15:00:48 +0000

If we have a sense of how to go about things in our own life already, then we will also develop a natural sense of how to extend out to others as well. That ability to reach out is based first on how one actually views oneself as Joe Schmidt or Karen Doe. Is this a good Joe Schmidt? Is this a wretched Karen Doe? Or is this David Doe questionable?

It is possible, and it has been done in the past, to take an attitude toward oneself which is quite positive and ordinary, in some sense, but which is also extraordinary and which sees our life as worthy of celebrating. We can cheer up our attitude towards ourselves. Joe Schmidt could feel a genuine sense of Joe Schmidt-ness in himself. There is an actual connection that we could make with ourselves.

From “Indestructible Nature” in Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery, page 30.

Planning for the Future

jweston — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:00:36 +0000

Humans are the only animals that try to dwell in the future. You don’t have to purely live in the present situation without a plan, but the future plans you make can only be based on the aspects of the future that manifest within the present situation. You can’t plan a future if you don’t know what the present situation is. You have to start from now to know how to plan.

From Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chögyam Trungpa, no. 132.

Elegance

jweston — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 11:00:07 +0000

Elegance means appreciating things as they are. There is a sense of delight and of fearlessness. You are not fearful of dark corners. If there are any dark, mysterious corners, black and confusing, you override them with your glory, your sense of beauty, your sense of cleanness, your feeling of being regal. Because you can override fearlessness in this way, tantra, or the highest stage in Tibetan Buddhist practice, is known as the king of all the stages on the path. You take an attitude of having perfectly complete and very rich basic sanity.

From Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chögyam Trungpa, no. 149.

Eye-Opening Joy

jweston — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 11:00:49 +0000

Experiencing the joy of fearlessness may be a momentary experience, or it could last a long time. The beginning of this experience occurs in the practice of meditation. This joy is an eye-opener. You are no longer shy of seeing the world. You find that the joy of warriorship is always needed.

From “Joining Heaven and Earth,” in Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery, page 78.

The Dignity of Fearlessness

jweston — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 11:00:46 +0000

There is more to fearlessness than merely having overcome fear. Beyond that, when we speak of fearlessness, we are describing a positive state of being full of delight and cheerfulness, with sparkling eyes and good posture. This state of being is not dependent on any external circumstances. It is individual dignity. This joy and unconditional healthiness is the joy, the basic virtue, that comes from being what we are, right now.

From “Joining Heaven and Earth,” in Smile at Fear: Awakening the True Heart of Bravery, pages 77 to 78.

The Power of Speech

jweston — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 11:00:31 +0000

Buddhism has the potential of bringing together cultural phenomena with spiritual understanding. We don’t want to make a trip out of that, but nonetheless it is true. Your chairs and tables and photographs on the wall are not particularly religious but they are cultural phenomena. And they are works of art. Speech is also a cultural phenomenon. When you talk properly, it has power and reality and magic—to communicate to your attorney, to your taxi driver, or to your shop keeper. So it is very important to have awareness of the power of language.

From a talk on language and elocution from the 1984 Seminary Transcripts.

Language as Communication

jweston — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:00:18 +0000

Language is often regarded as something you use to get by in your life. But language should fulfill your individual existence as a wholesome human being who knows how to speak as well as how to communicate with others. I think we have to draw a line between these two approaches: either you use words just to jumble things together or you speak so that you declare yourself as an individual. Language should be more than just getting by.

From remarks on language and elocution from the 1985 Seminary Transcripts, page 44.

The Teacher as Samurai Warrior

jweston — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 11:00:52 +0000

The closest analogy for the teacher in the vajrayana is the samurai warrior. Such a teacher is ferocious, but at the same time he has the qualities of a father, an elder, and a friend. He or she could be very passionate, warm, and sympathetic, but doesn’t buy any bullshit, if we could speak American at this point. Studying with such a person is dangerous and a very advanced thing to do. You might actually progress much faster on the path. But if you start with the expectation of going faster, you might actually go slower. You are well trained and disciplined at this point. The teacher’s approach now is to create successive teaching situations in your life. He or she demands unconditional trust and openness from you, without any logic. Maybe some little logic applies, but the invitation and the demand are simple and straightforward: “Would you like to come along with me and take part in this historic battle? Come along, here’s your sword.”

From “The Teacher” in the latest issue of the Shambhala Sun. Based on a seminar on the Sadhana of Mahamudra, 1975.

Of Interest to Readers

Today marks the 25th anniversary of the parinirvana, or death, of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The quotes this week about the teacher are offered in commemoration of his immense effect on practitioners around the world in the past, present, and future. Shambhala Publications and Ocean of Dharma are giving away one Chögyam Trungpa book a day throughout the month of April, in honor of the occasion. Visit the editor’s blog for your chance to win!

The Spiritual Friend

jweston — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:29:47 +0000

In the mahayana, the teacher is a spiritual friend. At this point, the spiritual friend tells us, “Don’t just work on yourself. Do something about others. Relate with your projections rather than with the projector alone. Do something about the world outside and try to develop some sense of sympathy and warmth in yourself.” That is usually quite hard for us to do. We are upset and uptight and resentful that life is painful. It’s very hard to relax, but it can be done. It’s being done in the present, and it will be done in the future. So how about giving an inch? Just letting go a little bit? Opening a little bit?

From “The Teacher” in the latest issue of the Shambhala Sun. Based on a seminar on the Sadhana of Mahamudra, 1975.