Tag: Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

The Warrior Within.

“You are a warrior when you have the bravery to face who you are, without fear, embarassment, or denial,” writes Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. “This warriorship is the basis of the spiritual path.”

I remember the first time reading his words. Chaos gripped the world around me – my marriage, my job, my failing health. I wanted to effect a sense of freedom, but every choice I made led me deeper into the well.

When I was younger, the world seemed tailor made to my whimsy. In those days, ‘mistakes’ we’re merely an aspect of discovery,

‘Mistakes’ quickly displaced by discovery and no problem greater than the next Saturday morning. If only I could travel back, returning to a simpler time.

When we are younger, we understand our role as an agent in our own happiness: we see a tree, we climb a tree. Though we may experience fear, nothing is ever truly beyond our reach.

Sadly as the years pass, we feel less in control – our happiness derived not by choice, but rather by circumstance. And, believing it to be a phenomenon external to self – we begin our chase. In time, losing track of ‘the basic harmony of being human.’

Just a child racing through a field, our joy is realized through this part of doing. In being honest with ourselves, and brave enough to face the true heart of the matter – we begin to disentangle decades worth of inner dialogue. Apprehension, fear, hesitation – no longer our sole consideration.

“Sometimes it is very frightening,” he shares. “But on the other hand, when you take this step, the whole situation, the whole journey, makes sense. You have to actually do it, and then you will understand.”

In every single passing moment, we both are *and* we become.

In peace, sweet friends…

Namaste ❣️

To See Ourselves Reflected.

The venerable Buddhist teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche once offered that art was the ability of the mind to relate gracefully with all that is before us; to see reflected within oneself the glorious masterpiece of this earth.

In this way, all of life is ‘art.’

Whether falling leaves or the scent of rain, everything is sacred. And, sacred in the sense that there is a divine grace within our connection; an unspoken gratitude which so effortlessly fills the ‘space between.’

My darlings, nothing is ever outside of our practice, because everything is our practice.

All that we are, or have ever dared to be; every thought, every hope, every soulful dream – is a fearless expression of our heart’s liberation. Unbiased, and without regret.

“To hear never-heard sounds,
To see never-seen colors and shapes,
To try to understand the imperceptible
Power pervading the world;
To fly and find pure ethereal substances
That are not of matter
But of that invisible soul pervading reality.” – Dejan Stojanovic

To see ourselves within a single drop of rain, my darlings, this is what it means for our hearts to finally be heard.

<3

A Most Beautiful Shade of Blue.

[blockquote source=”The Venerable Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche”]”If you can really visualize this it will be there in the morning.” [/blockquote]

It was a fateful first visit for artist Jack Niland. He had been traveling for days when he finally arrived at the dilapidated old farmhouse. At first glance, he nearly turned away – but, something much deeper compelled him to stay.

“I’d been a hippie for a long time,” he once joked, “but, even by my standards this was unbearable.”

And, yet there he was…standing, as if by happenstance, at the very door that he would eventually be commissioned to paint. He had been in search of something real, something far greater than most could understand. The place was Karmê Chöling – an unassuming patch of land in northern Vermont. Purchased by the venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, it would soon become the very first land-based Buddhist refuge in America.

A charming young woman greeted him at the door. “Tell me, what is it that you do?” she smiled.

“I do art stuff,” he replied.

“Oh, then,” she said. “Come with me!”

As the story is told, Jack was ‘commissioned’ to paint the entrance door to the new meditation center. In exchange, he was offered free room and board.

“It is very important what we’re doing,” urged the Buddhist Master. “so, take this very seriously.” There was something about him, a radiant sort of energy. As some might say, “his smile had the capacity to captivate.’

This chance meeting marked the beginning of a life-long friendship.

“See this structure here,” the master asked, pointing to the top of the entrance. “It means double joy.” He then went on to describe his vision for the door. “Joyful and light,” he smiled “Like a Buddhist temple.” The door was to capture the balance of the Universe, as well as – incorporate the three jewels of Buddhism.  Yellow for Buddha; red for sangha, and a crisp turquoise blue to represent the dharma.

The artist commenced work on the new project – at first, the background color, a vibrant red. Next, a golden yellow -which, was fairly easy. But, the work came to a stop with the search for this deeper blue. There was just nothing that could come close to this perfect shade of blue.

“No, not that,” the master frowned. Finally, the artist found a small tube of blue oil paint which he had hoped might be mixed to the correct hue. But, try as he might – with every effort, he failed.

It seemed an impossible task – and, in frustration, he walked away.

By this point, the front porch was strewn with half-emptied tubes of paint, and small bowls filled with every shade save for that ‘one perfect blue.’

When he returned, he noticed something curious. There, in the middle of all that mess was a tiny little farm girl just covered in paint. She had been drawn to the all those ‘pretty colors’ – and, had spent the rest of the afternoon mixing and stirring.

Revealing in her tiny little hands, a small bowl with…you guessed it, the perfect shade of blue.

You see, what they had spent so many hours ‘looking for’ – came quite effortlessly to this unencumbered soul.

How perfectly fitting an opportunity for the Venerable Chogyma Trungpa Rinpoche, who taught compassion by way of being human.

My darlings, we all have within us this most perfect shade of blue – but, sometimes it requires a little letting go, in order for it to come through.

 

The Mosquito in the Room.

[blockquote source=”Pema Chodron”]”It isn’t the things that are happening to us that cause us to suffer, it’s what we say to ourselves about the things that are happening. That’s where the suffering comes from.[/blockquote]

I was feeling rather distressed the other day. A matter at work had bubbled over, and in the process, completely usurped my overall sense of well-being.

I was angered by the prejudice of the situation, and hurt by the unfair choices which were subsequently made.

People are always a little put off in learning of my upset. My nature is generally one of calm demeanor, however, every once in a while…something triggers me.

It’s a wretched feeling, isn’t it? To be nearly ‘swallowed whole’ by the uncertainty of these chest-tightening circumstances?

And, it can happen at any given moment, too – someone criticizes you, or they disagree with what you have to say. How does it feel? And, more importantly, what is your response?

For many of us, these situations evoke a terribly uncomfortable feeling. Our instinct, is to deflect..to defend..to force distance between…but, it never really goes away until we’ve had our moment to sit with it.

There is a Tibetan word to describe this impulse – ‘shenpa’ – which, loosely translated means ‘hooked.’ It’s intended to describe our tendency to shut down just as we’re being triggered, to go no further into that which we very much need to explore.

Shenpa has a ‘stickiness’ about it.  Like the gum at the bottom of our ‘spiritual shoe’, it is undeniably present within our every step.

Shhttck…shhttck…shhttck….

Isn’t it amazing how one minor annoyance can build to such an overwhelming rage? Shenpa is the proverbial mosquito in the room – incessant in its attempts to pull us farther from self.

And, we will go to any lengths to relieve our discomfort. But, the relief is generally short-lived – as, we fall back into those very same habits that caused our suffering in the first place.

In his book “The Myth Of Freedom”, Tibetan teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche makes a clear delineation between pain and suffering.

“We all experience negativity-the basic aggression of wanting things to be different than they are. We cling, we defend, we attack, and throughout there is a sense of one’s own wretchedness, and so we blame the world for our pain. This is negativity. We experience it as terribly unpleasant, foul-smelling, something we want to get rid of.

But if we look into it more deeply, it has a very juicy smell and is very much alive. Negativity is not bad per se, but something living and precise, connected with reality.”

In other words, all emotions, including negativity – can become our most powerful tool. And, within each feeling – a potentially invaluable lesson.

[blockquote source=”Pema Chödrön'”]”What we really need to do is address things just as they are. Learning to recognize shenpa teaches us the meaning of not being attached to this world.”[/blockquote]

It’s when we learn to stay with our own adversity – to not be so quick to run away, that we finally begin to grow.

Awakening the Heart of Compassion.

[blockquote source=”Pema Chödrön”]”The most difficult times for many of us are the ones we give ourselves.”[/blockquote]

It’s a difficult journey, now isn’t it? Something happens at work, or someone cuts us off in traffic – and suddenly, all of our good intentions seem to fly out that ‘spiritual window.’ In an instant, we are triggered – something sets us off, and our mind begins to spin.

Can you feel it? That chest tightening, pulse pounding, ‘racing out of control’ sort of feeling?

It’s pretty awful, isn’t it?Oh, and, we’ll do our best to defend, deflect…to push it away…anything to avoid the sting; the sting of once again having the ground pulled from beneath our feet.

But, my dears, when we understand the impermanence of our troubles, we begin to see the futility in our ‘clinging.’ It feels good to be attached to something – whether a person, or thing, or ideology.

Our connection, in some ways, defines us.

But, it can also cause us injury – in so much as, we become preoccupied with the facts of that matter, and less interested in examining the energy of the moment.

Take a breath, and look inside – listen to what this moment is trying to share with you. What is the true nature of your upset?

Because, all of that which we experience – the good, the bad, and the not-so-pretty-side of being human – they are all part of your awakening. Each and every single step, leads to a new understanding – a deeper awareness.

But, when we cling – we become trapped inside of our own ‘head space’, incapable of moving forward. Round and round these emotions go, “I can’t believe…”, and “Why is this happening?” become our mantras for the day.

In an excerpt from the chapter “Working with Negativity” in the book “The Myth Of Freedom” by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche states,

[blockquote]”We all experience negativity  -the basic aggression of wanting things to be different than they are. We cling, we defend, we attack, and throughout there is a sense of one’s own wretchedness, and so we blame the world for our pain. This is negativity. We experience it as terribly unpleasant, foul-smelling, something we want to get rid of. But if we look into it more deeply, it has a very juicy smell and is very alive. Negativity is not bad per se, but something living and precise, connected with reality.

Negativity breeds tension, friction, gossip, discontentment, but it is also very accurate, deliberate and profound. Unfortunately, the heavy handed interpretations and judgements we lay on these experiences obscure this fact. These interpretations are negative negativity, watching ourselves being negative and then deciding that the negativity is justified in being there.

Basic negativity is very revealing, sharp and accurate. If we leave it as basic negativity rather than overlaying it with conceptualizations, then we see the nature of its intelligence. Negativity breeds a great deal of energy, which clearly seen becomes intelligence. When we leave the energies as they are with their natural qualities, they are living rather than conceptualized. They strengthen our everyday lives.”[/blockquote]

As difficult as this may seem inside the moment, there is actually a great opportunity for learning. Powerful emotions yield profound wisdom – and if we are able to stay with it, without bias or judgement or some other higher though rationale…

Then, my dears, that marks the beginning of our very own, and truest awakening.