The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: 3 (89 page)

Q:
Do these shamanistic teachings apply to the contemporary world where there is very little relationship to one’s place of birth? Most people’s place of birth is in a concrete city and not particularly related to nature. What does the teaching have to say to a contemporary city dweller?

R:
Well, not very much. (
Laughter
) Not very much. That is why religions such as Christianity and Buddhism came about. They are not particularly related to nationalism. Christianity came out of Judaism and its shamanistic traditions, and Buddhism came out of Hinduism and its shamanistic traditions. Christ and Buddha both saw that those [traditions] were not going to work forever. In order to step beyond that, there is something more needed than that. So the first message that Buddha left was the four noble truths. The first thing is pain, alienation basically. It is a sort of antishamanistic kind of approach. You are not supposed to feel at home wherever you are. And whenever someone presents you with gefilte fish and matzo balls to see
your
world, to think that some
other
environment exists.

Q:
Then Buddhism and Christianity are really in opposition to the shamanistic point of view?

R:
Christianity is closest to Buddhism in this respect. It is a matter on one hand of seeing how far one can work with the environment and teach the doctrine of good citizenship purely from conventional truths which exist in a particular locality, a particular province, a particular district, as opposed to seeing how mendicants, who travel from one end of the world to the other, carry out their own thing. These are some of the differences. The evidence we have from Christianity, things like the examples of the desert fathers, who actually dwelled in a completely alien situation and in inhospitable surroundings, is similar to that of the mendicant tradition of the Buddhist monks, who have shaved heads and whose temple is to step into the nearest railroad station, just leave and travel around. It is an entirely different kind of approach.

Foreword to
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation

W
HEN
I
WAS ASKED
to design the cover for
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation,
I chose the syllable
AH
because it is the sound representing all-pervading speech as well as the seed syllable of shunyata. I thought it most appropriate for a book born from the energy aspect of a great and dedicated teacher as sGam.po.pa (Gampopa) was.

There have been many attempts made to present the Buddhist teachings of Tibet, and generally there are certain consistent misconceptions, reminiscent of the seven blind men describing the elephant. An example of this is the persistent idea of a lamaist cult with complicated practices leading to magic. This occurs particularly through the isolation and dramatization of certain details out of context: a partial view rather than showing the whole journey in the great vehicle.

The vividness of the book is due not only to sGam.po.pa’s philosophical studies as a Kadam monk but also to his years of meditation experiences under Milarepa, in which he managed to achieve the meeting point of meditation and intellectual activity. He exercised great skill in bringing together the Buddhist tantric yoga of Naropa and the hinayana monastic discipline of Sarvastivadin.

The book is particularly good for students of Buddhism because it does not present the complex practices of visualization and other deeply involved symbolic practices, but quite wisely, within the keeping of the tradition, deals first with the neurotic aspect of the samsaric mind. With the understanding of the positive ideas of tathagatagarbha and the good working basis of the human body, the journey becomes a totally creative one. Both his understanding and the development of the realization of impermanence are concerned with training the mind rather than giving practices to the student which lead only to more “insane” mental productions. Unfortunately, the latter occurs all too frequently in the presentation of Tibetan Buddhism to the Western audience.

Throughout the evolutionary development of man searching for the dharma in the West, many people, Buddhist or instinctively Buddhist, have been greatly inspired by this book, and I am sure many more will benefit from it in the future. It is in the flow of karma that this book materialized in 1959 on the very eve of the destruction of the spiritual land of Tibet. Professor Guenther was instrumental in making available the only commentary and guide in English to the bodhisattva tradition of Tibet, Japan, and China. The book remains the classic text of all Buddhists.

I would also like to draw the reader’s attention to an occasional difficulty with the text. As in some other ancient texts, certain details are perhaps more part of a past culture than valid facts, such as the concept of Mount Meru as the center of the world, and so on. However, I highly recommend
The Jewel Ornament of Liberation
as a thorough and complete exposition of the stages of mahayana.

As part of the lineage of sGam.po.pa’s order of Karma Kagyü, I find it very auspicious to be writing the foreword to this new edition.

C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA

September 1970

Tail of the Tiger Buddhist Community

Barnet, Vermont

Foreword to
Mandala

T
HE SEARCH FOR
knowledge and wisdom by concepts is part of man’s confused struggle. Nevertheless, using ideas as a stepping-stone is necessary for the student as a starting point.

Mandala in the broad sense is all-encompassing space which accommodates the self-existing cosmic structure, radiating different energies: pacifying, magnetizing, increasing, destroying.

In this book the authors have worked diligently, delving into many different cultures and studying the expressions of buddha nature in each tradition, particularly in terms of the mandala principle. As such, their work is itself a demonstration of mandala in action.

The paths that the reason will follow going through this book may bring confusion as well as affirmation, but this experience can also be regarded as an expression of mandala in action because both positive and negative experiences are part of the contents of the mandala. The awakening of the underlying intelligence is the only starting point.

It is my hope that this book will give you new insight in transcending the world of psychological and spiritual materialism.

C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA
R
INPOCHE

Karma Dzong

Boulder, Colorado

February 25, 1972

Foreword to
Living Dharma

D
URING ITS
2,500-year history, Buddhism has manifested itself in a multitude of different schools and styles. Always the dynamic nature of living dharma has brought about, in different cultural and historical environments, new modes of expression. But at the heart of all of these manifestations lies the practice of meditation, as exemplified and taught by the Buddha himself. Only through personal meditative practice is the student of dharma enabled to slow down the speed of neurotic mind and to begin seeing the world with clarity and precision. Without this, he will only be able to increase his confusion and perpetuate his aggressive grasping for self-confirmation. Without meditation, there is no approach to genuine sanity, no path to enlightenment, indeed no dharma.

The practice of meditation presents itself as an especially powerful discipline for the shrinking world of the twentieth century. The age of technology would like also to produce a spiritual gadgetry—a new, improved spirituality guaranteed to bring quick results. Charlatans manufacture their versions of the dharma, advertising miraculous, easy ways, rather than the steady and demanding personal journey which has always been essential to genuine spiritual practice.

It is this genuine tradition which is embodied by the teachers presented in this book. They are holders of an unbroken lineage of transmission which has succeeded in surviving and communicating itself in its pure form. The teaching of these masters and the example of their lives provide the impetus and inspiration for further practitioners to follow, properly and fully, the path of dharma.

V
AJRACHARYA THE
V
ENERABLE

C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA

Foreword to
The History of the Sixteen Karmapas of Tibet

T
HE PRACTICING LINEAGE
of the Kagyü tradition remains the crown jewel of the contemplative Buddhist world. The examples and lifestyles of great teachers of this tradition have inspired countless practitioners, such that their lives could be further devoted to meditative disciplines. The Karmapas are particularly the great pillars of the Kagyü tradition, who have enabled the practicing lineage to continue in spite of political, social, and economic obstacles.

Karma Thinley Rinpoche is a very close friend and student of mine. I appreciate his insight and wisdom in revealing to us the true stories of the lineage of the Karmapas. No doubt this book will benefit its readers; they should read it with inspiration and devotion.

I remain a servant and propagator of the Kagyü tradition,

V
AJRACHARYA THE
V
ENERABLE

C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA
R
INPOCHE

Boulder, Colorado

February 21, 1980

Foreword to
Buddha in the Palm of Your Hand

P
ROCLAIMING THE
L
IVING
S
TRENGTH OF THE
P
RACTICE
L
INEAGE

I
N ORDER TO CREATE
a civilized world, it is very important for one person to trust another. Furthermore, it is very important to impart the wisdom of one human being to another and to trust that wisdom at the same time, knowing that it is immaculate, pure, good, accurate, no nonsense.

In the twentieth century, we talk about democracy, individualism, personal heroism, and all kinds of things like that. While all of those ideals are excellent in one sense, they are the creation of a culture that does not appreciate arduous and long training in a traditional discipline. Throwing away tradition and wisdom that have been developed through many centuries is like tossing the extraordinary exertion and sacrifice that human beings have made out of the window, like dirty socks. This is certainly not the way to maintain the best of human society.

While much of Europe was still quite primitive, tantric Buddhism was flourishing in India. At that time in India, people were less savage. They practiced purification and learned how to treat each other as brothers. Needless to say, such human wisdom evolved by means of compassion and love of the world—love of humanity, animals, plants, flowers, and all the rest. Lord Buddha’s message goes along with that: If you feel bad about somebody, don’t destroy him; take such bad aggression onto yourself, as if you were in that other person’s place. Thus the tradition of exchanging oneself for others was developed by the Lord Buddha.

In this little book, my Regent, Ösel Tendzin, has discussed the principles of the attainment of enlightenment, that is, human decency and human wakefulness. No self-proclaimed wisdom exists in his writings. Ösel Tendzin reflects here only the study and training he has gone through with my personal guidance. These are the identical teachings that I received in the same way from my teacher, Jamgön Kongtrül of Sechen. So everything in this book is according to the tradition. I would certainly suggest that readers pay a great deal of attention to this work that my Regent has produced.

As members of the practice lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, our path and goal are to tame our ego-centered mind, which consists of passion, aggression, and ignorance. As a student and child of mine, Ösel Tendzin has developed his natural ability to respond to the teachings of egolessness. He not only intellectually comprehends these teachings, but he has actually practiced and trained himself in this way. Although I would not say Ösel Tendzin is an enlightened person, he is one of the greatest examples of a practitioner who has followed the command of the Buddha and his guru and the tradition of the practice lineage.

Many Oriental advisers have said to me, “Do not make an Occidental your successor; they are not trustworthy.” With the blessing of His Holiness the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, and through working with Ösel Tendzin as my Regent, I have come to the conclusion that anybody who possesses tathagatagarbha is worthy of experiencing enlightenment. Moreover, Ösel Tendzin is my prime student. He has been able to commit himself and learn thoroughly the teachings of vajrayana. I have worked arduously in training him as my best student and foremost leader, and His Holiness Karmapa has confirmed his Regency. With His Holiness’ blessing, Ösel Tendzin should hold his title and the sanity of the enlightened lineage. He is absolutely capable of imparting the message of buddhadharma to the rest of the world.