Quote Archives: Chögyam Trungpa

 

Wise fool ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Acknowledging foolishness is a very powerful and important experience. Chögyam Trungpa

Joyful to be here ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Fearlessness contains a feeling of joy and relaxation or well-being. From the goodness of simply being yourself, a quality of upliftedness arises, which is not overly solemn or religious. It is joyful to be in such good health, joyful to have such good posture, joyful to experience that you are alive, you are here. You […]

Working with the present situation ~ Chögyam Trungpa

The Buddhist tradition teaches the truth of impermanence, or the transitory nature of things. The past is gone and the future has not yet happened, so we work with what is here – the present situation. This actually helps us not to categorize or theorize. A fresh, living situation is taking place all the time, […]

Just sit ~ Chögyam Trungpa

I feel that it is absolutely important to make the practice of meditation your source of strength, your source of basic intelligence. Please think about that. You could sit down and do nothing, just sit and do nothing. Stop acting, stop speeding. Sit and do nothing. You should take pride in the fact that you […]

Don’t Expect Applause ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Don’t expect others to praise you or raise toasts to you. Don’t count on receiving credit for your good deeds or good practice. Chögyam Trungpa

The mirror of crazy wisdom ~ Chögyam Trungpa

In the scriptures, a crazy-wisdom person is described as “He who subdues whatever needs to be subdued and destroys whatever needs to be destroyed.” Whatever your neurosis demands, when you relate with a crazy-wisdom person, you get hit with that. Crazy wisdom presents you with a mirror reflection. A mirror will not compromise with you. […]

Everybody is the guest of everybody ~ Chögyam Trungpa

In inviting sentient beings as guests, the bodhisattva, the practitioner in the mahayana, has a constant sense of the impermanence of the relationship — the guest is going to leave. So we view this as an opportune time, and there is constant appreciation. Our guests come. We entertain them and relate with them. Afterward, the […]

Mundane action ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Are the great spiritual teachings really advocating that we fight evil because we are on the side of light, the side of peace? Are they telling us to fight against that other ‘undesirable’ side, the bad and the black. That is a big question. If there is wisdom in the sacred teachings, there should not […]

Well-being of body, speech and mind ~ Chögyam Trungpa

There are several analogies for well-being in the scriptures. Well-being of body is like a majestically solid mountain with no mist and no rain. Well-being of speech is like a stringed instrument disengaged from the strings so that it no longer has any desire to communicate with the musician. Well-being of mind is like a […]

Transparency of time and space ~ Chögyam Trungpa

When we practice meditation, we begin to realize what is known as the transparency and impermanence of time and space. We realize how much we are dwelling on our little things and that we cannot catch any of it and build a house on it. We cannot even lay the foundation. The whole thing keeps […]

Indigestion in the mind ~ Chögyam Trungpa

A lack of balance in life boils down to not being fully aware in situations and not feeling present. The present moment of action is not properly accomplished, for when a person is halfway through dealing with the present action, he or she is already drifting on to the next action. This produces a kind […]

Understanding the truth of suffering ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Understanding suffering is very important. The practice of meditation is designed not to develop pleasure but to understand the truth of suffering; and in order to understand the truth of suffering, one also has to understand the truth of awareness. When true awareness takes place, suffering does not exist. Through awareness, suffering is somewhat changed […]

Transcending Pleasure, Transcending Pain ~ Chögyam Trungpa

In meditation we are not trying to overcome or to defeat anything, and we are not trying to gain any level of high spiritual achievement for the sake of pleasure. Since the practice of meditation is not at all geared to pleasure, its achievement should also be beyond pleasure — and since it transcends pleasure, […]

A magical place ~ Chögyam Trungpa

If we open our eyes, our minds and our hearts, we will find that this world is a magical place. Chögyam Trungpa

Stepping out of the cocoon ~ Chögyam Trungpa

You don’t know how to take off your suit of armor. You have no idea how to conduct yourself without the reference point of your own security. The challenge of warriorship is to step out of the cocoon, to step out into space, by being brave and at the same time gentle. You can expose […]

Relating to your daily life ~ Chögyam Trungpa

In the practice of sitting meditation you relate to your daily life all the time. Meditation practice brings our neuroses to the surface rather than hiding them at the bottom of our minds. It enables us to relate to our lives as something workable. Chögyam Trungpa

Discipline ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Discipline is about giving up the search for entertainment. Chögyam Trungpa

Bravery ~ Chögyam Trungpa

The ultimate definition of bravery is not being afraid of who you are. Chögyam Trungpa

Delight ~ Chögyam Trungpa

Delight in itself is the approach of sanity. Delight is to open our eyes to the reality of the situation rather than siding with this or that point of view. Chögyam Trungpa