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Author: TomTom Date: Jul 27, 2008 16:00
I was asked to comment on Chogyam Trungpa's book "Shambhala: The Sacred Path
of the Warrior". I am not going to do a chapter-by-chapter summary. I
don't feel that this volume breaks enough new ground to warrant that close
an examination. Few books on religious topics ever do. That's because the
essence of most religions are pretty simple. For instance, the essence of
Christianity is to love God completely and to love others as much as you
love yourself. In Buddhism, the essence is to be as quiet as one can and
pay as much attention as one can. There's only so much one can say about
that without becoming repetitive.
Still, there are a few interesting symbols and concepts that Trungpa
discusses that are, in my opinion, worth some reflection.
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Author: J.P. Julian Sebastian BacchaeJ.P. Julian Sebastian Bacchae Date: Jul 27, 2008 16:12
i will get it out of storage when i get home.
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Author: mikamika Date: Jul 28, 2008 10:07
On Jul 27, 4:00Â pm, "Tom" wrote:
>
>Â Now,
> fearlessness is not the same as not feeling the emotions of arousal. Â The
> coward seeks to eliminate the feeling, to deny it exists. Â The Warrior
> transcends the feeling by accepting it as it is
"Use your perceived enemy to destroy your real enemy".
(Have you seen Revolver yet? If not, never mind that comment).
> and finding the basic goodness within it.
Trying to find the goodness seems like a distraction. Acceptance is
enough... the goodness then reveals itself naturally.
> Trungpa says that to transcend fear one must first be willing to face
> sadness. Â Part of accepting ourselves completely is the acceptance of
> sadness, the kind of sadness that comes from an open heart, an openness that
> allows everything in the world to touch the softest part of us. Â When we
> open this way, we discover our sadness. Â It takes the first beginnings of
> true courage to face that sadness and it is by facing that sadness, by
> accepting that we are vulnerable and not to try to hide from it or run away
> from it, that we can transcend fear.
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Author: ChadeChade Date: Jul 28, 2008 11:00
On 28 Jul, 00:00, "Tom" comcast.net> wrote:>
>
> Still, there are a few interesting symbols and concepts that Trungpa
> discusses that are, in my opinion, worth some reflection.
>
> Firstly, the myth of the Sacred City is all over the globe and has been
> around for a long, long time. Atlantis is one such myth. Brigadoon,
> Camelot, El Dorado, the list goes on. Plato intellectualized it in Utopia.
> It's heaven. It's the perfect communion of souls, the perfect society. In
> each myth, the qualities of that society are idealized versions of whatever
> society invented them.
Magic, and magicians can be very self-absorbed. Unlike religion which
has much more of a place-in-the-community angle.
>
> Given the propensity for young magicians to try to command the universe
> before they even learn how to breathe efficiently and never to admit they
> still need to learn anything more than the contents...
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Author: TomTom Date: Jul 28, 2008 13:54
>On Jul 27, 4:00 pm, "Tom" wrote:
>>
>> Now,
>> fearlessness is not the same as not feeling the emotions of arousal. The
>> coward seeks to eliminate the feeling, to deny it exists. The Warrior
>> transcends the feeling by accepting it as it is
>> and finding the basic goodness within it.
>
> Trying to find the goodness seems like a distraction. Acceptance is
> enough... the goodness then reveals itself naturally.
Yes, it does. Acceptance is the key and the discovery of its basic goodness
is the natural outcome.
> Sadness sucks.
What does it suck? And why? Look right at it.
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Author: TomTom Date: Jul 28, 2008 13:59
> On 28 Jul, 00:00, "Tom" comcast.net> wrote:
>>> Basic goodness leads inexorably to a sense of fearlessness.
>
> Inexorably?
As Mika observed, the discovery of basic goodness is a natural consequence
of acceptance. The discovery of the basic goodness of one's fear allows one
to transcend it.
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Author: ChadeChade Date: Jul 28, 2008 15:19
On 28 Jul, 19:00, Chade newsguy.com> wrote:>
>
> Trungpa recommends a simple breathing technique during meditation.
> Yoga does include lots of different techniques, though usually as a
> pre-amble to settle the mind. Unfortunately the way they are taught in
> class is often worse than useless ime.
>
> Bee breath is one that's often strangely taught. Bee-breath basically
> consists of sitting much as Trungpa describes, except with your eyes
> closed and breathing moderately deeply. In through the nose and out
> through the mouth. After a few breaths one starts to 'buzz' or more
> accurately hum in the base of one's throat. With a little practice one
> can find a pitch and loudness that resonates in one's head but is
> fairly gentle in that the out breath is not quickly exhausted. So far
> so good, but what's is the shifty looking person in the center of the
> sports hall keeping quiet about? Simple, you should have your fingers
> in your ears.
>
> While the traditional 'seal' is worth learning it's is hard to explain ...
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Author: mikamika Date: Jul 28, 2008 16:14
On Jul 28, 1:54Â pm, "Tom" wrote:
> "mika" wrote:
>
>> Sadness sucks.
>
> What does it suck? Â
It sucks the joy right out of an otherwise comforting fantasy.
> And why? Look right at it.
Right now, it's a reflection of the reality of impermanence. And
dreams, I mean, expectations, that will never be satisfied.
This particular sadness sucks because it illustrates what a spoiled
selfish little btch I can be. I've got cupcakes, gumdrops and
chocolate truffles yet I'm feeling sad because the second tier of that
ice cream cone toppled over. boo f'ing hoo, woe is me, waaa waaa
waaa, etc.
There are so many layers to sadness but I think the most disturbing is
the tendency to wallow in grief over a future that no longer exists at
the expense of appreciating a present that actually does exist, right
now, right here.
> Methinks I court, methinks I kiss,
> Methinks I now embrace my miss.
> O blessed days, O sweet content,
> In Paradise my time is spent.
> Such thoughts may still my fancy move,
> So may I ever be in...
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Author: Erwin HessleErwin Hessle Date: Jul 28, 2008 18:36
On Jul 28, 7:14 pm, mika gmail.com> wrote:> On Jul 28, 1:54 pm, "Tom" wrote:
>> "mika" wrote:
>>> Sadness sucks.
>
>> What does it suck?
>
> It sucks the joy right out of an otherwise comforting fantasy.
The idea that the fantasy is "comforting" is itself a fantasy. You
won't be any less comfortable once you get rid of it. Your fantasy
just tells you that to keep itself alive.
Erwin Hessle, 8=3
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Author: TomTom Date: Jul 29, 2008 07:42
> On Jul 28, 1:54 pm, "Tom" wrote:
>> "mika" wrote:
>>
>>> Sadness sucks.
>>
>> What does it suck?
>
> It sucks the joy right out of an otherwise comforting fantasy.
As night seems to suck away the light of the sun. Have you noticed that
human beings tend to think of many things as fluids? Even the feeling of
life itself seems fluid to us. The flow of time, the flow of feelings, the
flow of movement. It must be all that water in us, I suppose.
Joy is a perpetual fountain. It arises from the center of our being.
>> And why? Look right at it.
>
> Right now, it's a reflection of the reality of impermanence. And
> dreams, I mean, expectations, that will never be satisfied.
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