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Chogyam Trungpa

Chogyam Trungpa Quotes

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Famous Chogyam Trungpa Quotes

“Very beautiful situations have developed using chaos as part of the enlightened approach. There is chaos of all kinds developing all the time... If you are trying to stop those situations, you are looking for external means of liberating yourself, another answer. But if we are able to look into the basic situation, then chaos is the inspiration, confusion is the inspiration.”

IfsTryingLooksKindMeanInspirationAbleBeautifulAnswersSituationApproachChaosConfusionAll KindsDevelopingEnlightenedLiberatingVery Beautiful
Book:The Pocket Chögyam Trungpa
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“Right mindfulness does not simply mean being aware; it is like creating a work of art. You can therefore trust what you are doing; you are not threatened by anything. You have room to dance in the space, and this makes it a creative situation. The space is open to you.”

MeanDoeArtSpaceRoomsSituationCreativeMindfulnessCreatingWorks Of ArtThreatenedDoing You
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“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.”

TryingHumansAnimalSituationPlansFutureAspectManifestLive In The PresentFuture PlansPresent Situation
Book:Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa
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“The sun has a sense of all-pervasive brilliance, which does not discriminate in the slightest. It is the goodness that exists in a situation, in oneself, and in one's world, which is expressed without doubt, hesitation, or regret. The sun principle also includes the notion of blessings descending upon us and creating sacred world. It also represents clarity, without doubt.”

WorldDoeSituationPrinciplesSunDoubtRegretBlessingGoodnessCreatingSacredNotionOneselfClarityBrillianceHesitationDescending
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Seven: The Art of Calligraphy (Excerpts); Dharma Art; Visual Dharma (Excerpts); Selecte d Poems; Selected Writings
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“when one learns a different way of dealing with the situation, one no longer has to have a purpose. One is not on the way to somewhere. Or rather, one is on the way and one is also at the destination at the same time. That is really what meditation is for.”

WayDifferentPurposeTimeSituationMeditationRoseDifferent WaysDestination
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume One: Born in Tibet; Meditation in Action; Mudra; Selected Writings
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“We have to make the first move ourselves rather than expecting it to come from the phenomenal world or from other people. If we are meditating at home and we happen to live in the middle of the High Street, we cannot stop the traffic just because we want peace and quiet. But we can stop ourselves, we can accept the noise. The noise also contains silence. We must put ourselves into it and expect nothing from outside, just as Buddha did. And we must accept whatever situation arises.”

PeopleIfsWorldWantFirstsHomeHappensMovingPeaceSilenceSituationAcceptingStreetsMiddleQuietRoseAriseNoiseExpectingTrafficPhenomenalMeditatingExpect NothingPeace And Quiet
Author:Chogyam Trungpa
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“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 be any war. As long as a person is involved with warfare, trying to defend or attack, then his action is not sacred; it is mundane, dualistic, a battlefield situation.”

IfsShouldTryingPersonsLongWarBigsLightActionSpiritualFightingEvilSidesBlackSituationTeachingInvolvedSacredWarfareMundaneDualityBattlefieldsAdvocatingBig QuestionsUndesirableGreat SpiritualSpiritual Teaching
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“As long as a person is involved with warfare, trying to defend or attack, then his action is not sacred; it is mundane, dualistic, a battlefield situation.”

TryingPersonsLongActionSituationInvolvedSacredWarfareMundaneDualityBattlefields
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“If you are involved with the intensity of crescendo situations, with the intensity of tragedy, you might begin to see the humor of these situations as well. As in music, when we hear the crescendo building, suddenly if the music stops, we begin to hear the silence as part of the music.”

IfsWellsMightSilenceSituationBuildingInvolvedTragedyIntensityCrescendo
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“Disappointment is a good sign of basic intelligence. It cannot be compared to anything else: it is so sharp, precise, obvious, and direct. If we can open, then we suddenly begin to see that our expectations are irrelevant compared with the reality of the situations we are facing.”

IfsRealitySituationExpectationsDirectDisappointmentObviousPreciseIrrelevant
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“When you are frightened by something, you have to relate with fear, explore why you are frightened, and develop some sense of conviction. You can actually look at fear. Then fear ceases to be the dominant situation that is going to defeat you. Fear can be conquered. You can be free from fear if you realize that fear is not the ogre. You can step on fear, and therefore, you can attain what is known as fearlessness. But that requires that, when you see fear, you smile.”

IfsLooksRealizingSituationKnownStepsDefeatConvictionCeaseRelateFrightenedDominantFearlessness
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Eight: Great Eastern Sun; Shambhala; Selected Writings
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“You do not have to force yourself to do anything at all. There is a continual exchange, a continual dance. It is similar to the sun shining and plants growing. The sun has no desire to create the vegetation; plants simply react to sunlight and the situation develops naturally.”

DesireForceSituationSunGrowingShiningPlantSunlightVegetationPlants Growing
Book:The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume Three: Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism; The Myth of Freedom; The Heart of the Bud dha; Selected Writings
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“Meditation practice begins by sitting down and assuming your seat cross-legged on the ground. You begin to feel that by simply being on the spot, your life can become workable and even wonderful. You realize that you are capable of sitting like a king or queen on a throne. The regalness of that situation shows you the... dignity that comes from being still and simple.”

FeelsStillsShowsRealizingSimpleSituationPracticeMeditationWonderfulKingsCapableSittingDignityCrossesDown AndAssumingSpotsQueensSeatsThronesSitting DownMeditation Practice
Book:The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology
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