The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Five (61 page)

paramita
(Skt., “that which has reached the other shore”): The six paramitas, or “perfections,” are generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and knowledge.

prajna
(Skt., “transcendental knowledge”): Prajna, the sixth paramita, is called transcendental because it sees through the veils of dualistic confusion.

pranayama
(Skt.): A form of yoga practiced in the vajrayana, which involves working with the illusory body by means of controlling mind, breath, and body.

Rangjung Dorje
(1284–1339): The third Karmapa, spiritual leader of the Karma Kagyü lineage.

Rudra
(Skt.): Originally a Hindu deity, an emanation of Shiva. In the vajrayana, Rudra is the personification of the destructive principle of ultimate ego. Traditionally, Rudra was a student who perverted the teachings, eventually killing his guru. Rudrahood is the complete opposite of buddhahood.

sadhana
(Skt.): A ritual text, as well as the accompanying practice. Ranging from very simple to more elaborate versions, sadhanas engage the mind through meditation, the body through gestures (mudras), and the speech through mantra recitation.

samaya
(Skt., “coming together”): The vajrayana principle of commitment, whereby the student is bound completely to the discipline, to the teacher, and to his or her own sanity.

sambhogakaya
(Skt., “enjoyment body”): The environment of compassion and communication linking the dharmakaya and the nirmanakaya.

samsara
(Skt., “journeying”): The vicious cycle of transmigratory existence. It arises out of ignorance and is characterized by suffering.

Saraha
(ninth century
CE
): An Indian teacher referred to in Tibetan texts as “Great Brahmin.” Tradition has it that he was born 336 years after the Buddha’s death and that he was the spiritual master of Nagarjuna.

shunyata
(Skt., “emptiness” or “void”): A completely open and unbounded clarity of mind.

siddha
(Skt., “perfect” or “complete”): One who possesses siddhis, or perfect abilities. There are eight ordinary siddhis: indomitability, the ability to see the gods, fleetness of foot, invisibility, longevity, the ability to fly, the ability to make certain medicines, and power over the world of spirits and demons. The single “supreme” siddhi is enlightenment.

skandha
(Skt., “group,” “aggregate,” or “heap”): Each of the five aggregates, which constitute the entirety of what is generally known as “personality.” They are form, sensation, perception, mental formations, and consciousness. These are frequently referred to as “aggregates of attachment,” since (except in the case of arhats and buddhas) craving or desire attaches itself to them and attracts them to itself; thus, it makes of them objects of attachment and brings about suffering.

skillful means
:
See
upaya.

spiritual materialism
: “Walking the spiritual path properly is a very subtle process; it is not something to jump into naively. There are numerous sidetracks which lead to a distorted, ego-centered version of spirituality; we can deceive ourselves into thinking we are developing spiritually when instead we are strengthening our egocentricity through spiritual techniques. This fundamental distortion may be referred to as spiritual materialism” (Chögyam Trungpa).

tantra
(Skt.): A synonym for
vajrayana,
the third of the three yanas of Tibetan Buddhism. Tantra means continuity and refers both to the root texts of the vajrayana and to the systems of meditation they describe.

trikaya
(Skt., “three bodies”): The three bodies of buddhahood. The dharmakaya is enlightenment itself, wisdom beyond any reference point—unoriginated primordial mind, devoid of content. The sambhogakaya is the environment of compassion and communication. The nirmanakaya is the buddha that actually takes form as a human, who eats, sleeps, and shares his life with his students.

Tripitaka
(Skt., “three baskets”): The canon of Buddhist scriptures, consisting of three parts: the Vinaya-pitaka, the Sutra-pitaka, and the Abhidharma-pitaka. The first “basket” contains accounts of the origins of the Buddhist community (sangha) as well as the rules of discipline regulating the lives of monks and nuns. The second is composed of discourse said to have come from the mouth of the Buddha or his immediate disciples. The third part is a compendium of Buddhist psychology and philosophy.

upaya
(Skt.): Skill in means or method.
1.
The ability of a bodhisattva to guide beings to liberation through skillful means. All possible methods and ruses from straightforward talk to the most conspicuous miracles could be applicable.
2.
Skill in expounding the teaching.

vajrayana
(Skt., “diamond vehicle”): The third of the three main yanas of Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrayana is also known as the sudden path, because it is claimed that through the practice of vajrayana, one can realize enlightenment in one lifetime.

Vajrayogini
(Skt.): A semiwrathful yidam. She is red, with one face and two arms, young and beautiful, but enraged and wearing ornaments of human bones. She represents the transformation of ignorance and passion into shunyata and compassion.

vihara
(Skt., “sojourning place”): A residence for monks, to which they can also retire for meditation.

vipashyana
(Skt., “insight” or “clear seeing”): With shamatha (“tranquillity”), one of the two main modes of meditation common to all forms of Buddhism.

yana
(Skt., “vehicle”): A coherent body of intellectual teachings and practical meditative methods related to a particular stage of a student’s progress on the path of buddhadharma. The three main vehicles are the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana. These can also be subdivided to make nine yanas.

yidam
(Tib., “firm mind”): The vajrayana practitioner’s personal deity, who embodies the practitioner’s awakened nature. Yidams are usually sambhogakaya buddhas.

SOURCES

“The Art of Milarepa.”
Garuda II: Working with Negativity.
Barnet, Vt.: Tail of the Tiger, 1972, 12–16. © 1972 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Colophon by Chögyam Trungpa in
The Rain of Wisdom: The Essence of the Ocean of True Meaning.
Translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1999, 290–92. © 1980 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Crazy Wisdom.
Edited by Sherab Chödzin. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1991. © 1991 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Explanation of the Vajra Guru Mantra.” © 2004 by Diana J. Mukpo. Unpublished article.

Foreword to
The Rain of Wisdom: The Essence of the Ocean of True Meaning.
Translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1999, xi–xv. © 1980 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Foreword to
The Torch of Certainty
by Jamgön Kongtrül the Great. Translated from the Tibetan by Judith Hanson. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2000, p. i. © 1977 by Judith Hanson and Shambhala Publications, Inc.

“H
UM:
An Approach to Mantra.”
Garuda II: Working with Negativity.
Barnet, Vt.: Tail of the Tiger, 1972, 9–11. © 1972 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Illusion’s Game: The Life and Teaching of Naropa.
Edited by Sherab Chödzin. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1994. © 1994 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Joining Energy and Space.”
The Shambhala Sun
9, no. 5 (May 2001): 63–65, 70. © 2001 by Diana J. Mukpo. Excerpted and arranged by Carolyn Rose Gimian from material in
The Sadhana of Mahamudra Sourcebook
(Halifax: Vajradhatu Publications, 2000). © 1979 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“The Line of the Trungpas: Talk One, The Practicing Lineage.”
The Shambhala Centre Banner
11 (April 1997): 1, 15–16. © 1997 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“The Line of the Trungpas: Talk Two: The Mishap Lineage.”
The Shambhala Centre Banner
11 (June 1997): 1, 16–18. © 1997 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Milarepa: A Synopsis.” Unpublished article. © 2004 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Milarepa: A Warrior’s Life.” Unpublished article. © 2004 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Practice of the Four Foundations,” in the introduction to
The Torch of Certainty
by Jamgön Kongtrül the Great. Translated from the Tibetan by Judith Hanson. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 2000, pp. 9–24. © 1977 by Judith Hanson and Shambhala Publications, Inc. The introduction contains interviews with Kalu Rinpoche and Deshung Rinpoche, as well as Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. Trungpa Rinpoche’s answers have been excerpted from the larger document.

Preface to
The Life of Marpa the Translator: Seeing Accomplishes All
by Tsang Nyön Heruka. Translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1995, pp. xiv–xv. © 1982 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Selections from
The Sadhana of Mahamudra: Which Quells the Mighty Warring of the Three Lords of Materialism and Brings Realization of the Ocean of Siddhas of the Practice Lineage
(selections),
The Shambhala Sun
3 (May 2001): 66–69. Translated from the Tibetan by Chögyam Trungpa. © 1968, 1976, 1990 by Diana J. Mukpo.

The Songs of Chögyam Trungpa in
The Rain of Wisdom: The Essence of the Ocean of True Meaning.
Translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1999, pp. 285–289. © 1980 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Teachings on the Tulku Principle.”
The Shambhala Sun
(May/June 1992): 25. © 1974 by Diana J. Mukpo.

Translator’s Colophon from
The Life of Marpa the Translator: Seeing Accomplishes All
by Tsang Nyön Heruka. Translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa. Boston: Shambhala Publications, 1995, 205–206. © 1982 by Diana J. Mukpo.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

M
ANY PEOPLE PLAYED A ROLE
in the creation of the works by Chögyam Trungpa that appear in Volume Five of
The Collected Works.
Thanks are due to Sherab Chödzin Kohn, who edited both
Crazy Wisdom
and
Illusion’s Game.
Overall, Sherab has made a major and distinguished contribution to the published works of Chögyam Trungpa. His work as an editor of Trungpa Rinpoche’s material goes back to the earliest years that Rinpoche was in America and has continued up to the present day, spanning more than three decades. Following Rinpoche’s death in 1987, Sherab took a leading role, along with Judith Lief, in editing material for the Dharma Ocean Series.
Crazy Wisdom
and
Illusion’s Game
were both edited for that series,
Crazy Wisdom
being the first posthumous volume in the series.

While the contributions of the Nālandā Translation Committee are discussed in the introduction to Volume Five, it seems appropriate to thank the members once again in these acknowledgments and to acknowledge as well the ongoing efforts of all the many dedicated contemporary translators who work on bringing the sacred texts and teachings of Tibetan Buddhism into the English language. Without the benefit of good translations, Westerners would have a much more difficult time gaining a true understanding of the Buddhist teachings. As practitioners, we would be in the dark, often confused by the inability to practice these teachings in our native tongue.
¹

Chögyam Trungpa involved many of his Western students in the translation of material from Tibetan to English, even some who knew nothing about the Tibetan language. This was the case with Richard Arthure, who worked with Rinpoche on the translation of
The Sadhana of Mahamudra
in Bhutan in 1968, while knowing barely a word of Tibetan. Owing to Richard’s training in and sensitivity to the English language and to his connection with Trungpa Rinpoche, the translation the two of them produced has survived the test of time. I also would like to acknowledge the efforts of Judith Hanson, who translated
The Torch of Certainty,
an important text of the Kagyü lineage on the practice of the four foundations, or the ngöndro. Her book, in addition to including the excellent interviews she conducted with Chögyam Trungpa and two other important Kagyü teachers, also provides an excellent resource for students embarking on the practice of ngöndro themselves.

For help in preparing Volume Five, I would also like to thank Larry Mermelstein and Scott Wellenbach of the Nālandā Translation Committee for their generosity in reading and commenting on the introduction to this volume and for helping me with Tibetan spellings in the manuscript. I would also like to thank the Shambhala Archives for preserving the articles written by Chögyam Trungpa. I found the unpublished articles that appear in Volume Five in the files at the Archives. As well, I would like to thank Kendra Crossen Burroughs, my editor at Shambhala Publications for
The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa.
In the beginning, Emily Hilburn Sell served as the editor for this project; Eden Steinberg helped in the editorial process as well. However, the project found its final editorial home with Kendra. She is a thoroughly delightful person to work with. I am always impressed by the level of detail to which she pays attention—seemingly quite effortlessly. That tireless approach to detail is so necessary for this project. Without her, I think I would have felt quite lost at times. I would also like to thank Peter Turner, the president at Shambhala, and Jonathan Green, the associate publisher, for their input and help in shaping the project in the early phases. And thanks to Helen Berliner for the index and to Dede Cummings, Steve Dyer, and Hazel Bercholz for the design of the book.