The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume 4 (67 page)

jnana
(Skt.; Tib.
yeshe
): The wisdom-activity of enlightenment, transcending all dualistic conceptualization.

kalyanamitra
(Skt.): The spiritual friend or the manifestation of the teacher in the mahayana.

karma
(Skt.): Literally, “action.” In a general sense, the law of cause and effect: positive actions bring happiness; negative actions bring suffering.

kilaya
(Skt.): A three-edged ritual dagger.

mahamudra
(Skt.): The “great seal,” one of the highest teachings in the vajrayana. See part one, chapter 4, “The Basic Body,” and part two, chapter 7, “The Five Buddha Families and Mahamudra,” in
The Lion’s Roar
.

mahayana
(Skt.): The “great vehicle,” which emphasizes the emptiness (shunyata) of all phenomena, compassion, and the acknowledgment of universal buddha nature. The ideal figure of the mahayana is the bodhisattva; hence it is often referred to as the bodhisattva path.

mandala
(Skt.): A total vision that unifies the seeming complexity and chaos of experience into a simple pattern and natural hierarchy. The Tibetan word
khyilkhor
used to translate the Sanskrit term literally means “center and surroundings.” A mandala is usually represented two-dimensionally as a four-sided diagram with a central deity, a personification of the basic sanity of buddha nature. Three-dimensionally, it is a palace with a center and four gates in the cardinal directions.

mantra
(Skt.): A combination of words (usually Sanskrit) or syllables that expresses the quintessence of a tantric deity. A mantra may or may not have conceptual content. Recitation of mantra is a vajrayana practice that is always done in conjunction with visualization.

Marpa
(1012–1097
CE
): Marpa Lotsawa (Marpa the Translator) was the third of the great enlightened teachers of the Kagyü lineage of Tibet and the first Tibetan of that lineage. He was an unruly farmer’s son who made three epic journeys to India in search of the dharma. There he became the student of Naropa and other gurus, which enabled him to bring the tantric Buddhist teachings back to Tibet. His most famous student was Milarepa. See
The Life of Marpa the Translator
, translated by the Nālandā Translation Committee under the direction of Chögyam Trungpa (Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 1986).

Milarepa
(1052–1135
CE
): “Mila the Cotton-Clad” was the fourth great enlightened teacher in the Kagyü lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. A black magician in his youth, he underwent a period of extreme hardship and trial at the hands of his guru Marpa. He then spent many years in solitary meditation in caves in the high mountains of Tibet before attaining enlightenment and attracting many students. His chief student was Gampopa (1079–1153
CE
). See
The Life of Milarepa
, translated by Lobsang P. Lhalungpa (Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 1985).

mudra
(Skt.): Most often the term is used to refer to symbolic hand gestures that accompany the vajrayana practices of visualization and mantra recitation. More generally,
mudra
refers to the provocative highlights of phenomena.

Nagarjuna
(second/third century): A great Indian teacher of Buddhism, the founder of the Madhyamaka school of Buddhist philosophy. He contributed greatly to the logical development of the doctrine of shunyata and was the author of many key texts as well as, in legend, the guru of various important Buddhist teachers who lived centuries apart.

Naropa
(1016–1100
CE
): A great Indian siddha, second of the great enlightened teachers of the Kagyü lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. See
The Life and Teaching of Naropa
, translated by Herbert V. Guenther (Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, 1986).

nidanas
(Skt.): The twelve “links” of the karmic chain of existence. See note 1 for part one, chapter 2, of
The Lion’s Roar
.

nirvana
(Skt.): The idea of enlightenment according to the hinayana. It is the cessation of ignorance and conflicting emotions and therefore freedom from compulsive rebirth in samsara.

Padmasambhava
: Also referred to as Guru Rinpoche, or “Precious Teacher.” Padmasambhava introduced vajrayana Buddhism to Tibet in the eighth century
CE
. See note 1 for part two, chapter 3, of
The Lion’s Roar
.

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

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

pratyekabuddha
(Skt.): One who concentrates on his or her own liberation without being concerned about helping others, The pratyekabuddha’s approach characterizes the second of the nine yanas.

preta
(Skt.): A hungry ghost, one of the six kinds of beings in the samsaric realms. The other five are gods, jealous gods, humans, animals, and hell beings.

Rudra
(Skt.): Originally a Hindu deity, an emanation of Shiva. In the vajrayana, Rudra is the personification of the destructive principle of ultimate ego. According to tradition, Rudra was originally a tantric student who perverted the teachings and killed his guru. He was thus transformed into Rudra, the embodiment of egohood, the complete opposite of buddhahood.

samaya
(Skt.): The vajrayana principle of commitment, whereby the student’s total experience is bound to the path.

sambhogakaya
(Skt.): One of the three bodies of enlightenment. See note 1 for part one, chapter 5, of
The Lion’s Roar
.

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

sangha
(Skt.): The community of people devoted to the three jewels of Buddha, dharma, and sangha: the Buddha, his teaching, and this community itself. The term preeminently refers to the Buddhist monastic community.

shamatha
(Skt.): A basic meditation practice common to most schools of Buddhism, the aim of which is developing tranquillity through mindfulness.

Shantideva
(fl. seventh/eighth century
CE
): A prince who became a Buddhist monk and a teacher of the Madhyamaka school of mahayana Buddhism. He was the author of the
Bodhicharyavatara
, a classic text of the
mahayana
, written in a beautiful poetic style. One English translation is
Entering the Path of Entightenment
, translated by M. L. Matics (New York: Macmillan Company, 1970). Another is
A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life
(Dharamsala, India: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1979).

shila
(Skt.): Discipline, the second paramita.

shravaka
(Skt.): Shravaka was a disciple who actually heard the teachings of the Buddha directly. With a small
s
, the term is also the name of the first of the nine yanas, in which the practitioner concentrates on basic meditation practice and an understanding of basic Buddhist doctrines such as the four noble truths.

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

siddha
(Skt.): 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., “heap”): One of the five types of aggregates of psychophysical factors that are associated with the sense of self or ego. See note 6 for part one, chapter 3, of
The Lion’s Roar
.

sutra
(Skt.): One of the hinayana and mahayana texts attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha. A sutra is usually a dialogue between the Buddha and one or more of his disciples, elaborating on a particular topic of dharma.

tantra
(Skt.; Tib.
rgyud
): A synonym for vajrayana, the third of the three main yanas of the buddhadharma. The vajrayana teachings are said to have been taught by the Buddha in his sambhogakaya form. They are recorded in scriptures known as tantras.
See also
vajrayana.

tathagatagarbha
(Skt.): A term of primary importance for the
mahayana. Tathagatha
literally means “thus-gone” and is an epithet a for a fully realized buddha.
Garbha
means “embryo” or “egg.” The term refers to buddha nature, the enlightened basic nature of all beings, which the mahayana regards as being temporarily covered over by dualistic confusions. It is compared to the sun behind clouds or a jewel in a dung heap.

three marks of existence
: A basic Buddhist doctrine. Existence is characterized by suffering, impermanence, and egolessness. See part two, chapter 1, of
The Lion’s Roar
, “Suffering, Impermanence, Egolessness.”

Tibetan Book of the Dead
(Tib.,
Bardo Thödol
, “Book of Liberation in the Bardo through Hearing”): This famous text sets forth the process of death and rebirth and how to become liberated from it. Its origin can be traced to Padmasambhava.

vajra
(Skt.; Tib.
dorje
): A vajra is a tantric ritual implement or scepter representing a thunderbolt, the scepter of the king of the gods, Indra. This thunderbolt is said to be made of adamantine or diamond, and this is connected with its basic symbolism: the indestructibility of awakened mind. When used with the ritual bell, or ghanta, the vajra symbolizes skillful means, and the bell, transcendental knowledge. Vajra is also the name of one of the five buddha families, whose enlightened quality is pristine clarity and whose confused or neurotic quality is aggression.

Vajrasattva
(Skt.): One of the deities visualized at various levels of tantric practice. He is associated with primordial purity.

vajrayana
(Skt., “diamond vehicle”): The third of the three main yanas of the buddhadharma, synonymous with
tantra
. It is divided into six, or sometimes four, subsidiary vehicles.

vidyadhara
(Skt.): “Knowledge-holder,” “crazy-wisdom holder.”

vipashyana
(Skt.): “Insight” or “clear seeing.” With shamatha, one of the two main modes of meditation common to all forms of Buddhism. See note 6 for part two, chapter 6, of
The Lion’s Roar
.

virya
(Skt.): Exertion, one of the six paramitas.

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.) The vajrayana practitioner’s personal deity, who embodies the practitioner’s awakened nature. Yidams are usually sambhogakaya buddhas.

SOURCES

The Dawn of Tantra
, by Herbert V. Guenther and Chögyam Trungpa. Edited by Sherab Chödzin Kohn (Michael H. Kohn). Illustrated by Glen Eddy and Terris Temple. Berkeley & London: Shambhala Publications, 1975. The Clear Light Series. © 1975 by Herbert V. Guenther and Diana J. Mukpo. Reissued 2001, Shambhala Publications.

Journey without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha
. Boulder & London: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1981. © 1981 by Chögyam Trungpa.

The Lion’s Roar: An Introduction to Tantra
. Edited by Sherab Chödzin Kohn. Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1992. © 1992 by Diana J. Mukpo.

“Things Get Very Clear When You’re Cornered,” an interview with Chögyam Trungpa in
The Laughing Man
, volume 1, no. 2 (1976): 55–60. Reprinted by permission of the copyright owner, The Da-Ananda Samrajya Pty Ltd, as trustee for the Da Love-Ananda Samrajya.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

J
AMES
M
INKIN
, former editor of
The Laughing Man
magazine, provided me with a copy of “Things Get Very Clear When You’re Cornered” and helped me negotiate the permission to use this material. A copy of this article was also given to me by Malcolm Moore, who responded to an e-mail appeal. Thanks to both of them. To all the editors who worked on the books that appear in Volume Four, thanks from all of the readers for the excellent editorial efforts. Thanks to L. S. Summer for the index. Thanks also to Shambhala Publications for support of this series and of the publication of works by Chögyam Trungpa in general; to Diana Mukpo and the Mukpo family for their ongoing vision and for making the works of Chögyam Trungpa available in so many ways; and finally the deepest thanks to this great master of dharma himself, for these lucid and profound teachings. May they wake us from the slumber of samsaric ignorance!

A BIOGRAPHY OF CHÖGYAM TRUNGPA

T
HE
V
ENERABLE
C
HÖGYAM
T
RUNGPA
was born in the province of Kham in eastern Tibet in 1939. When he was just thirteen months old, Chögyam Trungpa was recognized as a major tulku, or incarnate teacher. According to Tibetan tradition, an enlightened teacher is capable, based on his or her vow of compassion, of reincarnating in human form over a succession of generations. Before dying, such a teacher may leave a letter or other clues to the whereabouts of the next incarnation. Later, students and other realized teachers look through these clues and, based on those plus a careful examination of dreams and visions, conduct searches to discover and recognize the successor. Thus, particular lines of teaching are formed, in some cases extending over many centuries. Chögyam Trungpa was the eleventh in the teaching lineage known as the Trungpa tulkus.