Problems as Opportunities
The attitude that results from the Buddhist orientation and practice is quite different from the “mistake mentality.” One actually experiences mind as fundamentally pure, that is, healthy and positive, and “problems” as temporary and superficial defilements. Such a viewpoint does not quite mean getting rid of problems, but rather shifting ones focus. Problems are seen in a much broader context of health: one begins to let go of clinging to ones neuroses and to step beyond obsession and identification with them. The emphasis is no longer on the problems themselves but rather on the ground of experience through realizing the nature of mind itself. When problems are seen in this way, then there is less panic and everything seems more workable. When problems arise, instead of being seen as purely threats, they become learning situations, opportunities to find out more about ones own mind, and to continue on ones journey.
Here is Joni Mitchell in conversation with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden after receiving the Gershwin Prize. When asked what themes she might want to explore currently in her songwriting, Joni talked about her connection with Trungpa Rinpoche
Calligraphy Lesson
I loved Trungpa Rinpoche beyond words and admired him more than anyone I had ever met (I was also a little afraid of him).
Father Thomas Keating and Trungpa Rinpoche Talk About Egolessness
This conversation took place during Naropa’s 1983 Christian Buddhist Conference
Stories of Sechen Kongtrül, told by Tulku Urgyen
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's Stories of Shechen Kongtrül, read by Larry Mermelstein.
Myth of Freedom and the Cosmic Joke with Ani Pema Chodron
In this talk, which is presented in three segments, Pema guides us through the beginning chapters of Trungpa Rinpoche's Myth of Freedom.
The Heart of Enlightened Action
Jetsun Khandro Rinpoche teaches on the mahayana at the Berkley Shambhala Center, August 2007. Here are talks One, Two, and Three of the five talk series.
Vajradhatu Seminary Lake Louise
A slideshow of Lake Louise from Charles Marrow
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s Cremation Ceremony
Thirty Eight Years Ago in Karme Choling's upper meadow
Why Now?
Tashi Colman's Review of The Sadhana of Mahamudra, a new title from Shambhala Publications
Announcement from the Mukpo Family
The Mukpo family would like to announce that after many years of living with cancer, Lady Diana has taken the decision to stop treatment and begin the dying process. She is currently with her family and friends resting at home and receiving care. We will continue to send updates as her end-of-life phase progresses. In the...
Devotion & Crazy Wisdom! A Sadhana of Mahamudra Book Launch (in-person & online)
In collaboration with Shambhala Publications and the Chögyam Trungpa Digital Library
When Ice Clogged the Harbour
About 10 days before Rinpoche's passing on April 4, 1987, Halifax harbour began filling up with ice...
20 Years of Tributes from the Mahasangha
Contribute your poems, stories and tributes to this ongoing collection
Thangka Commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the Karmapa’s visit to the West
fter seven months of intense work, master thangka painter Greg Smith has completed the thangka commemorating the 50th Anniversary of His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang Karmapa’s 1974 visit to the West!
Winter Light: On Late Life’s Radiance
A new book by Douglas Penick
Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche Talks About Our Connections
Recorded for the Ocean Feast Practice on the Anniversary of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche's Parinirvana
Greg Smith
In addition to the central figure, the thangka shows Chakrasamvara, Vajradhara and Chemchog Heruka in the sky.
Martin Janowitz
Marty talks about meeting Trungpa Rinpoche, the development of the Kasung, Trungpa Rinpoche as servant, the role of youth, and more.
Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche
Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche was a Tibetan incarnate lama who understood the Western mind. Through the years, I have appreciated the many teachings that he imparted. The students of Rinpoche,...
Lying To My Guru
"Did you understand anything?"
Elocution Lessons with Chögyam Trungpa, Part One: Recognizing the Power of Speech
Part One: Recognizing the Power of Speech
Four Moments of Truth
I was living in Boston at the time of the Vidyadhara's 1986-87 illness, and we in the sangha there had been doing intense practice because of this on and...
The Fibre Glass Buddha
Many people meeting the Vidyadhara for the first time may have felt awkward and out of place. Some may even have felt as deeply ambivalent about the situation and...
Memories of Chögyam Trungpa
He replied, “The path is the goal.”
The Do-Gooders
I lived at Tail of the Tiger from November 1971 until the spring of 1972 when Rinpoche asked me, along with Ken and Helen Green and their small son Mithra,...
Tea and Rice ceremony welcoming Yangsi Rinpoche in Boulder
By Nina Rolle
We've been having some hot August days in Boulder, with a dry wind. Most of the sangha has returned to town from a summer of retreats up...
Review of Pith Instructions from my Teachers
James Gritz has written a profound Dharma book, which he organized in the form of a spiritual memoir.
Like a Dream, Like an Illusion . . .
After a two-hour wait in the line at the Kathmandu airport for our visas, Trudy and David Sable and I tried to connect with the promised driver from Tek...
The Cremation of Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche Notes from Nepal, November, 2023
Many years back, at the time of the first visit of Thrangu Rinpoche to Boulder, Colorado at the invitation of Vidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Trungpa Rinpoche was asked what code word we could use for Thrangu Rinpoche when communicating the logistics of his transportation, arrival at events, etc.
Karme Chöling Turns 40
By Tom Bell
May 28, 2010
Today is a day of preparation at Karme Chöling—getting ready for the Celebration. The place looks really beautiful and the feeling is good. Staff are...
The Earth is Our Witness
As I practiced the Vajrayogini sadhana in front of the sunlit shrine next to the porch, graceful deer bounded through the woods outside, finding a refuge from their fear...
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Mahamudra Elixir II: Identifying & Sustaining the Nature of the Dynamic Mindby Elizabeth Callahan
Prerequisites Open to those who have received pointing-out instructions in the mahamudra tradition, and are practicing mahamudra […]
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Buddhist Rebirth III: Modern Takesby Roger Jackson
Rebirth, or reincarnation, was assumed by most premodern Buddhists – and is believed by many modern Buddhists – to be “the […]
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The Key Points of Trekchö with Gerardo Abboudby Gerardo Abboud
In person at the Halifax Shambhala Centre, and here on Ocean We are very pleased to welcome Gerardo Abboud to the Halifax […]
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Samsara, Nirvana, and the Pathby Jakob Leschly
Samsara represents the painful cycle of dysfunction and suffering, whereas nirvana epitomizes the liberation inherent in our true […]
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The Kagyu Lineageby Jonathan Barbieri
Lineage is the unbroken transmission of wisdom and skillful means that is passed down directly from teacher to student – from […]