Read Online The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa Collected Works: Volume Two by Chogyam Trungpa, Chögyam Trungpa - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Chogyam Trungpa, Chögyam Trungpa
Tags: Tibetan Buddhism
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In fact there is a very interesting dichotomy here, which comes from the fact that you have no understanding of who you are. You don’t know who you are. You haven’t even got a clue, or that is the clue. Maybe we could use the clue as you. But that is as far as we get, rather than getting to the actuality of what you is all about. Therefore you cannot concentrate your mind. The closest you can come is to be mindful, mind full. The very vague state that exists, known as consciousness, has never seen itself, but it is there. It has never felt itself, but it moves, it happens. Now that state of what we call mind can be full. We can be mind full.
The Buddhist scriptures talk about resting or abiding in recollection. The best English equivalent of this is mindfulness . “Recollection” in this case does not mean dwelling on the past but being in the present. That flow that takes place—you could be with it.
Our present state of mind is based on a reference point. Without a reference point we can’t think, we can’t eat, we can’t sleep, we can’t behave. We have to have some reference point as to how to eat, when to stop eating, how to walk, when to stop walking, how to conduct our life—which way? This way, that way, the other way, some other way altogether. All those choices are guided by a reference point. “This is good to do, therefore I am doing this; this is not good to do, therefore I am doing that.” There are choices upon choices taking place constantly. Attending to those choices and their reference points is known as recollection, smriti in Sanskrit. This is not exactly bringing the past to the present, but still in order to be in the present, you need memory, which is an automatic thing.
Our mind functions that way usually—in terms of reference point, which equals memory. In making your body function, there are reference points all the time: stretching your arm, lifting your cup and bringing it toward your mouth, tilting it a little bit, drinking, then tasting and swallowing. As you lift and stretch your arm, you do not forget to hold the cup. There is a coordination taking place, which is entirely based on memory. Without that we can’t function. On that basis we have developed certain behavior patterns that make it possible for us to handle our lives. This coordination enables body and mind to be synchronized. And that synchronicity is based on a recollection of the present. Recollecting the present in this way is called being mindful. Mind in this case is equal to recollection. Being mindful is being there, fully minded. If you have a full mind, you have a full reference point. Therefore you are there . You relate directly to the present situation, which is precisely what meditation—shamatha practice—is all about. Just being there, very simply, directly; conducting yourself very precisely, relating very thoroughly and fully.
The reference point in shamatha is the breath. The traditional recommendation of the lineage of meditators that developed in the Kagyü-Nyingma tradition is based on the idea of mixing mind and breath. This means that you should be with the breath, you are the breath. Your breath goes out and you go out. Your breath dissolves into the atmosphere and you dissolve into the atmosphere. Then you just let go completely. You even forget meditation practice at that point. You just let go. There is a gap. Then naturally, automatically, physiologically, you breathe in. Let that be the gap. Then you breathe out again. Out, dissolve, gap. Go out again, dissolve, there’s a gap. Go out, dissolve, there’s a gap. You continue to proceed in that way.
There is a moment of space, the gap. We could say there’s a moment of weakness, if you like. The whole thing should not be too heroic. And then when you relate with the out-breath, there is a moment of strength. Then the moment of weakness: you dissolve, you have nothing to hang on to. Then you pick up doing something again—going
The Buddhist scriptures talk about resting or abiding in recollection. The best English equivalent of this is mindfulness . “Recollection” in this case does not mean dwelling on the past but being in the present. That flow that takes place—you could be with it.
Our present state of mind is based on a reference point. Without a reference point we can’t think, we can’t eat, we can’t sleep, we can’t behave. We have to have some reference point as to how to eat, when to stop eating, how to walk, when to stop walking, how to conduct our life—which way? This way, that way, the other way, some other way altogether. All those choices are guided by a reference point. “This is good to do, therefore I am doing this; this is not good to do, therefore I am doing that.” There are choices upon choices taking place constantly. Attending to those choices and their reference points is known as recollection, smriti in Sanskrit. This is not exactly bringing the past to the present, but still in order to be in the present, you need memory, which is an automatic thing.
Our mind functions that way usually—in terms of reference point, which equals memory. In making your body function, there are reference points all the time: stretching your arm, lifting your cup and bringing it toward your mouth, tilting it a little bit, drinking, then tasting and swallowing. As you lift and stretch your arm, you do not forget to hold the cup. There is a coordination taking place, which is entirely based on memory. Without that we can’t function. On that basis we have developed certain behavior patterns that make it possible for us to handle our lives. This coordination enables body and mind to be synchronized. And that synchronicity is based on a recollection of the present. Recollecting the present in this way is called being mindful. Mind in this case is equal to recollection. Being mindful is being there, fully minded. If you have a full mind, you have a full reference point. Therefore you are there . You relate directly to the present situation, which is precisely what meditation—shamatha practice—is all about. Just being there, very simply, directly; conducting yourself very precisely, relating very thoroughly and fully.
The reference point in shamatha is the breath. The traditional recommendation of the lineage of meditators that developed in the Kagyü-Nyingma tradition is based on the idea of mixing mind and breath. This means that you should be with the breath, you are the breath. Your breath goes out and you go out. Your breath dissolves into the atmosphere and you dissolve into the atmosphere. Then you just let go completely. You even forget meditation practice at that point. You just let go. There is a gap. Then naturally, automatically, physiologically, you breathe in. Let that be the gap. Then you breathe out again. Out, dissolve, gap. Go out again, dissolve, there’s a gap. Go out, dissolve, there’s a gap. You continue to proceed in that way.
There is a moment of space, the gap. We could say there’s a moment of weakness, if you like. The whole thing should not be too heroic. And then when you relate with the out-breath, there is a moment of strength. Then the moment of weakness: you dissolve, you have nothing to hang on to. Then you pick up doing something again—going
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