The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Seven (69 page)

Shakyamuni was so silent:

Should I complain against him?

December 31, 1981

How to Be Old Shambhalians and Youthful Propagators of Shambhala

Burning trees produce smoke.

Kings who will become kings produce burning trees.

Queens who will become would-be queens produce small brooks.

Wood chips hit the rocks;

Nonetheless, ministers would sweep gently in the air

As they choose what kind of trees they should blow:

Aspen, tamarisk, rhododendrons, pine, birch.

The kingdom settles as peasants delight in their lambing season,

Foals bounce around,

Warriors sharpen their swords in the mountain brook,

Bowmakers look for yak horn and willow bark,

Highlanders with their greasy, weathered smile discuss the season

But produce an abundance of butter and cheese,

Lowlanders darkened by the sun’s stroke work with the ripening grain.

The people of Shambhala rejoice,

Learning that their children will pick up greater wisdom

In the midst of short pine trees and rocks weather-beaten from the ocean.

Constant rain and mist are no disturbance in the life of Shambhalians.

We occasionally welcome foreign visitors.

Economically we are self-centered:

Shambhalians are the great merchants who travel across the rest of the world.

Fearing no one, we exchange oil for water, diamond for agate, wool with silk.

Because we self-exist, Shambhalians have no fear or hope.

I am so happy and proud to be the first subject of Shambhala.

May the Great Eastern Sun pervade our nation.

May we have no fear of who we are.

May we know who we are, and accept our intelligence.

Victory to Shambhala!

May the Great Eastern Sun arise.

January 9, 1982

Boulder, Colo.

How Typical Student Poetry Should Be

When the enlightened one was with us,

When he talked to us,

When he walked with us,

When he fixed his robes,

When he washed his hands after a meal,

The enlightened one was always precise, accurate.

He possessed ideal total shinjang,
¹
without reference point.

He was playful and he was accurate.

He was clean, neat, tidy.

Watching his fingers, it was beautiful

The way Buddha handled his begging bowl.

He had no discriminating against or, for that matter, rejection of the way phenomena work:

Buddha worked with a blade of grass,

Pebbles, dirt, in his begging bowl.

He washed his robes with such precision.

We like the way the Buddha is in action.

Watching working Buddha is magnificent.

There is no discrepancy.

Buddha is the best friend,

He is the best at working with the unworkables.

Therefore he is the king.

The best monarch we could ever find is the Buddha.

The Buddha’s gaze and the Buddha’s hands—

The way he washes his hands—

He washes his hands as a monarch would.

He is not arrogant,

He is humble and genuine and imperial.

We like Buddha’s way:

Imperial humbleness.

There is no one like him.

That is why we call him samyaksambuddha.
²

O how much I love you Buddha!

The way you do things properly,

The way you feel the world around you,

You have no aggression—

O Buddha! O Tathagata!
³

You are so tamed,

You are so beautiful,

You are so royal,

You are so humble.

O to be like you, the genuine Buddha

Who need not clarify or validate

You are buddha as Buddha.

O how gorgeous to be Buddha!

We love your simplicity.

We are glad that you took human birth and that you conducted yourself in the human realm.

O Buddha, samyaksambuddha,

We love you.

Astonished that you are Buddha,

Fascinated that you are Buddha,

Totally captivated that you are Buddha,

We are inspired to follow your example.

Shakyamuni,
⁴
O Buddha, we love you.

We are your best friend, O best friend.

Homage to the Sambuddha,
⁵
the perfect being.

I, Chögyam, emulate you.

O Buddha,

Namo buddhaya

Buddham sharanam gacchami.
⁶

by Dharma Sagara, Ananda,

Buddha Das, Hotei.
⁷

1
. The quality of being tamed or processed, which results from the practice of meditation.

2
. A Sanskrit epithet for the Buddha which means “the completely perfect awakened one.”

3
. Another epithet, which means “he who has gone beyond.”

4
. The name of the historical Buddha, which means “sage of the Shakya [clan]”

5
. The perfect buddha, or the perfectly awake one.

6
. The last two lines of the poem are Sanskrit and mean: “Homage to the Buddha / I take refuge in the Buddha.”

7
. Chögyam Trungpa signed this poem with four names, or titles.
Dharma Sagara
is Sanskrit for
Chögyam
and means “Dharma Ocean.”
Ananda
was the servant and a close disciple of Shakyamuni Buddha.
Buddha Das
is a mixture of Sanskrit and Hindi, which means “servant of the Buddha.”
Hotei
is the name of a legendary Chinese Zen master, known for his crazy-wisdom teachings. He is the model for the fat, round-bellied figures that traditionally bring good luck and wealth.

Death or Life

Death or life:

I still grind the sun and moon.

Whether your kingdom is accomplished or not,

I will be the ghost that will manifest tiger and garuda.

Whether it is a joke or serious business,

I will hang around as a ghost or anger

Until you succeed in accomplishing the Kingdom of Shambhala.

Joy for you.

Nonetheless, powerful haunting cloud should hover in your household and on your head:

The Dorje Dradül as misty clouds or brilliant sun.

I will be with you until you establish your kingdom.

July 23, 1982

The Regent’s Club

Boulder, Colo.

Early Testimony: Sun Will Never Set

Eagle eating snake,

According to the Mexicans, was the foundation of Mexico City.

Similarly in our case,

Thundering dragon

Expanding garuda

Fiery tiger

Snowy lion.

No human being is afraid of death.

We are all terrified of death.

We seek for all kinds of possibilities of avoiding death and illness.

Occasional fortunes help us to avoid death and disasters in life.

However, in speaking with genuine appreciation of cause and effect, sunset and sunrise,

We cannot avoid such calamity.

It is not really calamity,

It is a haphazard joke that is being played on us.

We are experiencing birth death old age and so forth.

That is not particularly a joke.

But it is a sense of humor of some kind, nonetheless.

Out of those situations, we come up with true experience of life.

Powerful death

Powerful sickness

Powerful old age

Powerful birth—

We could use those as strength to enliven ourselves.

Those problems, so-called problems, are not regarded as obstacles.

We can bring up our children properly

And let them have good education of the world,

Telling them world is not so kind, not so cruel.

Our world is just like climate:

We cannot blame the winter or invite the summer.

Let us tell our children to learn to be decent,

That they do not have to be heroic or ordinary,

Unless they choose so.

Children are good—

They learn our message simultaneously by watching us.

So we take pride in warriorship.

Even though we might be sunken in dirt, a naked child;

Even though we might be frozen to death in Eskimo land.

Whatever the case may be, we regard it as the warrior path

In which we march along, and reality is there as we march.

Shambhalians might experience alienation,

We might be regarded as weirdos.

Still, as is said in the text, When the warrior finds cowardice, that is the beginning of fearlessness.

Vidyadhara the Venerable

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche

August 20, 1982

The Kalapa Court

Boulder, Colo.

Warmth in the House

Garuda’s wings

Dragon’s roar

Confused child

Lion’s cuddle

Tiger brings food—

Shambhala Household.

August 22, 1982

Dekyong Council Meeting

Boulder, Colo.

A copy of this poem hung in the kitchen of the Kalapa Court for a number of years.

Don’t Go to the Dentist with Such Good Teeth

Chögyam Trungpa (VACT) with the Vajra Regent, Ösel Tendzin (VROT)

August 22, 1982

Boulder, Colo.

Natural Sanctuary without Shrine

Dancer and singer are beautiful.

Sun and moon are bright.

Antelope and deer are composed.

Tulip is so beautiful.

Rose grows without being told.

We as human beings develop without being told:

Some of us tell ourselves we are good; some, that we are bad.

Natural dignity need never be told.

Natural goodness is.

That
is
ness never needs to be told or taught to anybody.

Good for Shambhala vision!

We never run out of vision.

August 29, 1982

Oakland, Calif.

Child’s Concept of Death

Warriors die and are born.

So do swallows die and are born.

In this blue sky—

Sun shines,

Moon sets,

Anything could happen.