The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Seven (70 page)

May the rhododendrons never die.

Juniper should not die.

I will die one day,

Maybe without knowing.

August 29, 1982

Oakland, Calif.

Written following the final talk of a Shambhala Training Level F.

Battle Cry

Riding on the horse who is impeccably, militarily trained,

Carrying the six weapons with one’s head and shoulders up for the warfare,

Contemplating whether you are fighting in the name of passion or aggression—

Could you crush a jar of honey with your fist or slash it with a sword?—

I am wondering whether I am what I am.

My deeds and thoughts will synchronize in the name of great dralas.

I wonder whether I can kiss the sword,

Or lick the blade.

Shock should not be the warrior’s startle;

But beauty and gentleness are the warrior’s treasure.

When man fights man, should there be bloodshed?

Wallowing in one’s depression doesn’t seem to be the way to achieve true warriorship.

I enjoy field of blooming warriors who chant war cry.

I also enjoy warriors riding horses that never buck but smoothly sail through enemy troops.

September 5, 1982

Rocky Mountain Dharma Center

Farewell to Boulder

It was Karma Dzong,

It was full moon,

It was sunshine,

It was Karma Dzong—

The way the sun shines

And the way the moon eclipses,

The way the tortilla is shaped,

The way the curries taste,

The way the Mataam Fez operates,

The way the Kobe An executes,

The way the Karma Dzong operates,

The way the sun shines in Boulder,

The way the people smile in Boulder,

The way the real estate operates,

The way the men work,

The way the women feel,

The way sexuality is handled.

It is time for us to change to a new planet,

Fresh planet,

Extra planet.

It is time for us to go elsewhere,

Where donkeys can talk,

Horses can play,

Dogs can run.

It is time to go where sunshine is not all that frequent,

It is time to avoid the Flatirons,

It is time to avoid ponderosa,

It is time to come closer to the ocean,

It is time to take pride in the small island,

It is time to be small,

It is not time to be big,

It is time to be modest,

It is time to eat fish as opposed to meat,

It is time to move to Nova Scotia,

It is time to enjoy the crescent moon, at least a croissant!

It is time to be a human being.

It is time to
be.

Be in Nova Scotia,

Be in little island,

Be in fresh air.

Let us be natural,

Let us not ask any questions,

Let us drop all the questions,

Let us be,

Be, be, be.

Hail to the discovery!

We have discovered something very ordinary

But we have experienced something extraordinary.

Let us be,

Let us discover,

Let us celebrate,

Let us appreciate,

Let us celebrate that we have discovered insignificant island,

Let us appreciate the ordinariness of it,

Let us celebrate!

D.D.M.

October 25, 1982

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Sanity Is Joyful

Riding on a white horse,

Carrying the full blade sword,

With the victorious view without wearing glasses—

As I hear the fluttering of banner of victory,

As I smell the horse dung,

As I hear the chattering troops along with their suits of armor—

Maybe I am so romantic

And so brave,

As I carry bow and arrow in my hand—

It is better than making love to maiden.

As I defeat the enemy, I feel so good,

I feel so compassionate,

And love and kindness to my enemies.

That is why I will say,

Ki Ki So So!

Maybe Dorje Dradül is mad,

But on the other hand

The sanest person on earth is the Dorje Dradül.

Ki Ki So So!

D.D.M.

October 27, 1982

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Shambhala Is True

Once upon a time there was a rock named Eternal Rock.

Tigers and lions, garudas and dragons, shit on it, peed on it.

But still that rock remained.

In fact, that rock turned into jade rock, proclaiming inscrutability.

That rock produced caves where various warriors can be born,

Eternally Shambhala children, whether boys or girls doesn’t matter.

That rock produced horses and saddles, armor and helmets.

Shall we call this unthinkable or thinkable vision?

Sometimes the Great Eastern Sun gives birth.

Sometimes the Great Western Moon smiles.

Let us have kingdom.

Let us have pine tree that urinates in your mouth.

Let us have chrysanthemum that smiles in the midst of chaos.

Let us have peonies that haven’t taken a bath or shower for several months.

Let us have Kingdom of Shambhala.

Let us fly with the horse of the Great Eastern lungta.

Let us be outrageous and humble.

January 2, 1983

The Officers’ Club, Kalapa Assembly

Bedford Springs, Pa.

Embryonic Thunderbolt

Learn first.

Act afterward.

Proceed as we grow.

Don’t cuddle with tiger cubs.

Don’t eat raw meat in front of lion.

Be decisive.

Study the warriors of the past.

View the world as sunny-side-up egg.

Laugh with garudas so that you can create thunder like dragon.

Past memories of the warriors are important.

Pay heed to the sting of scorpion.

College of Denma has occurred.

April 11, 1983

Concord, Mass.

On leadership and command for the College of Denma.

How to Govern with Wisdom

Hit on head.

Play with the fingers.

Expel the dirty dozen.

Hammer is good way to wake oneself up.

Secateur is good to cut liar’s tongue.

Guillotine is excellent for governmental purposes.

Theplong is good to wake the lazy ones.

Benevolent democracy is good

Yet benevolent dictatorship is better.

Open a bottle of burgundy and drink it until you die.

Have a good reception.

Let us celebrate whether we are dead or alive.

April 11, 1983

Concord, Mass.

Seasons’ Greetings

Emerging to the surface,

Such virginity

Blossoming as a teenager—

Wish I were Spring’s father.

As the thunder gathers rain,

Flowers drink water;

Arrogant greenery has no hesitation.

Summer provides festivity, and life is worth living.

Hot pregnant mother

Preparing the eggs and sperm for the next year:

So voluptuous and ostentatious.

O Autumn, I will never go to bed with you,

But you come to dinner with me.

Constriction and rigidity of your martial law do not frighten me,

You give me chills and shivers;

But the way you decorate the mountains—

I admire your extravaganza.

May 9, 1983

Dance while Weeping

Desolate sun, you come closer and closer.

Would you mind if I try to chase the moon

Whose reflection is in the melting pond?

Spring gives me possibilities of infidelity.

The cosmic law lied to me.

If everything blossoms, butterflies will dance.

I neither danced nor bloomed.

With gray hair I passed you, O summer.

The rich farmers have abundant grain.

Throngs of fruits fill the baskets.

Watching the autumn moon behind dark and silvery clouds,

I am still hungry, singing the songs of loneliness.

Geese are happily free to fly to the south.

Peacocks shiver without feathers.

In this deep frozen world of ice and snow,

Nesting birds and wild animals are attacked by natural calamity.

The joyful sound of cuckoos has vanished.

I huddle in my house with one burning lamp, counting my heartbeats.

How could you have devastated my life?

O winter, go away.

May 11, 1983

Fasnacloich

Dublin, N.H.

Four Season Haiku Tiger

SPRING

Shifty fire

Amber with coal

I detect something in the jungle

SUMMER

Tigers get good bath

Fresh look of their coat

Competes with clean bamboo leaves

AUTUMN

Maple leaves might pounce

Tigers might become maple leaves

The dichotomy is in visual art

WINTER

Highland bamboo

Conference of geese

Tiger might smile at the south

May 13, 1983

Fasnacloich

Dublin, N.H.

The Meek

POWERFULLY NONCHALANT AND DANGEROUSLY SELF-SATISFYING

In the midst of thick jungle

Monkeys swing,

Snakes coil,

Days and nights go by.

Suddenly I witness you,

Striped like sun and shade put together.

You slowly scan and sniff, perking your ears,

Listening to the creeping and rustling sounds:

You have supersensitive antennae.

Walking gently, roaming thoroughly,

Pressing paws with claws,

Moving with the sun’s camouflage,

Your well-groomed exquisite coat has never been touched or hampered by others.

Each hair bristles with a life of its own.

In spite of your feline bounciness and creeping slippery accomplishment,

Pretending to be meek,

You drool as you lick your mouth.

You are hungry for prey—

You pounce like a young couple having orgasm;

You teach zebras why they are black and white;

You surprise haughty deer, instructing them to have a sense of humor along with their fear.

When you are satisfied roaming in the jungle,

You pounce as the agent of the sun:

Catching pouncing clawing biting sniffing—

Such meek tiger achieves his purpose.

Glory be to the meek tiger

Roaming, roaming endlessly.

Pounce, pounce in the artful meek way,

Licking whiskers with satisfying burp.

Oh, how good to be tiger!

May 13, 1983

Swallowing the Moon as We Feel Free

Let us swallow the moon

Let us give birth to the sun

Let us lick the sharp sword

Let us ride the stallions, saddled with crescent moon

Let us not be terrified

Let us relax on the earth of Shambhala ground

Where the skylarks roam freely

And where the arrogant deer frolic

Let us celebrate in this Midsummer’s festivity where clouds float freely.

Midsummer’s Day 1983

Lord Nelson Kalapa Camp

Halifax, Nova Scotia

Constantly Falling in Love

You are the sun that dispels darkness.

You are the moon that creates smile.

You are my heart—

Incredible companion.

Most beautiful, dazzling light in my life,

May the Great Eastern Sun inspire you.

Let us work together,

And let us be together

In this life and lives to come.

Glory be to the Tiger Lady,

The goddess of moon.

I love you, Diana.

Mukpo the Terrible

August 1983

Never Flinching

It is not expensive to be handsome

To build a rainbow is very cheap

Peonies compete with chrysanthemums

Blue sky has never been painted