The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Seven (66 page)

He was such a good person, but he had to pay his karmic debt:

Instead of being killed on board the ship
Kelly,

He was destroyed on a fishing boat—

May he be reborn as a Shambhalian warrior.

Vietnam invasion of Cambodia,

China invasion of Vietnam:

All of those jokes are comparable to a group of lizards biting each others’ tails.

Where is the spirit of communism?

Marx, Engels, Lenin—

If they returned and saw what a mess they made in the universe, they would be horrified.

We find nobody is practicing true communism.

The Chinese declaration of religious freedom in Tibet is humorous:

You are free not to practice religion,

And the Panchen Lama beckons the Dalai Lama.

Opening the door of Sino-Tibetan tourism fooled the sharpest and most professional journalists;

They lost their critical intelligence.

Islamic tradition is fantastic:

“Killing enemy, develop wealth in the name of Allah.”

The grand Ayatollah declares spiritual principles in the name of hate,

Recapturing the example of
Jaws.

Sino-American declaration is sweet and sour,

Missing the Hunan beef of Mao Tse-tung,

Both parties not knowing how to handle their power;

Taiwan takes secret delight that it does not have to maintain international law and order.

Korea lost its leader,

Park killed in a parking lot by his own security guards;

Unifying South and North Chao Xian to make Korea out of Korea is questionable.

In short, the nations are capitalizing on what they were;

In turn they lose what they are.

This year is not an exciting year at all,

In spite of short dramas and quick exchanges.

There could be an exciting perspective to it:

Declaration of war between Islam and the rest of the faiths.

The Shah as
le chat
got out of the bag,

Terrified, frustrated—we feel sorry for the Empress Farah.

We realize that the United Nations is a rib cage without heartbeat or lungs,

Trying to do its best.

In spite of China being chairman of the Security Council,

Nothing gets done.

We are sad;

It is hopeless.

We are happy;

We could contribute.

The state of affairs of the world is somewhat better than a male dog pissing on an appropriate bush.

January 1, 1980

To the Noble Sangha

With your doubt, laziness, hesitation, and inquisitiveness,

We have found magnificent soil in which to sow the seed of the buddhadharma.

With your friendliness, sense of humor, and willingness to work with me,

We are able to harvest our crop.

Your sympathy and genuineness led me to believe that true dharma can be established in North America.

The ten years of my existence here have been long and treacherous;

Yet it is short—as if it happened yesterday.

I appreciate you all:

Without your exertion and delight I would have passed away long ago.

That is your best birthday present:

That you will practice with me.

February 9, 1980

Denver, Colo.

A countertoast at a celebration of the author’s birthday.

Auspicious Coincidence

WEALTH AND VISION

The tiger has developed more stripes.

The lion has developed more mane.

Could the garuda fly further!

Is it possible that the dragon could resound deeper!

Could my ten years of being here be more!

Sometimes I feel I have been in North America 10,000 years;

Other times, maybe only ten seconds—

We grow young and old simultaneously.

We certainly appreciate what we have done,

What we have achieved, in ten kalpas to ten seconds.

It is wondrous,

Shocking,

That you as the noble sangha

And I as the Vajra Master—

We grew old together.

Such a wonderful dharmic world would be impossible

If we never met each other.

We could say that the wise and the wicked have no time to rest.

Let us not indulge each other

In the ground, path, and fruition of our journey.

Let us wake and join in the celebration,

And let us go further without rest.

In the name of the lineage and our forefathers,

Let us hitch up our chuba fearlessly;

Let us bring about the dawn of tantra

Along with the Great Eastern Sun.

February 24, 1980

Lake Louise, Alberta

Fishing Wisely

From the samsaric ocean,

With the net of your good posture,

The fish of your subconscious gossip

Are exposed to the fresh air.

No praise, no blame.

The fish of your subconscious mind

Look for samsaric air,

But they die in coemergent wisdom.

February 25, 1980

Good Morning within the Good Morning

Because of my forefathers,

Because of my discipline,

Because my court, the tutors and the disciplinarians, have been so tough with me,

I feel enormous gratitude to them:

They taught me the Shambhala vision.

Instead of sucking one’s thumb,

You taught us to raise head and shoulders.

With sudden unexpected eruption,

I have been blown into the cold land of a foreign country.

With your vision, I still perpetuate the discipline you taught to me.

With second occasion of the Shambhala Training of Five,

I would like to raise a further banner for the students and their practice:

May we not suck our habitual thumbs,

May we raise the greatest banner of the Great Eastern Sun.

Whether tradition or tales of the tiger,

We never give up our basic genuine concern for the world.

Let there be light of the Great Eastern Sun

To wake up the setting sun indulgence.

Let there be Great Eastern Sun in order to realize

Eternally there is always good morning.

March 30, 1980

Boston, Mass.

On the occasion of teaching Shambhala Training Level Five.

Haiku 2

Claws of the lovely child,

Beauteous smile of the magnificent woman—

Both are eating raven’s shit,

Experiencing the taste of the one flavor.

Walking with deer foot,

Trotting like a horse,

Biting like a butterfly—

Aren’t we all fooled by the universe?

Catching the rain of blood,

Appreciating the dew drops of winter and spring—

Aren’t we all appreciative, enjoying the great bliss?

The mirage of antelopes caught in the trap of religion,

The fish of discursive thoughts caught by the net without hooks and worms—

Aren’t we joyful that we catch samsara without aggression or militaryhood?

Our generals are very kind,

Our military strategy is very kind,

We never shoot anybody but we capture them—

Our only concern is, can we feed them all?

In this glorious catch and kill,

Cure or kill,

I would like to dedicate my experience of being in Chateau Lake Louise to Lady Jane,

Who is the best of the pigeons of the peacocks,

The best of the jackals of the snow lions,

The best of the lizards of the turquoise dragons,

The best of the ducklings of garudas.

All goes well.

Ki Ki—all goes worthywhile—so so!

I take pride in our expedition.

Since my mother left me without her fur chuba

I decided always to be chubaless,

A warrior without wearing clothes, walking in the cold.

My mother and my guru have agreed on this principle,

So now I am furless, clotheless.

On the other hand I remained king,

Sitting on a throne with a self-snug smile.

If I never had heritage,

This never would have happened:

Thanks to Gesar

And anybody related to the Mukpo family

Who has had the delicious meal of the Mongolian meat eaters.

Good dish,

Solid gold brocade,

Genuine suit of armor,

Riding on a white horse into battle—

We take pride in all of those.

Ki Ki So So!

Ki Ki So So to Lady Jane!

Ki Ki So So to my white horse!

Ki Ki So So that we are the warriors without ego!

Om svabhava-shuddhah sarva-dharmah svabhava-shuddho ham

Ki Ki So So!

April 25, 1980

Lake Louise, Alberta

Canada

Miscellaneous Doha

Unborn rock

Petrified sky

Crippled windhorse

Mute skull

Blue red—

If you cannot sort them out,

Don’t cut your tongue on the razor smeared with honey:

Rejoice in dancing on a needle.

April 28, 1980

Exposé

ACKNOWLEDGING ACCUSATIONS IN THE NAME OF DEVOTION

Remember, O Tusum Khyenpa!

Remember, O Father Karma Pakshi!

Remember, O Tilopa!

Remember, O Naropa!

Remember, O Milarepa!

Remember, O Marpa Lotsawa!

When I remember your kindness and your power,

I am left in the midst of the dark-age dungeon.

When I taste your great bliss,

It is as if for the first time—

As if no one had tasted honey before.

When I realize your devotion,

It makes me so lonely.

When I see and experience anything good and wonderful,

It reminds me of the Kagyü wisdom and what you have sacrificed for us.

When I put on good clothing or see an attractive maiden,

When I handle gold or diamond,

I feel great pain and love for your wisdom and exertion.

I can only cry,

Your beauty and exertion and footprints make me so sad and full of longing—

Because we are left behind,

nowhere, Unable even to see your footprints in the dust.

How could you do such a thing?

Any mark of elegance or imprint of goodness;

For that matter, anything wicked and raw, confused or destructive;

Anything we see makes us feel so sad.

We will cry after the Father Kagyü,

Whether we are attacked or praised,

We do not follow the conventional pattern of hope and fear;

Nonetheless, you left us alone.

We feel so sad and lonely,

We want to taste you, smell you—

Where are you?

We cry and we would like to threaten you and say:

Show us your true face, to help us never give up;

In this very bed, on this very cushion, in this very room—

If you don’t show us your face and tell us,

We will perish in tears and dissolve in misery.

Please come and be with us.

At least look at us the way we are,

Which may not be the best you expect of us;

But we have the greatest devotion,

Beyond your preconceptions.

We will cry and shed our tears until our eyeballs drop in the sand dune

And we drown in the ocean of our tears.

O Knower of the Three Times, omniscient,

We have tried and practiced after your example:

Please don’t give up.

When we iron our clothes, it is for you.

When we shine our shoes, it is for you.

When we wear jewelry, it is for you.

We do everything because of you;

We have no personal concern.

If we do not realize your dignity and wisdom,

May we rot and dissolve into dust.

We do everything for your sake and because of you.

We are so sad because of you,

We are so joyful because of you.

Father, if you have strength, this is the time to manifest.

I am about to die

And be reborn in crying and laughing at the same time.

Father, please have consideration for us.

We do not do anything for our own sake.

We do everything for the sake of devotion to you.

April 30, 1980

Mixed Grill Dharma Served with Burgundy of Ground Mahamudra 1980 Vintage

THE ELEGANT FEAST OF TIMELESS ACCURACY

Blond cactus thorn with occasional freckles,

Albino chimpanzees with oy vey mantra,

Rock or diamond,

Shoes or socks,

Food or excrement—

These dichotomies dissolve and pop up.

As you teach vajrayana to the Americans,

Sometimes they reduce into tadpoles;

Other times they expand into crocodiles that you find in South America.

Inconceivable mind finds a way around, and very direct, to hug them and puncture them.

Pollution is not a question.

Build a magnificent granite castle;

Build a magnificent Aberdeen granite castle on the tip of your own tongue.

Buy the Windsor castle, brick by brick,