“Was not their mistake once more bred of the life of slavery that they had been living?—a life which was always looking upon everything, except mankind, animate and inanimate—‘nature,’ as people used to call it—as one thing, and mankind as another, it was natural to people thinking in this way, that they should try to make ‘nature’ their slave, since they thought ‘nature’ was something outside them” — William Morris


Thursday, April 4, 2013

Laughing and Crying at the Same Time

In his last words to me, my guru, Jamgon Kongtrul of Shechen, said, “I am getting old, and I don’t think I can handle the political changes taking place in Tibet, so I leave it up to you people to handle these situations.” It was very sad that such a dignified person, such a great warrior, so powerful, energetic, and insightful, had come to that. It was heartbreaking. One wonders what portion of his intention was directed toward filling me with sadness for the lack of a contemplative tradition in Buddhism, and what portion was because he wanted me to carry on as his heir, his offshoot. I think it was some of both. It was very sad and happy at the same time. I could weep, cry or burst into tears, or I could dance and explore. And that seems to be the feeling of vajrayana, the tantric teachings of the Buddha, actually. It is both of these at once.
--Trungpa Rinpoche





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