I only saw Trungpa once, in person. After his lecture my friend talked to him and he advised giving up any mantra and just sitting with the out-breath awareness - which was his recommendation for practice at the time.
I don't know anything about Shambhala training but was never convinced that learning it would add anything significant to my practice. I am rather surprised to learn that they use bija-mantras. I don't find much structure in Buddhist presentations of mantra - just more "if you like Tara here is her main mantra, if you like Akshobhya here is his bija and mula-mantra". Perhaps they have refined it a bit based it upon the five Buddha family groups. Then again, maybe not. "Sakyong Ladrang" is just the fund-raining arm of the Shambhala enterprise. The term means "this is where the Lama is residing". In other words it has little meaning is itself. What is really means it that the Shambhala program is another commercial mechanism for getting more money out of clueless Westerners. Read it and weep. That is Vag's tradition of "enlightenment" ... one which he glorifies heartily. .. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "richardjwilliamstexas" <willytex@...> wrote: > emptybill: > > I have practiced Trungpa's style of shamataa and was > > not impressed when compared to TM dhyana... > > > So, we are agreed. > > The Sakyong Mipham uses bija mantras in the Shambhala > training. Maybe when you were there, the Trungpa > thought you were to advanced already - I don't know, > maybe he didn't know any bija mantras. Go figure - > bijas are enumerated in the Hridaya Sutra! > > But, it is an amazing meditation training, just not > as effecient as TM training. This Shambhalal training > is the training cited by Vaj and Wallaca, when they > cite the Shamatha Project. > > Shambhala is headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia and > Boulder, Co. and at the Shambhala Mountain Center, and > in Tibet at Surmang. > > The Sakyong, and almost all Surmang Tibetan teachers > use bija mantras in their meditation. And why? Because > the meditation using bija mantras is simple, easy, and > produces an abiding calm, a restful alertness, and > provides the ideal opportunity for transcending to the > unified field of enlightened living, and to Nirvana. > > "TM" is Buddhist tantric yoga meditation! It's just > what intelligent people do. > > "The lineage of Sakyongs is protected and supported by > the Sakyong Ladrang. The prosperity of the Sakyong > Ladrang is essential to ensuring the continuity and > transmission of the Shambhala teachings on basic > goodness, the fundamental ground of enlightened > society." > > Sakyong Mipham: > http://www.mipham.com/ > > > > > Calmness is not the same as "state of least > > > > excitation"... > > > > > > > It's Tibetan, Bill, from the Tantras, not from the > > > Pali Sutras. Some students get mixed up and confuse > > > the 'vipassana-shamatha' practices of the Theravada > > > with the 'siddha-yoga' practices of the Vajrayana. > > > > > > Vajrayana yoga practices, such as the Shambhala > > > training established by Trungpa, cited by Alan > > > Wallace, is just like 'TM' practice, only not as > > > effecient! > > > > > > Trungpa's 'calm abiding' is the 'restful alertness', > > > described by MMY. Trungpa called it "meditation in > > > action". It's a seated, eyes wide-shut, meditation > > > technique, using bijas, mandala's, and other > > > objects. > > > > > > Sakyong Mipham on Meditation in Action: > > > http://youtu.be/GVJQ4qU4Bok > > > > > > Work cited: > > > > > > 'Meditation in Action' > > > by Chogyam Trungpa > > > Shambhala, 1970 > > > > > >
