Chögyam Trungpa
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2008-06-28T20:18:33Z
MarkSzpakowski
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{{Infobox Buddhist biography
| name = Chögyam Trungpa
| img = Trungpa.jpg
| img_size = 200px
| img_capt =
| landscape =
| birth_name =
| other_names =
| dharma_name =
| birth_date = February 1939
| birth_place = [[Kham]] region, [[Tibet]]
| death_date = {{death date|1987|4|4|}} (age 48)
| death_place = [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]
| nationality = [[Tibet]]an
| denomination = [[Buddhism]]
| school = [[Vajrayana]]
| lineage = [[Karma Kagyu]] and [[Nyingma]]
| title = [[Rinpoche]]
| workplace =
| education =
| occupation =
| teacher = [[Jamgon Kongtrul]]<br>[[Dilgo Khyentse|Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]]<br>[[Khenpo Gangshar]]
| reincarnation_of = Trungpa Tulku
| predecessor = [[Chökyi Nyinche]]
| successor = [[Choseng Trungpa]]
| student = [[Pema Chödrön]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], [[Anne Waldman]], [[Diane di Prima]], [[Peter Lieberson]], [[José Argüelles]] and [[Francisco Varela]]
| spouse = Lady Diana Mukpo
| partner =
| children = [[Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche]]
| website = http://www.shambhala.org/
}}
'''Chögyam Trungpa''' (February 1939 – [[April 4]], [[1987]]) was a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] [[meditation]] master, scholar, teacher, poet, artist, and a [[Trungpa tülkus|Trungpa tülku]]. Widely recognized, both by Tibetan Buddhists and by other spiritual practitioners and scholars,<ref>Midal, 2005</ref> as a preeminent teacher of [[Tibetan Buddhism]], he was a major figure in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, founding [[Vajradhatu]] and [[Naropa University]] and establishing the [[Shambhala Training]] method. His controversial career is characterized by his style of "crazy wisdom" by his Western followers. Physically weakened by years of heavy alcohol use, he died in terminal stages of heart failure<ref>Mukpo 2006, p. 382</ref> at the age of 48.
==Biography==
===Early years===
Born in the [[Kham]] region of [[Tibet]] in February 1939, Chögyam Trungpa was eleventh in the line of [[Trungpa tülkus]], important figures in the [[Kagyu]] lineage, one of the four main schools of [[Tibetan Buddhism]] that is renowned for its strong emphasis on meditation practice. Among his three main teachers were [[Jamgon Kongtrul]] of Sechen, HH [[Dilgo Khyentse|Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], and [[Khenpo Gangshar]].
The name ''Chögyam'' is a contraction of ''Chögyi Gyatso'' ({{bo-tw|t=ཆོས་ཀྱི་རྒྱ་མཚོ་|w=Chos-kyi Rgya-mtsho}}), which means "ocean of [[dharma]]". ''Trungpa'' ({{bo-tw|t=དྲུང་པ་|w=Drung-pa}}) means "attendant". He was deeply trained in the Kagyu tradition and received his [[khenpo]] degree at the same time as [[Thrangu Rinpoche]]; they continued to be very close in later years. Chögyam Trungpa was also trained in the [[Nyingma]] tradition, the oldest of the four schools, and was an adherent of the ''ri-me'' ("nonsectarian") ecumenical movement within Tibetan Buddhism, which aspired to bring together and make available all the valuable teachings of the different schools, free of sectarian rivalry.
Already installed as the head of the [[Surmang Monastery|Surmang monasteries]] in eastern Tibet, Chögyam Trungpa was forced to flee the country in 1959, at the age of twenty. Barely escaping the [[1950-1951 invasion of Tibet|Chinese invasion]], he and a small party of monks crossed the [[Himalaya]] on foot and on horseback into [[India]].
From 1959-1963, by appointment of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Chögyam Trungpa served as the spiritual advisor for the Young Lamas Home School in Dalhousie, India.
===Early teachings in the West===
{{Tibetan Buddhism}}
In exile in India, Trungpa began his study of English. In 1963, with the assistance of sympathetic westerners, he received a scholarship to study Comparative Religion at [[Oxford University]] in [[England]]. In 1967, he was bequeathed a former hunting lodge in [[Scotland]] that had recently been converted to a [[meditation]] center by a western [[Theravada Buddhism|Theravadan]] monk named [[Namgyal Rinpoche|Anandabodhi]], which then became [[Samye Ling]], the first Tibetan Buddhist monastery in the West. At this monastery in Scotland, [[David Bowie]] was one of Chogyam Trungpa's meditation pupils. In 1970, after a break with his fellow lama [[Akong Tulku Rinpoche]], Trungpa moved to the [[United States]] at the invitation of several students.
Shortly after his move to Scotland, a variety of experiences, including a car accident that left him partially paralyzed on the left side of his body, led Trungpa to the decision to give up his monastic vows and work as a lay teacher. This decision was principally motivated by the intention to undercut the temptation of students becoming distracted by exotic cultures and dress, and by their preconceptions of how a guru should behave. He drank, smoked, slept with students, and often kept students waiting for hours before giving teachings. Much of his behavior has been asserted as deliberately provocative and sparked controversies that continue to this day. In one account, he encouraged students to give up smoking [[cannabis (drug)|marijuana]] claiming that the smoking was not of benefit to the spiritual progress and that it exaggerated neurosis. Students were often angered, unnerved and intimidated by him, but remained fiercely loyal, committed, and devoted.
Upon moving to the United States in 1970, Trungpa traveled around North America almost constantly, gaining renown for his unique ability to present the essence of the highest Buddhist teachings in a form readily understandable to western students. During this period, he conducted thirteen Vajradhatu Seminaries, three-month residential programs at which he presented a vast body of Buddhist teachings in an atmosphere of intensive meditation practice. The seminaries also had the important function of training his students to become teachers themselves.{{Facts|date=September 2007}}
===Meditation and education centers===
In 1973, Trungpa established [[Vajradhatu]], encompassing all his North American institutions, headquartered in [[Boulder, Colorado]]. Trungpa also founded more than 100 meditation centers throughout the world. Originally known as Dharmadhatus, these centers, now more than 150 in number, are known as [[Shambhala International|Shambhala Meditation Centers]]. He also founded retreat centers for intensive meditation practice including Shambhala Mountain Center in Red Feather Lakes, CO, Karme Choling in Barnet, VT and Gambo Abbey in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia.
In 1974, Trungpa founded the Naropa Institute, which later became [[Naropa University]], in [[Boulder, Colorado]]. Naropa was the first accredited [[Buddhist universities in the United States and Canada|Buddhist university]] in North America.
Chogyam Trungpa hired [[Allen Ginsberg]] to teach [[poetry]] there and [[William Burroughs]] to teach [[literature]] there.
Among his most famous and well known students are [[Pema Chödrön]], [[Allen Ginsberg]], [[Anne Waldman]], [[Diane di Prima]], [[Peter Lieberson]], [[José Argüelles]] and [[Francisco Varela]]. Ginsberg, Waldman, and di Prima were also teachers at Naropa University. Some important but less well-known students, whom he taught in England before leaving for the USA, were Alf Vial, Rigdzin Shikpo (né Michael Hookham), and [[Francesca Fremantle]]. Rigdzin Shikpo went on to continue Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings from a primarily [[Nyingma]] rather than a Kagyü point of view in the Longchen Foundation.<ref>[http://www.longchen.demon.co.uk/Founders.htm Longchen Founders]</ref><ref>Rigdzin Shikpo 2007</ref>
===Shambhala vision===
In 1976, Trungpa began giving teachings, some of which were gathered and presented as the [[Shambhala Training]],<ref>Midal 2001, pp 233-247</ref><ref>Trungpa 2004, Introduction to Volume 8</ref> inspired by his vision (see [[terma (Buddhism)|terma]]) of the legendary Kingdom of [[Shambhala]]. Trungpa had actually started writing about Shambhala before his 1959 escape from Tibet to India, but most of those writings were lost.<ref>Midal 2005, pp 363-364</ref>
In his view not only was individual enlightenment not mythical, but Shambhala Kingdom referred to an enlightened society that could actually be realized. The practice of Shambhala vision is to use mindfulness/awareness meditation as a way to connect with one's basic goodness and confidence, as well as with that of others and the world. Shambhala vision is described as a secular approach, rooted in meditation, but accessible to individuals of any, or no, religion. In Shambhala terms, it is possible, moment by moment, for individuals to establish enlightened society. His book, ''[[Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior]]'', provides a concise collection of the Shambhala views.
===Work with arts===
From the beginning of his time in America, Chögyam Trungpa passionately encouraged his students to integrate a contemplative approach into all of their everyday activities. In addition to making a variety of traditional contemplative practices available to the community, he also incorporated the many already-existing special interests of his students, evolving specialized teachings on how to apply a meditative approach to these various disciplines. These disciplines included [[Kyūdō|kyūdō]] (Japanese archery), [[calligraphy]], [[ikebana]] (flower arranging), [[chado]] (Japanese tea ceremony), [[dance]], [[theater]], [[film]], [[poetry]], as well as [[health care]] and [[psychotherapy]]. His aim was, in his own words, to bring "art to everyday life." He founded the [[Nalanda Foundation]] in 1974 as an umbrella organization for these activities.{{Facts|date=September 2007}}
===Death===
In 1986, Trungpa, in failing health, moved [[Vajradhatu]]'s headquarters to [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]]. On September 28th he suffered cardiac arrest<ref>Hayward, 2008, p 367</ref>, subsequent to which his condition deteriorated further, requiring intensive care in hospital, then at his home, and finally back at the hospital in mid-March 1987, where he died on April 4th. His wife Diana Mukpo summarizes: "Although he had many of the classic health problems that develop from heavy drinking, it was in fact more likely the diabetes and high blood pressure that led to abnormal blood sugar levels and then the cardiac arrest".<ref>Mukpo, 2006, p. 382</ref> One of his nursing attendants reports that in his last months, he suffered from [[incontinence]], distended belly, discolored skin, [[hallucinations]], [[varicose veins]], [[gastritis]], and [[esophageal varices]] -- classic symptoms of terminal [[alcoholism]] and [[cirrhosis]] -- and yet he was still drinking heavily. She adds, "At the same time there was a power about him and an equanimity to his presence that was phenomenal, that I don't know how to explain."<ref>Zweig 1991, p. 142</ref>
He is reported to have been in a state of [[samadhi]] for five days after his death, his body not immediately decaying and his heart remaining warm.<ref>Hayward, 2008, p. 371</ref> His body was packed in salt and laid into a wooden box to be delivered to [[Karmê Chöling]], a major meditation center in Barnet, Vermont. His cremation there on May 26, 1987 is said to have been accompanied by a number of traditional signs demonstrating his enlightenment, including the appearance of rainbows and of eagles circling.<ref>Miles, 1989, pp. 526-528</ref><ref>Hayward, 2008, p. 373</ref>
===Continuation of the Shambhala lineage===
Upon the death of Chögyam Trungpa, the leadership of [[Vajradhatu]] was first carried on by his American disciple, appointed regent and Dharma heir, [[Ösel Tendzin]] (Thomas Rich), and then by Trungpa's eldest son and Shambhala heir, [[Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche]].
The next Trungpa [[tülku]], [[Chokyi Sengay]], was recognized in 1991 by [[Tai Situ]] Rinpoche.
==Controversies and acclaim==
Chögyam Trungpa's style of teaching was often unconventional.<ref>Falk, Geoffrey D. (2007) "Stripping the Gurus: Sex Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment" Chapter 17, A Wild and Crazy Wisdom Guy[http://www.strippingthegurus.com/stgsamplechapters/trungpa.asp]</ref> In his own words, "When we talk about compassion we talk in terms of being kind. But compassion is not so much being kind; it is being creative to wake a person up."<ref>The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa, Volume Six, p. 541</ref> He did not encourage his students to imitate his own behavior, and he was troubled by those who felt empowered by his example to do whatever they wanted and manipulate people. As the third [[Jamgön Kongtrül]] explained in a teaching given to students of Chögyam Trungpa, 'You shouldn't imitate or judge the behavior of your teacher, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, unless you can imitate his mind.'"<ref>Midal 2001, p. 160</ref>
===Controversies===
There exist a number of controversies surrounding Trungpa's behavior.
He was known for his drinking of alcohol.<ref>Lojong and Tonglen Community Site. [http://lojongmindtraining.com/Biography.aspx?authorID=2 Biography of Chogyam Trungpa]</ref> Before his coming to America, Trungpa, while under the influence, drove a sports car into a joke shop in Dumfries, Scotland. He was left partially paralyzed and often in need of assistance to walk. On some occasions he was carried off-stage for being too drunk.<ref>Zweig 1991, p.141</ref> David Chadwick recounts:<ref>Chadwick 1999, p. 374</ref>
<blockquote>
"Suzuki [Roshi] asked Trungpa to give a talk to the students in the zendo the next night. Trungpa walked in tipsy and sat on the edge of the altar platform with his feet dangling. But he delivered a crystal-clear talk, which some felt had a quality - like Suzuki's talks - of not only being about the dharma but being itself the dharma."
</blockquote>
An incident that became a [[cause célèbre]] among some poets and artists was the Halloween party at the Fall, 1975, Snowmass Colorado Seminary, a 3-month period of intensive meditation and study of the [[Hinayana]], [[Mahayana]], and [[Vajrayana]] vehicles of Tibetan Buddhism. The poet [[W. S. Merwin]] had arrived that summer at the [[Naropa Institute]] and been told by [[Allen Ginsberg]] that seminary was where it was really at. Although he had not gone through the several years worth of practice required, Merwin was insistent he attend, and Trungpa eventually granted his request - along with his girlfriend as well. At seminary the couple stayed to themselves. At the Halloween party, after many, including Trungpa himself, had taken off their clothes, Merwin was asked to join the event, but refused. On Trungpa's orders his Vajra Guard forced entry into the poet's locked and barricaded room; brought him and his girlfriend, Dana Naone, against their will, to the party; and eventually stripped them of all their clothes, onlookers ignoring Naone's pleas for help and for someone to call the police.<ref>Sanders, 1977, throughout; Miles 1989, pp. 466-470; and Clark 1980, pp. 23-25</ref> The next day Trungpa asked Merwin and Naone to remain at the Seminary as either students or guests. They agreed to stay for several more weeks to hear the Vajrayana teachings (which center around [[samaya]]), with Trungpa's promise that "there would be no more incidents," and Merwin and Naone's assertion that "it would be with no guarantees of obedience, trust, or personal devotion to him."<ref>Sanders, 1977, pp. 56, 88</ref> They left immediately after the last talk. In a 1977 letter to members of a Naropa class investigating the incident, Merwin concluded,
<blockquote>
"My feelings about Trungpa have been mixed from the start. Admiration, throughout, for his remarkable gifts; and reservations, which developed into profound misgivings, concerning some of his uses of them. I imagine, at least, that I've learned some things from him (though maybe not all of them were the things I was 'supposed' to learn) and some through him, and I'm grateful to him for those. I wouldn't encourage anyone to become a student of his. I wish him well."<ref>Sanders, 1977, pg. 89</ref>
</blockquote>
Author Jeffery Paine commented on this incident that "Seeing Merwin out of step with the rest, Trungpa could have asked him to leave, but decided it was kinder to shock him out of his aloofness."<ref>Paine (2004) pp. 106-107</ref> However, he also notes outrage felt in particular by poets such as [[Robert Bly]] and [[Kenneth Rexroth]], who began calling Trungpa a [[fascism|fascist]].<ref>Paine (2004) pg. 102</ref> Rexroth (in Miles, 1989) offers the observation that "Many believe Chögyam Trungpa has unquestionably done more harm to Buddhism in the United States than any man living", and called for his extradition from the United States.<ref>Miles, Barry (1989). ''Ginsberg: A Biography'' New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0753504863</ref>
Trungpa's choice of Westerner [[Ösel Tendzin]] as his dharma heir was controversial as Tendzin would be the first Western Tibetan Buddhist lineage holder and Vajra Regent. This was exacerbated by Tendzin's own behavior, including his homosexuality and sexual activity with students while knowingly carrying [[HIV]].<ref>Fields 1992, p. 365</ref>
Rick Fields, historian of Buddhism in America,<ref>Fields 1992</ref> writes that Trungpa "caused more trouble, and did more good, than anyone I'll ever know."<ref>Fields 1988, poem "CTR, April 4, 1987" in ''Fuck You Cancer and Other Poems'', p. 9. Crooked Cloud Projects (1999)</ref>
===Acclaim===
Despite these controversies, major lineage holders of his own Tibetan Buddhist traditions and many other Buddhist teachers supported his work.
In 1974, Trungpa invited HH the [[Gyalwang Karmapa]], head of the [[Karma Kagyu]] lineage, to come to the west and offer teachings. Based on this visit, the Karmapa proclaimed Trungpa to be one of the principal Kagyu lineage holders in the west:
<blockquote>
The ancient and renowned lineage of the Trungpas, since the great [[siddha]] Trungmase Chökyi Gyamtso Lodrö, possessor of only holy activity, has in every generation given rise to great beings. Awakened by the vision of these predecessors in the lineage, this my present lineage holder, Chökyi Gyamtso Trungpa Rinpoche, supreme incarnate being, has magnificently carried out the vajra holders discipline in the land of America, bringing about the liberation of students and ripening them in the [[dharma]]. This wonderful truth is clearly manifest.
Accordingly, I empower Chögyam Trungpa Vajra Holder and Possessor of the Victory Banner of the Practice Lineage of the Karma Kagyu. Let this be recognized by all people of both elevated and ordinary station.<ref>"Proclamation to all Those Who Dwell Under the Sun Upholding the Tradition of the Spiritual and Temporal Orders", HH Gyalwang Karmapa, 1974, in "Garuda IV", 1976, pp 86-87, ISBN 0-87773-086-5.</ref>
</blockquote>
In 1981, His Holiness the Fourteenth [[Dalai Lama]] was hosted by Chögyam Trungpa and his students in his visit to Boulder, Colorado. Of Trungpa, he later wrote, "Exceptional as one of the first Tibetan lamas to become fully assimilated into Western culture, he made a powerful contribution to revealing the Tibetan approach to inner peace in the West."<ref>Midal, 2005. p. x</ref>
Chögyam Trungpa also received support from one of his own main teachers, [[Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], head of the [[Nyingma]] lineage. In addition to numerous [[sadhana]]s and poems dedicated to Trungpa, Khyentse Rinpoche wrote a supplication after Trungpa's death specifically naming him a [[mahasiddha]].<ref>Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, [http://www.chronicleproject.com/tributes/65.html Light of Blessings]</ref><ref>Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche, [http://www.chronicleproject.com/stories_33.html Reflections on Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche]</ref><ref>[http://www.simhas.org/chogyamtrungpa.html The Vajracarya Trungpa Rinpoche]: "The 1st Trungpa Rinpoche ... was an incarnation of the Indian Mahasiddha Dombipa"</ref>
The [[Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche]] said: "As taught in the Buddhist scriptures, there are nine qualities of a perfect master of buddhadharma. The eleventh Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche possessed all nine of these." <ref>Midal, 2005. p. 16</ref>
[[Suzuki Roshi]], founder of the [[San Francisco Zen Center]] and [[Tassajara]] [[Zen]] Mountain Center, and another important exponent of Buddhism to western students, described Trungpa Rinpoche in the context of a talk about emptiness:
<blockquote>
The way you can struggle with this is to be supported by something, something you don't know. As we are human beings, there must be that kind of feeling. You must feel it in this city or building or community. So whatever community it may be, it is necessary for it to have this kind of spiritual support.
That is why I respect Trungpa Rinpoche. He is supporting us. You may criticize him because he drinks alcohol like I drink water, but that is a minor problem. He trusts you completely. He knows that if he is always supporting you in a true sense you will not criticize him, whatever he does. And he doesn't mind whatever you say. That is not the point, you know. This kind of big spirit, without clinging to some special religion or form of practice, is necessary for human beings.<ref>Midal, 2005. p. 381</ref>
</blockquote>
[[Gehlek Rinpoche]], who lived wth Trungpa Rinpoche when they were young monks in India and later visited and taught with him in the U.S., remarked:<blockquote>
He was a great Tibetan yogi, a friend, and a master. The more I deal with Western Dharma students, the more I appreciate how he presented the dharma and the activities that he taught. Whenever I meet with difficulties, I begin to understand - sometimes before solving the problem, sometimes afterward - why Trungpa Rinpoche did some unconventional things. I do consider him to be the father of Tibetan Buddhism in the United States. In my opinion, he left very early - too early. His death was a great loss. Everything he did is significant.<ref>Midal, 2005. p. 418</ref>
</blockquote>
== Chronology ==
1940: Born in Kham, Eastern Tibet. Enthroned as eleventh Trungpa Tulku, Supreme Abbot of [[Surmang]] Monasteries, and Governor of Surmang District. Some put his birth in 1939.<ref>[http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/vctr/ctrbio.html Shambhala Teachers - Vidyadhara Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche]</ref>
1944-59: Studies traditional monastic disciplines, meditation, and philosophy, as well as calligraphy, thangka painting, and monastic dance.
1947: Ordained as a shramanera (novice monk).
1958: Receives degrees of Kyorpön (Doctor of Divinity) and Khenpo (Master of Studies). Ordained as a [[bhikshu]] (full monk).
1959-60: Escapes to India during the Chinese invasion of Tibet amidst the increasing suppression of the Buddhist religion.
1960-63: By appointment of the [[Dalai Lama]], serves as spiritual advisor to the Young Lamas' Home School in [[Dalhousie]], India.
1962: Sires first son, [[Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche|Ösel Rangdröl (Mukpo)]], by a nun later referred to as Lady Kunchok Palden (or Lady Konchok Palden).
1963-67: Attends Oxford University on a Spaulding scholarship, studying comparative religion, philosophy, and fine arts. Receives instructor's degree in [[Sogetsu School]] of [[ikebana|Japanese flower arrangement]] founded by Master [[Sofu Teshigahara]].
1967: Founds [[Samyê-Ling]], a meditation center in [[Dumfriesshire]], Scotland.
1968: Receives ''[[The Sadhana of Mahamudra]]'' [[terma]] text while on retreat in [[Taktshang]], a sacred cliffside monastery in [[Bhutan]].<ref>[http://www.philashambhala.org/public_html/Sadhana.shtml Sadhana of Mahamudra]</ref>
1969: Becomes the first Tibetan British subject. Injured in a car accident, leaving him partially paralyzed. Relinquishes monastic vows and robes.
1970: Renounces monastic vows and marries wealthy sixteen year old disciple Diana Judith Pybus.<ref>Weinberger, 1986, p. 29</ref> Arrives in North America. Establishes [[Tail of the Tiger]], a Buddhist meditation and study center in Vermont, now known as [[Karmê Chöling]]. Establishes [[Karma Dzong]], a Buddhist community in Boulder, Colorado.<ref>[http://www.boulder.shambhala.org/ Karma Dzong]</ref>
1971: Begins teaching at University of Colorado. Establishes Rocky Mountain Dharma Center, now known as [[Shambhala Mountain Center]], near Fort Collins, Colorado.
1972: Initiates Maitri, a therapeutic program that works with different styles of neurosis using principles of the [[Five Dhyani Buddhas|five buddha families]]. Conducts the [[Milarepa]] Film Workshop, a program which analyzes the aesthetics of film, on Lookout Mountain, Colorado.
1973: Founds [[Mudra Theater Group]], which stages original plays and practices theater exercises, based on [[cham Dance|traditional Tibetan dance]].<ref>[http://www.shambhalashop.com/archives/vidmudra.html Mudra Theater Group]</ref> Incorporates [[Vajradhatu]], an international association of Buddhist meditation and study centers, now known as [[Shambhala International]]. Establishes [[Dorje Khyung Dzong]], a retreat facility in southern Colorado.<ref>[http://www.shambhala.org/centers/dkd/ Dorje Khyung Dzong]</ref> Conducts first annual Vajradhatu Seminary, a three-month advanced practice and study program.
1974: Incorporates [[Nalanda Foundation]], a nonprofit, nonsectarian educational organization to encourage and organize programs in the fields of education, psychology, and the arts. Hosts the first North American visit of His Holiness the Sixteenth Gyalwang [[Karmapa]], head of the [[Karma Kagyü]] lineage. Founds The Naropa Institute, a contemplative studies and liberal arts college, now fully accredited as [[Naropa University]]. Forms the organization that will become the Dorje Kasung, a service group entrusted with the protection of the buddhist teachings and the welfare of the community.
1975: Forms the organization that will become the Shambhala Lodge, a group of students dedicated to fostering enlightened society. Founds the Nalanda Translation Committee for the translation of Buddhist texts from Tibetan and [[Sanskrit]]. Establishes [[Ashoka]] Credit Union.
1976: Hosts the first North American visit of [[Dilgo Khyentse|Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche]], revered meditation master and scholar of the [[Nyingma]] lineage. Hosts a visit of His Holiness [[Dudjom Rinpoche]], head of the Nyingma lineage. Empowers Thomas F. Rich as his dharma heir, known thereafter as Vajra Regent Ösel Tendzin.
Establishes the [[Kalapa]] Court in Boulder, Colorado, as his residence and a cultural center for the Vajradhatu community. Receives the first of several Shambhala terma texts (see [[Terma (Buddhism)|termas]]). These comprise the literary source for the Shambhala teachings. Founds [[Alaya]] Preschool in Boulder, Colorado.
1977: Bestows the [[Vajrayogini]] abhisheka for the first time in the West for students who have completed [[ngöndro]] practice. Establishes the celebration of Shambhala Day. Observes a year-long retreat in [[Charlemont, Massachusetts]]. Founds Shambhala Training to promote a secular approach to meditation practice and an appreciation of [[Basic goodness|basic human goodness]]. Visits [[Nova Scotia]] for the first time.
1978: Conducts the first annual Magyal Pomra Encampment, an advanced training program for members of the Dorje Kasung. Conducts the first annual Kalapa Assembly, an intensive training program for advanced Shambhala teachings and practices. Conducts the first Dharma Art seminar. Forms Amara, an association of health professionals. Forms the [[Upaya]] Council, a mediation council providing a forum for resolving disputes. Establishes the Midsummer's Day festival and Children's Day.
1979: Empowers his eldest son, Ösel Rangdröl Mukpo, as his successor and heir to the [[Shambhala lineage]]. Founds the Shambhala School of Dressage, an equestrian school under the direction of his wife, Lady Diana Mukpo. Founds Vidya Elementary School in Boulder, Colorado.
1980-83: Presents a series of environmental installations and flower arranging exhibitions at art galleries in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver, and Boulder.
1980: Forms Kalapa Cha to promote the practice of traditional [[Japanese Tea Ceremony]]. With the Nalanda Translation Committee, completes the first English translation of ''[[The Rain of Wisdom]]''.
1981: Hosts the visit of [[Tenzin Gyatso|His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama]] to Boulder, Colorado. Conducts the first annual Buddhist-Christian Conference in Boulder, Colorado, exploring the common ground between Buddhist and [[Christian]] contemplative traditions. Forms Ryuko Kyūdōjō to promote the practice of [[Kyūdō|Zen Archery]] under the direction of [[Kanjuro Shibata XX|Shibata Kanjuro Sensei]], bow maker to the [[Emperor of Japan]]. Directs a film, Discovering Elegance, using footage of his environmental installation and flower arranging exhibitions.
1982: Forms Kalapa Ikebana to promote the study and practice of Japanese flower arranging.
1983: Establishes [[Gampo Abbey]], a Karma Kagyü monastery located in [[Cape Breton Island|Cape Breton]], Nova Scotia, for Western students wishing to enter into traditional monastic discipline. Creates a series of elocution exercises to promote precision and mindfulness of speech.
1984-85: Observes a year-long retreat in [[Mill Village, Nova Scotia]].
1986: Moves his home and the international headquarters of Vajradhatu to [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], [[Nova Scotia]].
1987: Dies of an alcohol-related illness, April 4th in Halifax; cremated May 26 at Karmê Chöling. (His followers have constructed a [[chorten]] for his remains.)
1989: The child recognized as his reincarnation, [[Chokyi Sengay]],is born in [[Derge]], Tibet; recognized two years later by [[Tai Situ]] Rinpoche.
== Bibliography ==
*''Born in Tibet'' (1966), autobiography, story of escaping from Tibet.
*''Meditation in Action'' (1969)
*''Mudra'' (1972)
*''Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism'' (1973)
*''The Dawn of Tantra'', by Herbert V. Guenther and Chögyam Trungpa (1975)
*''Glimpses of Abhidharma (1975)''
*''The Tibetan Book of the Dead: The Great Liberation through Hearing in the Bardo'', translated with commentary by Francesca Fremantle and Chögyam Trungpa (1975)
*''The Myth of Freedom and the Way of Meditation'' (1976)
*''The Rain of Wisdom'' (1980)
*''Journey without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha'' (1981)
*''The Life of Marpa the Translator'' (1982)
*''First Thought Best Thought: 108 Poems'' (1983)
*''Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior'' (1984)
*''Crazy Wisdom'' (1991)
*''The Heart of the Buddha'' (1991)
*''Orderly Chaos: The Mandala Principle'' (1991)
*''Secret Beyond Thought: The Five Chakras and the Four Karmas'' (1991)
*''The Lion's Roar: An Introduction to Tantra'' (1992)
*''Transcending Madness: The Experience of the Six Bardos'' (1992)
*''Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving Kindness'' (1993)
*''Glimpses of Shunyata'' (1993)
*''The Art of Calligraphy: Joining Heaven and Earth'' (1994)
*''Illusion's Game: The Life and Teaching of Naropa'' (1994)
*''The Path Is the Goal: A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation'' (1995)
*''Dharma Art'' (1996)
*''Timely Rain: Selected Poetry of Chögyam Trungpa'' (1998)
*''Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala'' (1999)
*''Glimpses of Space: The Feminine Principle and Evam'' (1999)
*''The Essential Chögyam Trungpa'' (2000)
*''Glimpses of Mahayana'' (2001)
*''Glimpses of Realization'' (2003)
*''The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa'', Volumes One through Eight (2003)
*''True Command: The Teachings of the Dorje Kasung, Volume I, The Town Talks'' (2004)
*''The Sanity We Are Born With: A Buddhist Approach to Psychology'' (2005)
*''The Teacup & the Skullcup:Chogyam Trungpa on Zen and Tantra'' (2007)
==See also==
*[[Buddhism in America]]
*[[Celtic Buddhism]]
*[[Ken Keyes, Jr.]]
*[[Miksang]] (contemplative photography)
*[[Reginald Ray]]
==Notes==
{{reflist|2}}
==References==
*Chadwick, David (1999). ''Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teachings of Shunryu Suzuki''. ISBN 0-7679-0104-5
*Clark, Tom (1980). ''The Great Naropa Poetry Wars''. ISBN 0-932274-06-4
*Falk, Geoffrey D. (2007) ''Stripping the Gurus: Sex Violence, Abuse and Enlightenment'' Chapter 17, A Wild and Crazy Wisdom Guy[http://www.strippingthegurus.com/stgsamplechapters/trungpa.asp] (no ISBN)
*Fields, Rick (3rd ed., 1992). ''How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America''. ISBN 0-87773-631-6
*Hayward, Jeremy (2008). ''Warrior-King of Shambhala: Remembering Chögyam Trungpa''. ISBN 0-86171-546-2
*Midal, Fabrice (2001). ''Chögyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision''. ISBN 1-59030-098-X
*Midal, Fabrice (2005). ''Recalling Chögyam Trungpa''. ISBN 1-59030-207-9
*Miles, Barry (1989). ''Ginsberg: A Biography''. ISBN 0-671-50713-3
*Paine, Jeffery (2004) ''Re-Enchantment: Tibetan Buddhism Comes to the West'' ISBN 0393019683
*Rigdzin Shikpo (2007). ''Never Turn Away''. ISBN 0861714881
*Sanders, Ed (ed.) (1977). ''The Party: A Chronological Perspective on a Confrontation at a Buddhist Seminary''. (no ISBN)
*Trungpa, Chogyam (2004). "The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa, Volume Eight". ISBN 1-59030-032-7
*Weinberger, Eliot (1986). ''Works on Paper''. ISBN 0-8112-1001-4
*Zweig, Connie; Jeremiah Abrams (eds.) (1991). ''Meeting the Shadow''. ISBN 087477618X
==Further reading==
*Butterfield, Stephen T. ''The Double Mirror: A Skeptical Journey into Buddhist Tantra''. North Atlantic Books, 1994. ISBN 1556431767
*Feuerstein, Georg. ''Holy Madness: The Shock Tactics and Radical Teachings of Crazy-Wise Adepts, Holy Fools, and Rascal Gurus''. Paragon House, 1991. ISBN 1-55778250-4
*Feuerstein, Georg. ''Holy Madness: Spirituality, Crazy-Wise Teachers, And Enlightenment'' (revised and expanded edition of Feuerstein, 1991). Hohm Press, 2006. ISBN 1890772542
*Marin, Peter. "Spiritual Obedience" in ''Freedom & Its Discontents'', Steerforth Press, 1995, ISBN 1-883642-24-8
*Midal, Fabrice. ''Chögyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision''. Shambhala, 2004. ISBN 159030098X
*Mukpo, Diana J. ''Dragon Thunder: My Life with Chögyam Trungpa''. Shambhala, 2006. ISBN 1590302567
*Perks, John. ''The Mahasiddha and His Idiot Servant''. Crazy Heart Publishers. ISBN 0-9753836-0-4
==External links==
* [http://www.shambhala.org/teachers/chogyam-trungpa.php Chögyam Trungpa - Shambhala]
* [http://sealevel.ns.ca/ctr/ Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Straight Up!]
* [http://www.chronicleproject.com/ The Chronicles of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche]
*[http://www.karmapaxvi.com Recalling a Buddha (documentary on the Sixteenth Karmapa)], includes commentary from Tenga Rinpoche and Judith Lief describing Vajradhatu/Shambhala's preparation and support of Karmapa's American tour.
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