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Shambhala the Sacred Path of the warrior Part 2

The Shambhala teachings are founded on the premise that there is a basic human wisdom that can help to solve the world’s problems.  This wisdom does not belong to any one culture or religion, no does it come only from the West or the East.  Rather, it is a tradition of human warriorship that has existed in many cultures at many times throughout history.  Chogyam Trungpa                                                                                                                                                                      Each week I will be posting 5 principles for living a life with fearlessness and gentleness.  This is part 2 of the Shambhala teachings by Chogyam Trungpa                                                                                                                Don’t assume the posture of a wilted flower.

• When you slouch, you are trying to hide your heart, protecting it by slumping over.  Through the practice of sitting still and following your breath as it goes out and dissolves, you are connecting with your heart.  By simply letting yourself be, as you are, you develop genuine sympathy toward yourself.  When you sit erect, you proclaim to yourself and to the rest of the world that you are going to be a warrior, a fully human being.

  Hope and Fear cannot alter the seasons.

• The four seasons occur free from anyone’s demand or vote.  The natural law and order of this world is not “for” or “against” you.  There is a natural law and order that allows you to survive, which is basically good.  We often take for granted or reject this basic law and order in the universe, but we should think twice.  We should appreciate what we have.  We should feel that it is wonderful to be in this world.

 Awaken the genuine heart of sadness.

• Awakened heart comes from being willing to face your state of mind.  It is a natural situation of fullness.  The genuine heart of sadness comes from this feeling that your nonexistent heart is full. Your experience is so raw, tender, and personal that even if a tiny mosquito lands on you, you feel its touch.

 To experience fearlessness, it is necessary to experience fear.

• The essence of cowardice is to not acknowledge the reality of fear.  Fear takes many forms.  Fear is expressed as restlessness: how we move, how we talk, how we chew our nails, how we sometimes put out hands in our pockets uselessly.  We have to realize our fear and reconcile ourselves with fear.  However, acknowledging fear is not a cause for depression.  Because we possess such fear, we can potentially experience fearlessness.

 Go beyond Fear.

• When you examine your fear, if you look beneath the veneer of your nervousness, you find sadness.  Nervousness is cranking up, vibrating all the time.  When you slow down, when you relax with your fear, the sadness is calm and gentle.  In the Shambhala tradition, discovering fearlessness comes from working with the softness of the human heart.

 Click here if you missed part 1 on Shambhala: The Sacred path of the Warrior, Click here for Part 3, Part 4, or Part 5.

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