“Other legends say that the kingdom of Shambhala disappeared from the earth many centuries ago. At a certain point, the entire society had become enlightened, and the kingdom vanished into another more celestial realm.” Chogyam Trungpa

 

The ultimate warrior protects the world

You are willing to be awake in whatever situation presents itself to you. You feel that you can take command of your life, because you are not on the side of either success or failure. Success and failure are your journey. The warrior’s duty is to generate compassion and warmth for others, with complete absence of laziness. Your discipline and dedication are unwavering.

Don’t confuse letting go with arrogance or indulgence

 

 Letting go is relaxing within the discipline you have already developed, in order to experience freedom… …rather than getting away from the constraints of ordinary life, letting go is going further into your life. You understand that your life, as it is, contains the means to unconditionally cheer you up.

 

The Warrior’s awareness is like an echo

 When the warrior starts to lose track of discipline, by taking time off or indulging in a setting-sun mentality, a state of mind that is degraded and confused, awareness is like an echo that bounces back on you. At first, the echo may be fairly faint, but then it becomes louder and louder. You are constantly reminded that you have to be on the spot.

Take delight in others and propagate dignity.

People often say that it’s too difficult to work with others, that it’s impossible to help them, but that is not true; it has been done, and you can do so as well. Shambhala vision is not purely a philosophy

Don’t freeze Windhorse into ice

The self-existing energy that comes from letting go is called windhorse in Shambhala teachings. Wind is the energy of basic goodness, strong, exuberant, and brilliant. At the same time, basic goodness can be ridden, or employed in your life, which is the principle of the horse. When you contact the energy windhorse, you can naturally let go of worrying about your own state of mind and you begin to think of others. If you are unable to let go your selfishness, you might freeze the windhorse into ice.

 The practice of meditation also allows you to be completely grounded in reality. Then, if someone asks, “How do I know that you are not overreacting to situations?” You simply reply, “My posture in the saddle, my seat on the Earth, speaks for itself.

This is part 6 in a continuing series on Shambhala.

Click here for Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 7 or Part 8.

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