Comments on: Kalapa Council Report

By: Andrew Safer

Andrew Safer — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 18:46:58 +0000

Tsondru:

Some time ago, you asked: “what is happening with the Department of External Affairs?” My apologies for the late response.

In a word, it was shut down. The Office of the Kalapa Court has been given the responsibility of relations with visiting teachers. Richard Reoch oversees this area of activity. As I understand it, Michael Gayner and Lodro Gyatso are working in this capacity part time.

By: Nick Wright

Nick Wright — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:15:07 +0000

Just dropped in to see what’s new. A few brief notes to clarify the structure of Shambhala society as the Dorje Dradul presented it (see “The Decorum of Shambhala” page 26 for a diagram if you are authorized).

At the top (lha): The Royal Family. In the middle (nyen) “three pillars”: The Government, The Buddhist Church, and The Military. At the bottom (lu): The Subjects. (The arrangement can also be seen as a mandala, with the Royal Family in the centre.)

The Government comprises:

1) The Privy Council (six members): the Sakyong, the Lord Chancellor (at that time VROT), the Kasung Kyi Khyap (head of the Military), the Dorje Loppon (head of the Buddhist Church), the Kasung Dapon (head of the General Military), the Kusung Dapon (head of the Palace Guard).

2) The Sangyum

3) Ladies of the Court

4) The Administration:
Ministers of the Realm
Foreign Service
Dekyong Council

There are further breakdowns, but I think the above is enough for this thread.

Best wishes,

Nick Wright

By: Ed Z

Ed Z — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 03:52:51 +0000

While not exactly on topic, I thought this might shed some light on the current situation:

http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/626737c84a/infomercial-hell?rel=player

By: Tsondru Garma

Tsondru Garma — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:27:02 +0000

(22) Since the late 1970s, the Vajradhatu Office of External Affairs has facilitated the establishment of contacts with lineage teachers and cultivated these relationships, as well as managed many aspects of relations within the broader Buddhist context, and beyond. Under the leadership of Chögyam Trungpa, this office had as many as four people working full time, reflecting its high priority. In recent years, the staffing commitment has been reduced to two part-time positions. The Office of External Affairs has been closed and Peter Volz, a senior student of Chögyam Trungpa with considerable experience in lineage relations, has been retired.

Does anyone have any information about what exactly has happened and what is happening with the Department of External affairs??

By: Rob Graffis

Rob Graffis — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 02:18:57 +0000

In a talk Thrangu Rinpoche gave in 1995, he said what made Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche such a great teacher is that he knew how the western mind thinks and works better then any other Tibettan teacher he knew of, not only him, but the Dalai Lama himself.
On a different note, to say “As one lama friend told me, you let yourselves be treated like “white slaves” of Asians. “Rich” white slaves.” as one reader noted isn’t excatly research material. Besides, as far as I know, it’s still the Pacific rim Buddhist students who are the largest financial patrons of many of the Tibetan teachers we have had the good fortune to hve sudied with and receive their blessings.
Rob Graffis

By: John Castlebury

John Castlebury — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 12:25:47 +0000

[VCTR, from 1983 VY transcript,
Talk Sixteen, Bedford Springs, PA:]

The King’s Bugle

We don’t expect money from you.
We don’t expect horses from you.
We don’t expect elephants from you.
However, we expect glories from you.

Let us shed tears.
Let us beat our drums.
Let us sniff with the help of kleenex.
We must maintain our dharma kingdom.
We must purify ourselves from kleshas.

Once upon a time there was a beautiful mountain, capped with snow and glacier.
Fantastic scarf of mist wrapped round its neck.
Wind blew gently but crisp cool,
And the coyotes howled meaningfully, hauntingly.
Dharma is lost in Tibet.
Dharma is flourishing in North America.
We cry with joy that this dharmic lotus blossom can open in North America.
We take great joy that dharma is the water that quenches anyone’s thirst―
Anyone can drink dharma.
We are pleased that the Kagyü dharma is becoming great and strong
In spite of his Holiness Karmapa’s death.

We have to lick the dharma.
We have to swallow the dharma.
We have to chew the dharma.
Dharma is good food,
Especially the Kagyü dharma that we love.
We like the spice of the Kagyü dharma in our food.
We love to cry a lot, shed our tears.
We want to support dharma,
We want to spend lots of money for the sake of dharma.
Please come join us and practice with us.
Practice is like a key, money is like a lock;
Enjoyment of all this is like opening a treasure chest.
Welcome to the dharmic world.
We are so proud and hungry.
This is a hungry letter from Chöggie.

Still Chöggie is Tiger Lion Garuda Dragon,
Unflinching,
Never afraid of obstacles.
So Chögyam Trungpa writes this letter;
C.T. Mukpo writes this letter in the name of the Kagyü dharma.
Kill or cure, Trungpa never gives up.

By: rita ashworth

rita ashworth — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:54:36 +0000

It is interesting to hear from Ashoka again on this thread. I take his
point about relating to each other in a compassionate manner so that some of our concepts and ideas may fall apart. But lets not forget there
are at least usually two points of view in the whole relationship, if there is
to be a meeting of minds both have to let their positions fall apart
somewhat.

I think if you wish to be a King or a Sakyong for that matter some of your cherished views about the way things will evolve will have to fall apart too as indeed Trungpa’s Rinpoches ideas fell apart after he had his accident in the UK in that he devised new ways of teachings in the US.

How could the Sakyongs views fall apart when he is interacting with people who feel that they are now providing new ways of bringing VCTRs teachings to the world. I hope the Sakyong can come to a much more inclusive role in working with the diverse viewpoints that are evolving in regard to the Shambhala teachings.

Would like to hear further views on this post.

Best

Rita Ashworth
Stockport UK

By: ashoka

ashoka — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:18:51 +0000

I thought that we all are already enlightened and that part of the point was to trust that in one another? I wonder if we could apply the compassionate view of the masters to ourselves, and the Sakyong for that matter, how different would the world look? Would our streams of concepts and ideas feel different? I’ve always felt that the essence of the path is about unraveling that, and being prepared to wholeheartedly allow things to fall apart in doing so…

I actually came on here to ask John Castlebury to post the poem about life being a lonely journey; I’ve been looking for it and I’m not in a place where I can access his poetry. Turns out it was the last poem he posted in this thread! Coincidence is the attendant of devotion I guess… Thanks John! KiKiSoSo

PS Barbara I thought your last post was worthy of contemplation. That was a nice anecdote, thank you.

By: Davee

Davee — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:27:02 +0000

heehee. ya, if i were to offer my amateur commentary it was not that feedbags should remind us of the need for feedback, but rather the opposite and that confidence and overcoming the trap of doubt is a core component of the shambhala teachings and path. this is the topic of one of the graduate levels of shambhala training, which I won’t go in depth since it would be definitely out of context. but it doesn’t mean one abandons intelligence nor communication at all; or that the teacher or leadership is necessarily better than us in some way.

By: John Tischer

John Tischer — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 03:52:37 +0000

Wow…..awesome…I mean beyond compare…
Thanks for this.

Best…. J.T.