In Appreciation
December 11, 2010 by Dudley Jackson 
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In Appreciation for the Warriors of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
CTR said that our path is that of the refugee
For his students, everythings seems to be going according to plan
“What if you were enlightened tomorrow?” CTR asked one time?
We might do well to ask: What if we got everything we wanted right now?
Would we become tyrants?
Or might we crawl back into our cocoons, comforted?
Maybe we’re finally beginning to wake up
Forms are art
And therefore are perfect, unlimited and impermanent
They can’t be copyrighted, branded, or marketed into greater perfection
The best things in life are free
One might think that such things could be held as stocks or bonds
But one would find that dividends did not arrive
Build a bridge, draft legislation, make a great cup of coffee or teach dharma
They are all transmissions
Every realm could use another Buddha
So good morning sleepy refugees
There is no way to abandon or choose one’s path
But one could definitely waste it
Dudley Jackson
Columbia, SC
12/3/10
Well said DJ..yet even a ‘wasted’ path need not be futile: its like running the marathon [a very fashionable these days thing – even Sovereign Majesties do it] on a moibus strip: infinite possibilities. In appreciation for whatever arises: Unborn unborn YAY!!
First, I appreciate the re-reminder (I have bought this point up) concerning the three Jewels. Of the three Jewels, the third one, the Sangha has been put on the back burner by this present administration, which many of them very much wanted to cooperate with at first, but were not only not listened too, but somewhat invited to leave if they don’t like it.
Secondly, those who had Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche as their teacher, and mistakenly believed they automatically had to follow the Sakyong as their “Guru”, were not discouraged from doing so. Remember, the Sakyong was designated to be our Secular leader more then a spiritual one. Even if he was designated to be a spiritual leader, our root teachers are the ones we have made a deep connection with, not whom we are told to.
The absolute teachers and sangha are the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and those who one the Way.
As far as communicating to Chhoyam Trungpa R. goes in the final years, the Regent took over those resonsibilities as time went on.
I have to admit, I even mad a semi complaint about The Regent to Rinoocher, and his only response was “That’s our Regent”.
Rinpoche was basically too sick and unpredictable to see people anymore.
You also have to remember, Rinpoche started the group, and most of us joined it because of him, not because we wanted to become Buddhist.
It woiuld kind of be like protesting the founder of a company who you asked to work for.
The Sakyong is a successor. Not a founder).
Many of us did not choose him as a teacher.
Long before his father died, many of us knew he was not going to be our own personal spiritual guide. Shambhala, yes, but not Buddhist. It was not out of disrespect.
That is why it was confounding to many of us that he mixed Buddhism and Shambhala as the same thing.
That would be like mixing Shintoism and Buddhism as the same thing.
All F’d up and no place to post…Ahem! To the author: If you’re still in Columbia
when you read this you might look up Steven Todd….a friend of mine when I was teaching down there,