Glimpses Of Shunyata

Glimpses of Shunyata Yen. Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche Judith L. Lief, Editor Vajradhatu Publications Halifax 199 3 VAJRADHATU PUBLICATIONS 1084 T O W E R ROAD HALIFAX, N O V A S C O T I A C A N A D A B3H 2Y5 Editor's Note: This volume is an edited transcript of a seminar entitled Shunyata, given at Karme-Choling in Barnet, Vermont, April 1972. © D. J. Mukpo All rights reserved, including the right to reproduction or quotation of short excerpts. Permission to reproduce this material must be obtained in writing. Cover Photo Venerable Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche © D.J. Mukpo Cover Design Rand Gaynor ISBN: 1550550098 CONTENTS TALK ONE Open Space of Shunyata TALK Ground TWO TALK THREE Path TALK Fruition FOUR Talk One Open Space of Shunyata is on shunyata, although we are quite uncertain what shunyata actually is. It seems that shunyata means not that, not this. So we shouldn't have a discussion at all. If it's not that, not this—what else? We could sit around and scrounge up something to discuss, but it seems to be insignificant, totally irrelevant. The expectation to hear about shunyata is an obstacle,the shunyata principle does not lie in the expectation. We might get into the idea of what shunyata means: shunya means "empty"; ta means "ness," so shunyata means "emptiness." It is vaguely connected with the idea of the attainment of enlightenment. The idea of the attainment of enlightenment is based on ignorance, which is the opposite of enlightenment. So if you accept shunyata, you have to accept ignorance and e n l i g h t e n m e n t T H I S SEMINAR 1 Glimpses of S h u n y a t a simultaneously. Therefore the shunyata principle is accepting the language of samsara as the language of enlightenment. When we talk about aggression, passion and confusion, that automatically is the language of shunyata: Aggression as opposed to what? Passion as opposed to what? Ignorance as opposed to what? That kind of open space is related with the shunyata principle. W h a t we are trying to achieve with this particular seminar is to understand shunyata as such—that does not exist because of this, this does not exist because of that. We expect some concrete answer, something definite, s o m e t h i n g solid, but solidity itself d e p e n d s on frivolousness, so to speak. Shunyata as opposed to the natural situation, or things as they are, seems to be a very important point to work with. T h e idea of shunyata depends on what is not shunyata—which is based on ego's manifestation. We would like an ego manifestation of solidity: "I would like to u n d e r s t a n d that, I would like to comprehend that, I would like to attain enlightenment." So the idea of shunyata is based on the ambition to understand what shunyata is. If you are willing to give away that basic ambition, then shunyata seems to be there already. Therefore the shunyata principle is not dependent on that or this, it is based on transcending dualistic perceptions—and at the same time dwelling on dualistic ideas. The mantra of shunyata is O M GATE GATE PARAGATE PARASAMGATE B O D H I SVAHA, which means "Gone, gone, gone beyond, that which is related to basic enlightenment mind is the essence of everything." As far as shunyata goes, that you decided to come and take part in this particular seminar is futile. You might meet with disappointment in th