About Chogyam Trungpa

Born in Tibet, and the afterward by Michael Hookham (Rigdzin Shikpo)

There have been a number of books and articles about Trungpa Rinpoche's life and works. Many of his published books include short accounts of his life and work in the front or back matter. Probably the best place to start would be his autobiography, Born in Tibet, which is mostly about his early years in Tibet, his relationship to teachers and community, and how the political situation in Tibet unfolded which resulted in his escape to India. There are many teachings in this book and many used copies of various editions on sale online

The afterward of the 1987 Unwin Editions paperback of Born in Tibet by Michael Hookham (Rigdzin Shikpo) is so good that I also offer it here as a pdf attachment, below. It is not present in the Shambhala Publications edition or the Collected Works volumes. It is called "The Significance of Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings", and includes the sections, "The Relationship of Guru and Pupil," "A Personal Encounter with Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings", "The Original Approach to the Tantras Compared with Modern Custom," "Common Folk-Beliefs of the Western Buddhist," "Shambhala Vision and Enlightened Society" "Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching in Britain," and "Shambhala Vision and Enlightened Society".

Michael Hookham's (Rigdzin Shikpo's) Afterward to Born In Tibet
https://shorturl.at/YzK7F

Dreamers and their Shadows by Douglas Penick.
This work of fiction has more facts about the environment and teachings and Trungpa Rinpoche than most anything else one could pick up. In general, the works of Douglas Penick are highly highly recommended.
Audiobook: Amazon.com: Dreamers and Their Shadows (Audible Audio Edition): Douglas J. Penick, Chiquito Joaquim Crasto, Mountain Treasury Press: Audible Books & Originals
Paperback: Dreamers and Their Shadows: Penick, Douglas J.: 9780974597447: Amazon.com: Books

Other works

Many of the other biographical works related to Trungpa Rinpoche have the disadvantage of ignoring, underplaying, or considering with disdain the contributions of his dharma heir and co-founder of the Shambhala Training program, The Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin, who played such a pivotal role in the presentation and furthering of Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings. Links to teachings by Osel Tendzin, including seminars that he co-taught with Trungpa Rinpoche, can be found at https://www.vajraregent.org and here: Links and Other Resources - Dharma Study Group Kazoo (dsgroupkazoo.com)

Having said that, there are worthwhile contributions related to Trungpa Rinpoche and his teachings in the following places. Others' accounts of the works of Trungpa Rinpoche probably say as much or more about the authors as it does about the principal, including much of what is on this website. This list is not exhaustive.

The introductions to the 10-volume "Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa"

Trungpa Rinpoche's publisher, Shambhala Publications, has released a collection of many of his published and some previously unpublished works in a 10-volume set called the "Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa". Each volume begins with an introduction by student and editor Carolyn Rose Gimian, generally about 20-30 pages long each, which puts teachings in that volume in the context of Trungpa Rinpoche's life, relationships, and work.

Especially if you don't own many of his books in single-volume editions, this 10-volume set is an excellent way to acquire a great deal of his teachings in a beautiful format, along with some remarkable bonus content.

The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: - chogyamtrungpacollectedworks (shambhala.com)

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Chogyam Trungpa: His Life and Vision, by Fabrice Midal. This includes an overview of many aspects of Trungpa Rinpoche's teaching and manifestation.

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Recalling Chogyam Trungpa, compiled and edited by Fabrice Midal. A collection of articles.

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Warrior King of Shambhala: Remembering Chogyam Trungpa by Jeremy Hayward

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Dragon Thunder: My Life with Chogyam Trungpa by Diana Mukpo

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The Mahasiddha and his Idiot Servant, by John Riley Perks.

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The documentary movie "Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche", by Johanna Demetrakas, distributed by Kino Lorber.

This movie is streaming free on-line at this url: (4634) Crazy Wisdom: The Life and Times of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche | Full Documentary Movie - YouTube

This particular work has little to say about Trungpa Rinpoche's teachings as a whole but much to say about the man, his art, and relationships, as told through the perspectives of a host of unreliable narrators who were his students and friends. There is much to recommend this film, although it's possible to watch it without having a clue that the man gave over 2000 talks in the English language. I (Robert Walker) was invited to write a series of blogs on this film and produced 7 such blogs, which have been edited and posted in this "About Chogyam Trungpa" section of the website, starting here: 1 - Crazy Wisdom Movie: Introduction to the Movie - Dharma Study Group Kazoo (dsgroupkazoo.com)