Meditation Practice
As you scroll down, this page includes links to meditation articles and A/V materials.
A dropbox link to the text on this page can be found here:
Dharma Study Group Kalamazoo
Meditation Instruction
Although there are a number of resources within the print and A/V teachings of Trungpa Rinpoche which give the perspective and technique of meditation practice as he taught it, it is traditional and highly recommended that students receive meditation instruction live from another human being, someone experienced in this particular practice, both initially and in an ongoing way. Such instruction is available through Dharma Study Group Kalamazoo, both from Robert Walker, who received training as a meditation instructor through Trungpa Rinpoche's lineage, and from others he would refer to. Such instruction would be strictly in line with the oral instructions of Trungpa Rinpoche which he gave to his students during his lifetime, especially post-1973.
Sitting meditation in the lineage of Trungpa Rinpoche
Trungpa Rinpoche gave over 2500 recorded talks in English, some of which were about sitting meditation practice, an approach to peaceful abiding (shamatha) and insight (vipashyana) practice that goes back to the 12th century Tibetan meditation master Gampopa, a forefather of the Kagyu lineage, and ultimately to Buddha Shakyamuni. Within the Buddhist tradition of Tibet, there are many meditation techniques, various ways and objects upon which a meditator may place their mind. Trungpa Rinpoche's approach to training students and student-instructors in meditation was somewhat unique in this age, a simple spacious approach of mixing mind with the breath and mixing the breath with space.
Trungpa Rinpoche began teaching in North America in 1970, and for the first few years he would often, at a particular weekend program, give individual meditation instruction to each program participant. Around 1973, however, according to his first talk of the 1973 Vajradhatu seminary, Trungpa Rinpoche standardized the technique to the approach that he would use publicly for the rest of his teaching career -- good simple cross-legged posture (health permitting), mixing the mind with the breath, with an emphasis on the outbreath, and being heedful and open to whatever arises within experience, acknowledging emotions and seeing thoughts as thoughts, sometimes labeling thoughts "thinking." 1973 was also a time when he authorized a number of student-instructors to offer meditation instruction.
Following are some online resources which draw on the perspective and meditation instructions of Trungpa Rinpoche. In practice, in his seminars, Trungpa Rinpoche never presented mindfulness meditation practice on the cushion in isolation, but always included how mindfulness relates to awareness practice in everyday life, and how to work with that as well. These resources are by no means exhaustive or complete, but have been used for study by Dharma Study Group Kalamazoo over the years.
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Talk 1 from Meditation in the 3 Yanas seminar by Trungpa Rinpoche, 1979, at the Naropa Digital Library website. Trungpa Rinpoche's talk begins at about the 14 minute mark:
1979-06-11: Meditation in | Chogyam Trungpa Digital Library | Aviary (aviaryplatform.com)
A Meditation Instruction by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This article by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche was printed in the March 2012 Shambhala Sun magazine and reprinted online in “Lion's Roar”
https://www.lionsroar.com/a-meditation-instruction-march-2012/
This is a link to the audio on which this article was based:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDWpuA08ues&t=352s
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The View: Why we Meditate by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This article by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche was published in the Shambhala Sun July 2014 and reprinted online in “Lion's Roar” magazine
https://www.lionsroar.com/the-view-why-we-meditate-your-guide-to-buddhist-meditationjuly-2014/
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Posture and Shamatha, handout prepared by Robert Walker
This was prepared as a handout for students at a Shambhala Training “Level 2” by Robert Walker, “Birth of the Warrior,” drawing on teachings by Trungpa Rinpoche. Posture is a very important part of sitting practice, and is an aspect of the technique that students are sometimes confused about.
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Karme Choling Practice Day Talk by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This 11-minute talk by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche introduced students to the notion of doing sitting practice for longer periods of time, such as an all-day practice session (nyinthun). Why in the world would a person do sitting and walking meditation for an entire day?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lsTDWktBEI&feature=related
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Dathun Letter by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This teaching by Trungpa Rinpoche, which has a number of versions on the web and in books, is one his teachings on the sitting practice of meditation and postmeditation practice which has been widely distributed. It is one of his more thorough presentation of technique related to sitting practice.
https://walthambuddhist.org/pdf/dathun_letter.pdf
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Meditation: The Practice of Being by the Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin
A talk by the Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin to the Dharmadhatu in Burlington, VT, December 2, 1987
The Vajra Regent Osel Tendzin / Tom Rich was appointed by Trungpa Rinpoche to be a lineage holder and his Regent in 1976. This website devoted to his teachings is also well worth exploring:
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Training the Mind: a 6 talk seminar by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche
This is one of his three seminars on the sitting practice of meditation and postmeditation awareness taught through the lens of the Buddha's teaching on the four foundations of mindfulness.
An unofficial raw transcript of the talk is available from ngejungzoo@gmail.com, which could be useful for listening to the audio
https://www.chronicleproject.com/training-the-mind/
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Techniques of Mindfulness: a seven talk seminar by Chogyam Trungpa Rinopoche
This is another one of his three seminars on the sitting practice of meditation and postmeditation awareness taught through the lens of the Buddha's teaching on the four foundations of mindfulness.
An unofficial raw transcript of the talk is available from ngejungzoo@gmail.com, which could be useful for listening to the audio
https://www.chronicleproject.com/techniques-of-mindfulness/
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Talk 2 from the Meditation in the 3 Yanas seminar, given by Osel Tendzin, Trungpa Rinpoche's Vajra Regent, a seminar co-taught by the two of them. This talk by Osel Tendzin provides a remarkable introduction to Trungpa Rinpoche's talks on the four foundations of mindfulness given at the 1973 Vajradhatu Seminary, a profound presentation that is also good to study if one has access to it. The talks from this seminar, as well as many other talks by Osel Tendzin, can be found at the https://www.vajraregent.org website. One could search for the seminar by name, or try this link: Vajra Regent Ösel Tendzin
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Talk 7, 1973 Seminary, "Mindfulness of Mind" (the fourth foundation of mindfulness) excerpt:
This is related to how the fourth foundation of mindfulness is treated in the context of meditation technique and understanding, and how one might relate to experiences that arise in meditation. I include this here as a dropbox link:
Book by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, The Path is the Goal: A Basic Handbook of Buddhist Meditation, includes to excellent seminars on meditation and post-meditation practice, "Mindfulness and Awareness" and "The Vipashyana Seminar"
The Path Is the Goal by Chögyam Trungpa: 9781590309100 | PenguinRandomHouse.com: Books