365 Teachings of Living Life with Courage and Compassion
The Everyday Wisdom: by Chogyam Trungpa
Shambala (2008)
Trungpa published Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism in 1973. When I opened Lemuria in 1975, and touched upon Zen, Trungpa books were established and acknowledged in the middle America counter culture. His work became a staple in my bookstore and has remained as such ever since.
Born in Tibet in 1939, giving up his monastic robes and immigrating to North America in 1970 as a lay teacher. He wrote many books until his death in 1987. His understanding of the western mind made him one of the most important influences on the development of Buddhism in the west.
Over the years I’ve read, enjoyed and felt enhanced by reading Trungpa books. I haven’t read one in a while and was delighted when Ocean a small book was released this year. 365 chapter pages of Trungpa wisdom divided to be read daily. Each teaching is on living life with courage and compassion. Teachings pulled from a lifetime of his writings condensed into this page-a-day issue for internal reflection.
I like these kind of books. Over the years I’ve gotten so much from Trungpa that reading Ocean was like finding gold without working for it. I decided to read two pages a day and have enjoyed my revisitation with the author.
Carolyn Rose Gimian, compiler, pared down Trungpa’s immense teachings to this everyday, adaptable concept. Carolyn’s understanding of this teacher’s work is evident and I thank her for her editorial work and gift of this fine little book.
Ocean of Dharma could be a good introduction to Trungpa and the greatest hits for those who enjoyed his work in the past.
From Snow Lion #261 “Discipline is not a demand but a pleasure.”
From Sacred Action #244 “We should regard everything that we do as very important, not a big deal, but very important.”
From Relating to Others #253 “We are constantly trying to work out our relation to the other. It’s like your dog meeting someone else’s dog.”
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