Crazy Wisdom by Chögyam Trungpa

Author:Chögyam Trungpa [Chögyam Trungpa]
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
ISBN: 9780834821316
Publisher: Shambhala

THREE

Fearlessness

HAVING ALREADY DISCUSSED the three-kaya principle by way of preparation, we might now consider Padmasambhava as a representative of crazy wisdom as opposed to any other type of manifestation of a vidyadhara. We might say that the unique quality of crazy wisdom in Padmasambhava’s case is that of sudden enlightenment. The eight aspects of Padmasambhava are not a lineal process; they are simultaneous. In fact, the traditional expression is “eight names” of Padmasambhava rather than “eight aspects.

What is the name principle? Why is it called a name rather than an aspect? When we refer to aspects, usually we are referring to differences in basic being. We might speak of a man’s father aspect, his teacher aspect, his businessman aspect. In this ordinary usage, there is the idea of a change that goes with the different roles. This usual idea of different aspects—which would imply that Padmasambhava transformed himself, entered into different parts of his being, or manifested different expressions—does not apply to Padmasambhava. Rather, his having different names is connected with the attitudes of his students and of other beings toward him. The different names have to do with the different ways other people see Padmasambhava rather than with his changing. So “name” here has the sense of “title.” The Tibetan phrase is guru tsen gye, “the eight names of the guru.” Tsen is the honorific Tibetan word for “name.” Some people might see Padmasambhava as fatherly, others as brotherly, and still others might see him as an enemy. The views imposed by the way people see him are the basis for the eight names of Padmasambhava. Nevertheless, his only manifestation is that of crazy wisdom.

A description for a crazy-wisdom person found in the scriptures is, “He subdues whoever needs to be subdued and destroys whoever needs to be destroyed.” The idea here is that whatever your neurosis demands, when you relate with a crazy-wisdom person, you get hit back with that. Crazy wisdom presents you with a mirror reflection. That is why Padmasambhava’s crazy wisdom is universal. Crazy wisdom knows no limitation and no logic regarding the form it takes. A mirror will not compromise with you if you are ugly. And there is no point in blaming the mirror or breaking it. The more you break the mirror, the more reflections of your face come about from further pieces of the mirror. So the nature of Padmasambhava’s wisdom is that it knows no limitation and no compromise.

The first aspect of Padmasambhava is called Pema Gyalpo or, in Sanskrit, Padma Raja. Padma Raja was born in the Himalayan region between India and Afghanistan, in a place called Uddiyana that has since been called Swat. It was a very beautiful place surrounded by snow-capped mountains. The whole area resembled a man-made park. There were lakes and lotus ponds; the air was fresh, the climate ideal. One of the lakes was called Dhanakosha, or Lake Sindhu. It was covered with the leaves and petals of lotuses. One particular lotus was unusually huge and did not follow the usual pattern of changing with the seasons.

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