Work, Sex, Money: Real Life on the Path of Mindfulness by Chögyam Trungpa

Author:Chögyam Trungpa
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Tibetan Buddhism
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
Published: 2011-02-08T02:00:00+00:00

1. Vajra is a Sanskrit word meaning “diamond,” “adamantine,” or “indestructible.” The thunderbolt scepter held by Indra, the king of the gods in Indian mythology, is known as a vajra. In the adjectival sense in which the term is employed here, it refers to absolute indestructibility that is beyond all conditioned existence.—Eds.

2. Prajna is a Sanskrit term meaning “transcendental knowledge,” which is knowledge that sees through duality and recognizes emptiness. Upaya is also a Sanskrit term. It refers to compassionate action that is actually effective in situations. Prajna and upaya are associated with the feminine and masculine principles, respectively. Enlightenment is sometimes defined as the unity of the two.—Eds.

3. Mudra is a Sanskrit word that literally means “sign, symbol, or gesture.” A mudra can be any sort of symbol. Specifically, mudras are hand gestures that accompany various Buddhist practices, which express different moments of realization or aspects of the practice. Here the author is referring to the more general sense of mudra, in which the symbol and the symbolized are inseparable.—Eds.

4. Karma refers to the law of cause and effect in general. The four karmas referenced here refer to the four enlightened and advanced actions that are practiced by a realized yogi or teacher, which arise from the understanding and ability gained through prolonged practice. The four karmas are pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and destroying, which the author describes here. He has sometimes characterized the four karmas as the expression of crazy wisdom.—Eds.

5. Mandala is a Sanskrit word. The Tibetan term kyil-khor means center and periphery, or center and fringe. While we often associate mandalas with two-dimensional Tibetan diagrams used as an aid in visualization practice, in general, a mandala is the unification of many vast elements into one view through the experience of meditation. Seeming complexity and chaos are simplified into a pattern and natural hierarchy. Mandala can sometimes be almost synonymous with world or worldview. Here, the author describes how the relationship between the masculine and feminine principles gives rise to a complete pattern of energy, or a world.—Eds.

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