[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Tent Culture

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

July 26, 2006

TENT CULTURE

In the time of the first Trungpa, there were very few permanent 
monasteries. In particular, a lot of the teachers of my lineage, the 
Kagyupas, didn't want to settle down in one place, and they traveled in 
large encampments, or caravans
It was possible to set up a magnificent 
capitol, a temporary monastic city, right on the spot. They set up 
residence tents as well as the main meditation hall where ceremonies were 
conducted....This provided possibilities of establishing complete splendor 
in one night. After a few days, the whole camp could be disassembled and 
the people would continue on their journey. That tradition is 
extraordinarily powerful and wondrous.
The age of encampment extended from the 14th century into the late 16th 
century, as far as Tibetan monasticism goes
. It’s an interesting point 
that we haven't developed that kind of tent culture in America at all. The 
way to reduce pollution and save ourselves from urbanization might be to 
have a fantastic magnificent dharma tent culture. You could establish the 
whole situation at once, on the spot, with all its splendor. The monastery 
could fulfill its duties wherever it goes. Then the monastery or practice 
center would fold up and move somewhere else. That is a very heroic and 
very Buddhistic approach: nothing is particularly permanent, but you keep 
on moving all the time.

 From "Tent Culture," Talk Four in THE LINE OF THE TRUNGPAS, an unpublished 
manuscript being edited for publication, from a seminar in 1975 at Karme 
Choling, Vermont. Forthcoming in 2007 from Vajradhatu Publications.

All material by Chogyam Trungpa is copyright Diana J. Mukpo and used by 
permission.

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Carolyn Rose Gimian

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week: teachings by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
Taken from works published by Shambhala Publications,  the Archive of his 
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