[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Positive Loneliness

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

November 9, 2007

POSITIVE LONELINESS

Student (David Rome): It seems the teacher is much more lonely than 
the ordinary practitioners or student warriors might be. Shouldn't 
the students have a sense of positive friendship?

Chogyam Trungpa:  In the three jewels (the Buddha, dharma and 
sangha), we single out the Buddha. You have the teachings, and then 
you have the sangha, the community. But the Buddha is distinct, not 
quite regarded as the sangha, because he is the teacher at that 
point. He could be very lonely. He might want to jump into the 
sanghaship and become sangha, but he can't, because he is the Buddha 
who taught all the original things....

S (DR) :...For students, the problem with cronies is a sense of 
confirming habitual tendencies. But the true friend can also help to 
dissolve habitual tendencies.

CT: That's possible. Unless they are confirming each other's 
trips....But you see, you've got to share a portion of the teacher's 
loneliness, whatever happens. You can't just have cronies because you 
need sanghaship, companionship. You have to be willing to be lonely 
as well, just like the rest of the warrior comrades. Otherwise you 
will have problems. I'm not talking about a quarantine concept, 
particularly. Of course, you can talk to each other. And the teacher 
talks to you, obviously. And he or she mingles with the whole 
situation. But at the same time, the emphasis is that the teacher's 
loneliness has to be respected and you should have a portion of that 
at the same time.

From" Overcoming Habitual Patterns," in COLLECTED KALAPA ASSEMBLIES, 
page 268 to 269.

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 
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