[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Protecting the Mind

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

July 7, 2008

PROTECTING THE MIND

You might say that it is very easy to understand or experience pain. 
Oh no. It takes a lot of understanding to realize pain....The method 
used in tantra to enable us to realize pain is called mantra. In this 
case, mantra has nothing to do with some verbal gibberish that you 
repeat over and over. Mantra here is an upaya, a skillful means. The 
derivation of the word mantra is the Sanskrit mantraya, which is a 
combination of two words. Manas means "mind," and traya means 
"protection." So mantra protects the mind, the fundamental 
intelligence or wakefulness. It does not protect it by using guards 
or putting it under a glass dome. Protection here is clearing away 
obstacles, clearing away threats. All threats to that intelligence 
are cleared away. This is the style of protection here.

 From "Pain and Hopelessness," in ILLUSION'S GAME: The Life and 
Teaching of Naropa. Pages 56 to 57.

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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