[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: A Staircase to Enlightenment

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

[Ocean of Dharma: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa is now 
available. See information below.]

May 1, 2008

A STAIRCASE TO ENLIGHTENMENT

In one of the sutras, or discourses by the Buddha, he says that those 
who practice shamatha meditation, or dwelling in peace, are building 
a staircase toward enlightenment. To construct such a staircase to 
enlightenment requires precise measurement and carpentry. The boards 
have to be completely measured and properly built. The steps must be 
built properly, the angles must be looked at, and then finally we 
have to choose certain particular nails that can bear the pressure of 
people walking on them, and then we hammer them in. So when we talk 
about shamatha practice, the sitting practice of meditation, we are 
talking about building a staircase very deliberately, according to 
the instructions of Buddha. We might ask," A staircase to what? 
What's it like at the top of the stairs?" It doesn't really matter. 
It's just a staircase. We are just building a staircase. No promise. 
No blame. Let us simplify the whole situation. Let us build this 
particular staircase very simply and directly.

 From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 
Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 133. 
[Unpublished excerpt from Talk Two of Meditation: the Way of the 
Buddha, July, 1974, Naropa Institute, Boulder, Colorado.]

*** This new book of short teachings by Chogyam Trungpa contains many 
new quotes, as well as some previously published on the Ocean of 
Dharma list serv. Order your copy now at shambhala.com.

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his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
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