[OceanofDharma] Quotes of the Week: Preventing Too Many Activities

[Carolyn Gimian]

Ocean of Dharma Quotes of the Week

February 10, 2009

PREVENTING TOO MANY ACTIVITIES

One characteristic of a dharmic person, someone who practices 
meditation and the teachings of the Buddha, is to prevent too many 
activities, or you could say, reduce too many activities. According 
to tradition, that actually boils down to cutting nonfunctional 
talking, cutting the baby-sitter mentality, the entertainment 
mentality. You can get yourself into all kinds of projects, all kinds 
of engagements. You can become chummy with the world so that you 
don't have to hold your discipline or your mindfulness properly. 
....If you don't like tea, you can have coffee. If you don't like 
coffee, you could switch to Coca-Cola. If you don't like Coca-Cola, 
you can drink scotch or vodka. You involve yourself in constant, 
constant activity. Sometimes you don't even know what you are doing; 
you just come up with the idea that you need to be occupied with 
something, but you can't put your finger on anything:" Do I need sex 
or do I need money or do I need clothes? What do I need?"....You 
could think about anything; the possibilities are infinite. Getting 
chummy with the situation involves lots of activity. According to the 
basic principles of Buddhism, you have to cut that down. When you 
become too chummy with your world, too familiar with your world, it 
becomes endless.

 From "Seven Characteristics of a Dharmic Person," in THE COLLECTED 
WORKS OF CHOGYAM TRUNGPA, Volume Two, pages 486 to 487.

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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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his unpublished work in the Shambhala Archives, plus other published sources.
TO SUBSCRIBE visit the website at http://oceanofdharma.com
For the Chogyam Trungpa Legacy Project and the blog of Carolyn Gimian 
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