Foreword by the Seventeenth Karmapa • xi
Foreword by the Ninth Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche • xiii
Foreword by the Seventh Shechen Rabjam • xv
Foreword by Tulku Thondup Rinpoche • xix
Foreword by Diana Judith Mukpo • xxi
Publisher’s Foreword • xxiii
Preface by the Sakyong, Jamgön Mipham Rinpoche • xxv
Acknowledgments • xxvii
Editor’s Introduction • xxxi
Pronunciation of Sanskrit and Tibetan • li
- Part One: Entering the Path
Encountering the Dharma
- 1. Beginning at the Beginning3
- 2. The Frozen Space of Ego6
- 3. The Path of Individual Salvation11
- 4. Opening to the True Dharma21
- 5. Joining Study and Practice40
- 6. Achieving Sanity Here on Earth46
- 7. The Path, the Vehicle, and the Traveler56
- 8. Relating with a Teacher61
- 9. The Painful Reality of Samsara65
Taking Refuge
- 10. Buddhadharma Fever81
- 11. Taking Refuge in the Three Jewels89
Reflecting on the Three Jewels
- 12. The Sutra of the Recollection of the Noble Three Jewels97
- 13. The Buddha100
- 14. The Dharma 113
- 15. The Sangha116
- Part Two: Discipline/Shila
Taming Neurosis
- 16. The Loneliness and Joy of Discipline127
- 17. Taming the Neurotic Mind133
- 18. Cutting the Root of Samsara138
- 19. Continually Gnawing Rock144
Cultivating Virtue
- 20. Becoming a Dharmic Person155
- 21. Refraining from Harm165
- Part Three: Meditation/Samadhi
Shamatha: The Practice of Mindfulness
- 22. Simplicity173
- 23. Following the Example of the Buddha179
- 24. The Basic Minimum187
- 25. Taking Your Seat193
- 26. Breathing Out201
- 27. Labeling Thoughts207
- 28. Touch and Go212
- 29. Encountering Problems215
- 30. Leading a Spotless Life223
Refining Your Shamatha Practice
- 331. Resting in Shamatha231
- 332. Identifying Obstacles to Shamatha243
- 333. Antidotes to the Obstacles to Shamatha248
- 334. Cutting Thoughts and Short-Circuiting the Kleshas257
- 335. An Element of Magic264
Working with the Mind
- 36. Transcending Dualistic Mind267
- 37. Rediscovering Your Own Mind273
- 38. Mixing Mind with Space281
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness
- 39. Mindfulness of Body285
- 40. Mindfulness of Life294
- 41. Mindfulness of Effort304
- 42. Mindfulness of Mind316
Vipashyana: The Practice of Awareness
- 43. The Freshness of Unconditional Mind329
- 44. Beyond Picking and Choosing337
- 45. The Art of Everyday Living343
- 46. Glimpses of Emptiness348
- 47. Investigating the Subtleties of Experience353
- 48. Sharpening One’s Perception359
- 49. Self-Perpetuating Awareness367
- Part Four: The Four Noble Truths
Suffering
- 50. The Snowballing of Deception373
- 51. Recognizing the Reality of Suffering377
- 52. Dissecting the Experience of Suffering382
The Origin of Suffering
- 53. The Power of Flickering Thoughts397
- 54. The Development of Set Patterns401
- 55. Perpetually Re-Creating Suffering406
The Cessation of Suffering
- 56. Awakening and Blossoming421
- 57. Meditation as the Path to Buddhahood426
- 58. Transcending Samsara and Nirvana431
The Truth of the Path
- 59. The Doubtless Path443
- 60. The Five Paths449
- Part Five: The Hinayana Journey
The Journey in Terms of Yanas
- 61. Shravakayana: The Yana of Hearing and Proclaiming467
- 62. Pratyekabuddhayana: The Yana of Individual Salvation478
The Journey in Terms of Paths
- 63. The Lesser Path of Accumulation489
- 64. The Middle Path of Accumulation499
- 65. The Greater Path of Accumulation505
- 66. The Path of Unification511
- Part Six: Knowledge/Prajna
Unraveling the Myth of Ego
- 67. Ego: The Thought That We Exist519
- 68. Cutting Through the Numbness of Ego526
- 69. Taking the Teachings to Heart535
Appendix 1: A Hinayana Morning Liturgy • 547
Appendix 2: Working with Threefold Logic • 549
Appendix 3: Outline of Teachings • 551
Glossary • 573
Sources • 597
Resources • 607
About the Author • 609
Credits • 615
Index • 617
This comprehensive guide to the body of Buddhist teachings known as the hinayana brings together theory and practice in a way that reveals contemplative experience to be inseparable from the traditional concepts used to describe it. Based on teachings from the Vajradhatu Seminaries—the three-month-long meditation-and-study retreats that Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche led annually from 1973 to 1986—it covers in detail topics such as the four noble truths, karma, the four foundations of mindfulness, meditation, the refuge vows, the three jewels, the five skandhas, and more. The Path of Individual Liberation, along with its two companion volumes, presents a complete map of the Tibetan Buddhist path from beginning to middle to end, from a teacher who had an extraordinary ability to convey the buddhadharma to the hearts and minds of his students. (Shambhala Publications - Source Accessed March 21, 2019)
"To begin with, we have to find out who we are. When we do so, we realize that we are buddha already, that we possess buddha nature. We might like that, or we might find that difficult to accept." (page 17)
"The path is joyful. Being a human being, being yourself, being a member of the sangha, is joyful. You should really enjoy yourself. Enjoyment comes from the sense of things being truly what they are. That brings great joy, and it brings the greater joy of uncovering buddha nature, your inherent capacity for awakening..." (page 20)
"In the Buddhist-English terminology that has developed, suchness or isness refers to something that is fully and truly there. It is connected with rediscovering buddha nature." (page 446)
To begin with, we have to find out who we are. When we do so, we realize that we are buddha already, that we possess buddha nature. We might like that, or we might find that difficult to accept.
~ Trungpa, Chögyam in The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume One, page(s) 17
...the Buddha is referred to as sugata, “he who has gone joyfully on the path.” The Buddha is not referred to as “he who sat painfully,” or “he who felt bad about himself,” or “he who managed to get through his pain and has now attained buddhahood.” He is referred to as joyful.
The path is joyful. Being a human being, being yourself, being a member of the sangha, is joyful. You should really enjoy yourself. Enjoyment comes from the sense of things being truly what they are. That brings great joy, and it brings the greater joy of uncovering buddha nature, your inherent capacity for awakening...
~ Trungpa, Chögyam in The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume One, page(s) 20
In the Buddhist-English terminology that has developed, suchness or isness refers to something that is fully and truly there. It is connected with rediscovering buddha nature.
~ Trungpa, Chögyam in The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume One, page(s) 446
