1970S Chögyam Trungpa

Dharma Blogs 2016 WINTER By Michael Erlewine Copyright 2017 © by Michael Erlewine You are free to share these blogs provided no money is charged. INTRODUCTION This is not intended to be a finely produced book, but rather a readable document for those who are interested in my particular take on dharma training and a few other topics. My thanks to Patti Singleton Williams for helping me to gather this all together. These blogs were from the Winter of 2016, posted on Facebook and Google+. [email protected] Here are some other links to more books, articles, and videos on these topics: Main Browsing Site: http://SpiritGrooves.net/ Organized Article Archive: http://MichaelErlewine.com/ YouTube Videos https://www.youtube.com/user/merlewine Spirit Grooves / Dharma Grooves (join the group) https://www.facebook.com/groups/126511571262266/ ?fref=mentions RITES OF PASSAGE: THE RING PASS NOT .......... 8 FASCINATING -- THE BUDDHIST CONCEPT OF “SCENTING” ............................................................ 12 DO NOT GO GENTLE INTO THAT GOOD NIGHT.. 17 WESTERN ESOTERICISM: THE VORTEX ............. 22 THE PATH OF ACCUMULATION ............................ 30 REMOVING MICRO-KARMA ................................... 33 MOONBEAMS OF MAHAMUDRA Translated by Traleg Rinpoche ....................................................... 38 TRYING DOESN’T DO IT; DOING DOES IT ........... 42 WHAT’S WORTH DOING? ...................................... 47 NEW BOOK: KARMA AND THE ALAYA CONSCIOUSNESS .................................................. 51 TAKING A CHANCE ON LIFE ................................. 54 THE FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL IN ANN ARBOR (LATE 1950s-EARLY 1960s) ............................................... 57 A BIT OF A “THINK” ................................................. 65 A KARMIC MISS-TAKE ............................................ 67 AIR-CASTLES .......................................................... 70 ANN ARBOR ALTERNATIVE SPIRITUALITY: 1970s Chögyam Trungpa.................................................... 73 ANN ARBOR LOVE STORY .................................... 81 ANN ARBOR THE ORACLE: A WISHING STAR .... 91 ANN ARBOR’S KEY BOOKSTORE 95 AXEL HARVEY ...................................................... 100 BEYOND POLITICS ............................................... 121 ANN ARBOR’S EDEN FOODS .............................. 124 KARMA” BY TRALEG RINPOCHE ........................ 135 BREAKING THROUGH .......................................... 138 BRILLIANCE .......................................................... 143 “CAN’T TAKE THE COUNTRY OUT OF THE BOY” ............................................................................... 145 COSMIC RAY INCREASE ..................................... 148 DO NOT GO GENTLE ........................................... 154 THE BUDDHIST CONCEPT OF “SCENTING” ...... 163 FINDERS, KEEPERS ............................................. 168 FOLD-UP MY TENT ............................................... 170 FORCED VACATION ............................................. 173 HAPPY TIBETAN NEW YEAR! .............................. 176 HITCHHIKING WITH BOB DYLAN ........................ 184 INSIGHT INTO HEAVEN ....................................... 200 INSIGHT MEDITATION .......................................... 203 “IT ALREADY HAS PERFECTION”........................ 207 LIFE CHALLENGES ............................................... 209 MAHAMUDRA: AN ALTERNATE ROUTE ............. 212 MEETING KHENPO KARTHAR RINPOCHE ......... 217 MIND READER ...................................................... 221 MIND THE GAP ..................................................... 228 MIXING -- WHAT IS IT? ......................................... 231 MOONBEAMS OF MAHAMUDRA Translated by Traleg Rinpoche ..................................................... 236 MORE ON “AWARENESS OF UNAWARENESS” . 240 ONE MORE RINPOCHE STORY: THE DRAWING ............................................................................... 244 POLITICS FALLOUT .............................................. 248 PRELIMINARILY .................................................... 253 PURIFIED .............................................................. 256 REALIZATION THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY ........ 263 REBIRTH OR REINCARNATION?......................... 269 REMOVING MICRO-KARMA ................................. 274 RITES OF PASSAGE: THE RING PASS NOT ...... 279 RUBBING OUR NOSE IN THE PAST .................... 283 SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM ..................................... 288 SUMMARY: WHO MANAGES TO BE REBORN? . 292 SUMMARY OF GOING FORWARD ....................... 296 TAKING A CHANCE ON LIFE ............................... 299 THE ALCHEMY OF REACTION ............................ 302 THE DESCENT INTO EXPERIENCE .................... 305 THE DEVIL IS IN THE DETAILS ............................ 308 THE FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL IN ANN ARBOR (LATE 1950s-EARLY 1960s) ............................................. 311 THE JAZZ SCENE IN ANN ARBOR BEFORE LIQUOR BY THE GLASS 319 THE KARMAPA HONORS VEN. KHENPO KARTHAR RINPOCHE .......................................... 324 THE MAGICAL ....................................................... 330 THE OTHER HALF ................................................ 334 THE PATH OF ACCUMULATION .......................... 338 THE PROCESS OF WAKING UP .......................... 341 THE SIXTIES RACE RIOTS .................................. 344 THE SKINNY ON BEGINNING MEDITATION ....... 350 THE VANISHING POINT ....................................... 354 “TOMORROW IS IN YOUR HEAD” ........................ 362 TRYING DOESN’T DO IT ...................................... 365 TWO TYPES OF INSIGHT ..................................... 370 THE FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL IN ANN ARBOR ...... 377 WHAT IS ORIGINAL SIN? ..................................... 385 WHAT IS SOLAR CHANGE TO US? ..................... 387 WHAT IT TAKES .................................................... 392 WHAT PERSISTS AFTER DEATH? ...................... 396 WHEN LESS IS MORE .......................................... 401 WHY YOU MAY NOT BE READY FOR MEDITATION ............................................................................... 405 RITES OF PASSAGE: THE RING PASS NOT January 5, 2016 By Michael Erlewine ([email protected]) OK, we’ll let the smoke clear out from yesterday’s excursion into a bit of politics. Regardless of our politics, one climactic point that will come up for each of us is facing whatever responsibilities we fall heir to, sometimes called the “Ring Pass Not.” As an astrologer, the nexus or vortex for this life-changing event comes due when we go beyond our first Saturn Return at around 30 years of age. Whether we are aware of it by name or not, we all go through this, so I find it helps to be aware of it. I was fortunate enough to be instructed on this inner change by an expert esoteric teacher, an 82-year-old Rosicrucian initiator, before I turned thirty, so I was somewhat prepared for what happens. I am not sure anyone can be totally prepared for it. One thing I learned about early-on is like the old Bible phrase from the Book of Isaiah,” which states, “There is no rest for the wicked” and “The wicked are like the troubled sea when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up dirt and mire.” That description is a little heavy, although the Buddhist concept of Samsara is similar, turmoil continued, and no rest, ever, by definition. And by no rest, they mean here no real sleep or peace too. Ignoring Samsara only deepens its ruts and mires us more. Awakening, awareness, enlightenment really isn’t the option we may like to think it is. Rather, it’s only a matter of time until the exigencies of life will literally force us to respond, wake up, and become more aware. As mentioned, I learned this long ago, when all I wanted to do at the time was to be left alone to doze on and not to be constantly disturbed by the increasing responsibilities that life demanded of me. I would kind of wake up just long enough to take care of the squeakiest wheel, and thus buy myself enough time to go back to ignoring it all and doing what I thought I wanted to do, which was like: dream on. The fact is I just couldn’t keep my head above water and didn’t even realize it. What I eventually found out was that there is no back door to life, no way out except through the present situations we face, whatever they happen to be. God knows, I spent more time ignoring my responsibilities than taking care of them. Ultimately, it was easier to just learn to respond and do what I had to do rather than to be eternally delinquent, as was my habit. In other words, there is a bell curve to life, and if we fall behind the curve of the present moment and become delinquent in our debts and responsibilities, the accumulating demands on us pile up and soon outpace our wish (or ability) to sleep on and just ignore them. Finally, I was forced awake by everything around me to which I had not responded appropriately. And, as pointed out, reluctantly I finally turned away from trying to sleep-on in my youth and began to respond (albeit begrudgingly) to life. It was exactly like when a new baby is born; it has to start breathing and never stop as long as life lives. What does the doctor do to the baby who won’t take that first breath? Slap it on its butt, that’s what, to get the breathing started. Once started, the breathing does not stop until we die. If it does not start, of course we are dead anyway. Our ability to respond (responsibility) is like that. My point here is

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