Into the sphere of Vajrayana

If you push any skill far enough‚ it takes you into the sphere of Vajrayana. It has to – because although Vajrayana is a religion‚ it’s also natural.

p268, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

History

History was composed of what happened and what was sensed – what was ordinary and what was extraordinary. The important factor to bear in mind about history—in the Vajrayana sense—was it’s subtle function in terms of perception. 

p164, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Entirely open to understanding

Vajrayana was no longer something to be learnt word-by-word—fact-by-fact—category-by-category. It was a living coherent organism which was entirely open to understanding – as long as one was possessed of the experience of silent sitting. 

p244, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

The most stupendous discovery

My time in Tso Pema had turned into the most stupendous discovery. Rinpoche had taught me how to see the principle and function of the teachings – and in so doing unlocked the enormous wealth of Vajrayana. 

p244, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Logic through poetry

It struck me then—as it did so many times—that Vajrayana was ART.  Künzang Dorje Rinpoche had just brought out logic through poetry – the poetry of Düd’jom Rinpoche’s name. He was Jig’drèl Yeshé Dorje too – the Fearless Primordial Thunderbolt of Wisdom.

p199, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

Not the answer

It’s the huge myth of renunciation being the answer.  We need to grow out of that – or Vajrayana is out of the question.

p416, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680 

Herd mentality

“Seeing the fixed patterns of herd mentality is absolutely primary, in terms of Vajrayana” Rinpoche concluded. “Undermining it, in oneself, is probably one of the major practices.”

p92, Warp and Weft of Wonderment, Ngakma Mé-tsal, Aro Books Worldwide, 2024, ISBN 9781898185680

Maniacally welcoming

Those for whom mayhem is magical display,find Vajrayana maniacally welcoming.  Although it is a high energy arena – it becomes spacious for those who have the courage to relax into those breakers.

p41, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

Paradox

Happiness is a matter of finding security in insecurity.  This is because whatever security occurs in life, is temporary.  If you can find security in the temporary nature of phenomena, then that makes you permanently secure.  That’s known as paradox.  It’s the logic of Vajrayana.

p43, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Otherness

From the perspective of the visionary practices of Vajrayana it is possible to transform every aspect of prejudice against otherness – of every possible description.

p304, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Communicating with dignity

When it can take as long to spell out an acronym or letterisation in speech – there is more dignity in using the words the initials represent.  A Vajrayana practitioner needs to communicate with dignity – because Mind, Speech, and Body need to be the focus of practice in every arena of life.

p56, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Dance with the situation

The dance costume of Vajrayana is demanding in terms of personal responsibility, integrity, and honour.  One can don the costume and enter the dance – but to sustain the dance throughout one’s life requires a degree of familiarity with the pattern of motivation.  Life resembles dance – and a piece of advice which Trungpa Rinpoche gave was to ‘dance with the situation’.

p42, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

Attraction to Vajrayana

The most receptive audience for Vajrayana should be Artists – but unfortunately Artists don't often seem attracted to Vajrayana because they see it as ‘religion’ and ‘religion’ tends to have a reputation for repression of individuality.  Whilst this tends to be true for institutionalised religion – it bears no similarity to essential Vajrayana.

p219, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Whether we like it or not

Whether we like it or not – Vajrayana is what is happening.  Vajrayana is the warp and weft of reality. 

p236, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

Prejudice

Because devotion to the form of the yidam is crucial to Vajrayana, there can be no negative aesthetic considerations.  People cannot be practitioners of Vajrayana if they have prejudice against style of human manifestation. 

p108, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

All there is

The play of the elements is actually all there is.  It’s completely simple – and the vast spectrum of Vajrayana is an extrapolation of that.

p162, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

As if it were a film

Vajra simple-mindedness is the power to cut through the unnecessary complications manufactured by attempting to edit life, as if it were a film.  We need to abandon attempts to rewrite Vajrayana in order to splice together a ‘dualistically coherent movie’.

p165, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Reliable and unreliable

The Lama is both ultimately reliable and relatively unreliable.  The Lama is ultimately reliable with respect to Vajrayana – and relatively unreliable with regard to supporting dualistic neuroses.

p71, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Essentially sacred

Because you’re a symbol of your beginningless nondual condition—and because all beings likewise are symbols—there can be no being who is not essentially scared according to the pure vision of Vajrayana.

p327, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Prejudice to appreciation

From the perspective of the visionary practices of Vajrayana we become able to transform every aspect of prejudice against otherness in terms of vibrant appreciation.

p398, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4