Natural joy

Rinpoche explained that a mark of authentic teaching—stemming from authentic realisation—gave rise to joy. If what was taught was merely intellectually profound—there would be no natural joy.

p213, Goodbye Forever Vol III, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books Worldwide, 2023, ISBN 9781898185666

The splendid dance

We wish you nonreferential joy and gleeful abandon. We wish you passion and spaciousness in the splendid dance of your sense-fields and sense perceptions.

p338, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

Wind Horse

rLung rTa—Wind Horse—is enjoyment.  Enjoyment means to occasion or to engender joy.  Joy is upliftedness – the natural response to phenomena and to being alive.

p30, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

rLung rTa

rLung is the wind principle – which is powerful and direct.  rTa means horse – the energy which can be ridden.  rLung rTa is a sophisticated energy, which is clean, decent, honest, honourable, and committed – a good horse which can be ridden with joy.  The situation resplendent with rising rLung rTa is fresh and exuberant – but only eminently rideable once you have mucked out, groomed thoroughly, and cared for the tack with assiduous patience.

p197, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7   

Love what you wear

Our perspective on clothing is essentially concerned with promoting awareness and impeccability.  The principle is one of dynamic engagement with phenomena – as an aspect of pervasive bodhicitta.  You need to love what you wear in order to engage fully with being alive.  When you engage fully with being alive you shine as an example of joy to others. 

p191, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, ISBN 978-0-9653948-5-7

Emotional heights and depths

Emotional heights and depths exist as ornaments, in the sense that ornaments don’t alter the basic nature of the person who wears them.  You can wear joy, and you can wear sorrow.  When you have the experience of joy or sorrow, you can have the sense that you are not actually totally defined by either. That is to say: who is it who wears this sorrow or this joy?

p50, Spectrum of Ecstasy, Ngakpa Chögyam with Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 1997, ISBN 0-9653948-0-8

The joy of being

"Impermanence and death are the joy of being. Impermanence and death are the continuity of existence"

p113, Spacious Passion, Ngakma Nor'dzin, Aro Books worldwide, 2009, 978-1-898185-07-9

Joy

"Always put the possibility of joy before the need to be safe"

p135, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7

Sadness does not have to be permanent

"If there was no sadness in loss, there would have been no joy prior to it – but that sadness does not have to be permanent"

p9, Emailing the Lamas from Afar, Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2009, 978-0-9653948-5-7