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 

Some kind of honour

It’s only possible to live your life well if you have some ability to direct yourself.  You need to be able to see things through; to be able to go through difficulties and not turn back.  You need some kind of honour.

p192, Wearing the Body of Visions, Ngakpa Chögyam, Aro Books, 1995, ISBN 1-898185-03-4 

Thought

Thought itself is not a problem.  Thought is not the deceiving enemy.  I am the deceiving enemy – because I appropriate thought to validate my existence as solid, permanent, separate, continuous, and defined.

p73, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4 

Self-liberation

Self-liberation is simply what happens if we do nothing to prevent it.  Doing nothing to prevent it, however, can be extremely difficult.  It could take a second or a century.

p65, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4   

What we love

We should prioritise what we love – and what animates existence.  To do less is to be less than half alive,  Life sparkles with intrinsic magic that is suddenly and delightfully communicative when you find yourself in love.

p163, 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  

Individuality

Individuality is not a frequently used word in Himalayan Buddhism – because it is important to undermine the need to adhere to a fixed identity.  Authentic individuality however, is simply the discovery of authentic appreciation.  If one discovers authentic appreciation – one becomes unique.

p297, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Before we begin

There is nothing to change before we begin.  Where we are, is where we begin.  This is not in order to change how we are – but simply to release how we are into the dimension of actively appreciative empathy.

p187, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Dangerous territory

Emptiness happens.  Dangerous territory is wherever the rules do not apply – and that can be anywhere.  Rules are form – but then emptiness happens.

p161, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

One wing

A wingless bird cannot fly.  A bird with one wing also cannot fly.   One requires both method and wisdom.

p243, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Love radiates

The love which radiates from our primordial natural state cannot help but sparkle through – no matter how insecure, frightened, isolated, anxious, or bewildered we become.

p242, 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  

Thespianism

The nondual stage is thespianism sans: rehearsal; sans script; sans narrative; sans intermission; sans intimation of a final scene – and sans the requirement of playing a part.

p74, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Worry is wonderful.

Worry is wonderful.  Worry is the perfect indication that one relies on thought when thought fails to accomplish what one wishes it to accomplish.  If a tool repeatedly failed to work it would be jettisoned.  That is all there is to understand in respect of thought as the universal remedy. 

p73, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Vajra commitment

Vajra commitment is the openness to questioning arrogant, unkind, selfish, manipulative, or thoughtless behaviour.  This is the only kind of vajra commitment in which we are actually interested.

p313, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Allow the senses to dance

Allow the sense-fields to be as they are.  Allow the senses to dance with the sense-fields.  That, in itself, is the meditative state.  Every artist will understand that experientially – even if they know nothing of meditation.

p200, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4  

Being our own enemies

When we accept confusion as the rich ground from which clarity can be discovered, we can cease being our own enemies.

p197, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

We may continue to see our students or not

It is good to make friends with death.  Whenever the plane takes off, we recite Yeshé Tsogyel mantra.  Whenever the plane lands, we recite Vajra Guru mantra.  This is not for protection or a ‘thank you’ for the protection – but as the recognition that we may continue to see our students or not.

p169, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4

A sense field

Conceptuality is a sense field as much as the other sense – but apart from artists, most people prioritise the linguistic aspects of thought.

p416, Tracts of the Sun : An Earth Orbit of Vajrayana Expressions.  Ngakpa Chögyam and Khandro Déchen, Aro Books, 2022, ISBN 978-1-898185-28-4