5.0 out of 5 stars
The realized words of a true master, 9 Feb 2012
By John L. Kernell - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Journey without Goal, the Lion's Roar, the Dawn of Tantra and an Interview v. 4 (Hardcover)
I actually haven't yet read ALL of "The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa (Rinpoche)" yet, but I fully intend to, slowly, lovingly, appreciatively, 30 minutes day or so before I meditate. I am a practicing (Tibetan) Buddhist. Trungpa founded the only Buddhist-inspired (now accredited) university in North America (Naropa) and was very influential with my root teacher, Lama Shenpen Hookham (author of "The Buddha Within") and her husband, Rigdzin Shikpo (author of "Never Turn Away"). You don't have to be a Buddhist to read Trungpa, however, since much of his wisdom is pragmatic and accessible to all. His command of English is astonishing. It communicates to Westerners at a very deep level, probing the neuroses of our time with humor and compassion. Trungpa escaped from Tibet with a large group, fleeing for their lives from the Chinese. His book, "Born in Tibet," describing it, is a classic. It is worth noting that Shunryu Suzuki, author of "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind," another classic, called Trungpa a true Buddhist. I am fully aware that Trungpa's life was controversial and his teachings of "Crazy Wisdom" (now the title of a new movie) off-putting to some. He was, nevertheless, a recognized master, who taught, among others the Poet Laureate of the United States, W.S. Merwin. Trungpa's eldest son, the Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche now runs the Shambhala organization which Trungpa started. Much credit to Carolyn Rose Gimian who edited this massive series...