"The warrior of meek is like a tiger. Here we are talking about an undisturbed tiger, a casual tiger, so to speak, yet one which is still youthful and in its prime. A prime, casual, good, well-groomed tiger that is full of health and strength...such a tiger walks slowly with heedfulness...not terrified of anything. The analogy of the tiger is some notion of gentleness and inquisitiveness at the same time...There is a sense of relaxation, and confidence, as well as watchfulness: if anything happens, then psss!"
The trail to Outer Point on Douglas Island, adjacent to the coastal town of Juneau, Alaska, winds through the temperate northern rain forest, a fully-boardwalked trail passes underneath moss-draped pines into the deep stillness of the forest...scree of grey squirrel, occasional trill of wood thrush the only sounds. Passing by a boggy lake, herons stalk in the shallows, unruffled by tiger presences. Then out of the silence, down a slight hill, and onto the expanse of beach.
"Since the warrior's mind is great and vast, he sees even farther than the sky...It's not that this kind of warrior sees the future as great because he or she is going to be ourtrageous and inscrutable and all the rest of it, particularly...Vast mind here refers to sharing the vision of drala, or the experience of jumping into a vast but powerful ocean that is made out of melted butter and gold. It might be painful and at the same time delightful, pleasurable."
Jesse Miller and Susan Chapman, both students of Chogyam Trungpa, examine Jesse's finds on the beach at Outer Point. It is a thing with teachers, that they must collect rocks from Alaska.
Not a teacher comes here, but she or he must take back rocks. This is Jesse's first trip to Alaska and his nostrils fairly twitch at the freshness in the air. Coming from the San Francisco Bay area, he senses the dralas with awe. Susan, the Founding Mother of the Juneau sangha, has lived here for nearly 10 years. The dralas accumulate in her wake.
"When we talk about the warrior principle, we are talking of its application to individuals, to the citizens of Shambhala society as well as the administration. We are talking about how we can go along with these particular analogies and disciplines-how we can actually do them. That is why it is important to understand exertion. If you have exertion, then you can accomplish the whole thing.""KI KI SO SO ASHE LHA GYELO!" The tigers roared across the exposed tidelands, radiating to their teacher.
"The original state of being can be likened to a primordial, or cosmic, mirror. By primordial we mean unconditioned, not caused by circumstances. Something primordial is not a reaction for or against any situation...This unconditioned state is likened to a primordial mirror because, like a mirror, it is willing to reflect anything, from the gross level up to the refined level, and it still remains as it is...The way to look back and experience the state of being of the cosmic mirror is simply to relax...letting go of the anxiety and concepts and depression that normally bind you. The way to relax, or rest the mind in nowness, is through the practice of meditation."
Flowers by Fran.
Text in quotations from the teachings of the Dorje Dradul Mukpopa.
Text in italics by Tenzin Kunsal.
Photographs by J. Pennelope Goforth & Diane Mayer.
Tiger and Cosmic Mirror images adapted from original 19th century Tibetan artifacts.
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Last Modified: April 27, 1997.
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