Community Talks - Chogyam Trungpa Digital Library

Photo by James Gritz. Preserved and digitized by Shambhala Archives.

Chögyam Trungpa with Karma Dzong community members in the coat room at 1111 Pearl Street in Boulder, CO, in 1973.

Community Talks & Discussions: An Intimate Look Inside Vajradhatu Community Life

Click here to jump to a shortlist of highlights and an audio clip or click here to jump to the full playlist.

The meaning of community is to have a certain experience of living a sane life without any trips, and living a life of meditation that consists of the daily life situation you already have. You might have to work a nine-to-five job or whatever, but still, this applies to you. Every one of you is part of the petals in the flower. Therefore, your energy is required, and your energy is part of the adornment, part of the beauty and everything.
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from “Community Updates” (Boulder, CO, 1974)

GATHERINGS ACROSS NORTH AMERICA

From the very beginning of Chögyam Trungpa’s time in North America, he often held “community meetings”: localized gatherings of students from various centers for informal talks, often including extensive discussion. (Although these groups were dispersed geographically across North America, they were all within the community known as Vajradhatu, an international Buddhist organization founded by Trungpa Rinpoche.)

These meetings covered a wide range of topics, from day-to-day community life and the logistics of running particular meditation centers to Trungpa Rinpoche’s long-term vision for the greater Vajradhatu community and beyond. Listening to these talks, you can see the evolution of how he worked with these core groups of students. Earlier meetings emphasized intelligent cynicism and critical thinking. In later gatherings, there was more emphasis on warmth and also—when things got too busy and speedy—the importance of practicing “cool boredom.”

Close-up from a contact sheet of Trungpa Rinpoche speaking with community members in Boulder, CO, in 1973.

GROWING COMMUNITY, EVOLVING APPROACH

Trungpa Rinpoche and others on the porch of Karmê Chöling.

At the beginning, in the early 1970s, Trungpa Rinpoche took a hands-on approach, speaking extensively and discussing even “mundane” topics like washing dishes and managing budgets. You can hear Rinpoche guiding his students when he thought they had gotten too rigid, or conversely, too loose, in their meditation discipline. You can also hear him encouraging and guiding new teachers. For example, in the very first recorded community talk in October 1970 (less than a year after his arrival in North America), he speaks about bringing up teachers from within the community. In a sense, his then-young students were learning how to be functioning adults from him during this period. Especially in the early days, the meetings were also very open, including extensive interaction and interchange of ideas as Chögyam Trungpa encouraged students to contribute their thoughts and concerns.

With the opening of Naropa Institute (now Naropa University) in 1974, Trungpa Rinpoche was speaking on a much larger world stage. Consequently, his involvement in these meetings became less extensive; and naturally, as the community grew, the meetings focused more on the growth and needs of the community as a whole, rather than addressing individual issues. But all throughout, these unique gatherings never lost their intimacy or community focus.

Karmê Chöling, Karma Dzong, and Beyond

Original house at Karmê Chöling; CTR with the Karma Dzong community

The majority of these meetings were held at two major community hubs: the retreat center Karmê Chöling (originally named Tail of the Tiger) in Barnet, Vermont (15 recordings in this collection); and the meditation center Karma Dzong in Boulder, Colorado (36 recordings in this collection). Karma Dzong was the national headquarters for Rinpoche’s work in the United States and the largest center by far in North America, with hundreds of community members by the mid-70s. Although many more community meetings were held in these and other locations, several were either not recorded or not preserved (or copies were never sent to Vajradhatu Recordings, the central repository for all recordings at that time). Even so, this robust collection of 57 recordings offers a rich and unique listening experience.

From housekeeping issues to Chögyam Trungpa’s vision for the expansion of Buddhism in the West, these talks are a window into the life of this budding community and a behind-the-scenes look at the nuts and bolts of establishing Tibetan Buddhism in the West. They also provide an extraordinary opportunity to witness the intimate connection that Trungpa Rinpoche had with his students. People felt empowered to bring up almost any topic, and he encouraged his students to add to the events, challenge things if they questioned them, or seek clarification and guidance for things they didn’t fully understand. It is eye-opening to hear the rapport and mutual trust evident in this special set of recordings.

Students under a tent at Karmê Chöling in 1973. The open chair in front of them reads RINPOCHE. Preserved and digitized by Shambhala Archives.

Audio Clip

Click here to listen to the full talk, “Community Updates” (Boulder, CO, 1974)

Playlist Highlights: Notable Talks and Staff Favorites

This shortlist features some of our favorite talks. The selection covers a range of topics, types of gatherings, years, and locations to provide a sample of the full offering.

Self-Deception (Boulder, CO, 1972. Audio.)

An address on self-deception, or basic twist, as an aspect of spiritual practice and spiritual materialism. This was a follow-up to the infamous but unrecorded December 1971 meeting with the “Pygmies” in which Chögyam Trungpa urged them to “burn self-deception” by throwing their marijuana into a fire.

Cynicism and Warmth (Karme Choling, 1973. AUDIO.)

An address to the residents of Karme Choling (then known as “Tail of the Tiger”) about balancing the need for the sharpness of cynicism while opening to warmth and appreciation.

Desert Painting (Boulder, CO, 1974. AUDIO.)

An unusual talk about the spiritual search and devotion. The address opens with a long parable of a wanderer in the desert. It begins with the desolation and painful sensory details, then shifts to the discovery of devotion once the traveler emerges from the desert.

Lids and Flowers (Boulder, CO, 1978. Audio.)

An enthusiastic address to the Boulder community about volunteering and/or being part of the organization’s administration. The history of participating in the organization is discussed, and volunteers and staff members are described as either “lids” that put a clamp down on everything or “flowers” that blossom and grow.

Looking Back (Boulder, CO, 1978. Audio.)

An address to the Boulder community that reviews the journey of presenting Buddhism in the West. The talk offers a three-yana view of the evolution of the community.

Vision for Karmê Chöling (Karmê Chöling, Barnet, VT, 1979. Audio.)

An address to Karmê Chöling staff about how far the center has come, his vision for its future, and its greater role in the world.

Farewell to New York Dharmadhatu (New York City, 1979. Video.)

The only video recording in the community talk collection. An address to say goodbye to the New York Dharmadhatu after hosting a public talk by the Dalai Lama. Rinpoche discusses how meditation in New York City can carry a powerful message to the world.

Community Talks Full Playlist

Click here to queue up the entire playlist in chronological order, or scroll down to find links to each talk, organized by location.

boulder, colorado (36 talks. audio.)

1972-1973

1974-1977

1978-1983

Karmê Chöling, BARNET, VERMONT (15 talks. audio.)

1970-1973

1977-1982

NEW YORK CITY (3 talks. audio & VIDEO.)

1975-1979

CALIFORNIA (3 talks. audio.)

Los Angeles, 1972-1973

Santa Barbara, 1975

Community Practice

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