The Digital Library is pleased to announce the release of three seminars on abhidharma.
Abhidharma refers to Buddhist teachings and scriptures on the philosophy and inner workings of the human mind. This important category of teachings, studied in all schools of Buddhism, includes foundational frameworks such as the five skandhas (aggregates), the twelve nidanas (chain links of dependent origination), the eight levels of consciousness, and more.
In his teachings on abhidharma, Chögyam Trungpa took an experiential approach, emphasizing the importance of bringing together study and practice, intellect and intuition. His book on the subject, Glimpses of Abhidharma (1975), was edited from a single seminar titled Abhidharma that he gave at Karmê Chöling, Vermont, in 1971. As part of this release, all nine talks from the seminar appear in one of our “book-to-talks” playlists, which maps each chapter of the book to the talk upon which it is based.
This release also features two seminars on abhidharma not included in the book: the previously unpublished Psychology of Samsara and Nirvana (Boulder, CO, 1972), which discusses the nidanas, the three kaya principle, and the five buddha families; and a five-talk seminar called Discovery of Egolessness (NYC, 1976), focused primarily on the skandhas.
An article by Chögyam Trungpa introduces and contextualizes this collection of recordings, excerpted from his introduction to the book Glimpses of Abhidharma. The introduction was edited from the transcript for “Talk One: Introduction” from the 1971 Abhidharma seminar featured in this release, so you have the opportunity to hear the original talk after reading the article!
Follow the link to learn more, hear a clip, and access the recordings.