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Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche on Buddhism’s view of ‘Spiritual Materialism.’


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13 Responses to “Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche on Buddhism’s view of ‘Spiritual Materialism.’”

  1. [...] With thanks to TheWorstHorse for the tip, check out our zen monk/punk rocker brau Brad Warner’s expletive-heavy blog railing against “charlatan” Genpo Roshi’s “Big Mind” workshops, which promise enlightenment, or something like it, through a soupy therapeutic exercise that struck me, when I was victimized by it at a Ken Wilber “Dialogue” in Denver, as…yes…you guessed it…Spiritual Materialism! [...]

  2. [...] (right) with his father, Chogyam Trungpa (founder of Shambhala, Naropa, author of Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism). Photo via [...]

  3. [...] Pioneering Buddhist guru Chogyam Trungpa continues to teach, 20 years after passing away! He makes an appearance in this morning’s Guardian, one of the leading papers across the pond. I grew up in his American Buddhist community, and my ma taught me early on the important distinction Trungpa Rinpoche made between ‘happy’ and ‘cheerful.’ We all said ‘Cheerful Birthday,’ ‘Cheerful New Year,’…more than a quirky cute in-joke club password, it signalled a distinction between external, outward-dependent and fleeting satisfaction and a fundamental state of our basically-good being, awakened through meditation practice. [...]

  4. [...] on my wall, beside my Bodhisattva Vow calligraphy via the Regent’s only father guru, Chogyam Trungpa [...]

  5. [...] sold in every grocery in America, right by the tabloids. Though he warned against “spiritual materialism“–using religion to perfect the Self, and brace up the ego–he wanted the wisdom of [...]

  6. [...] in the day. At the end of the interview John and I walked around the Shambhala Center, founded by Trungpa Rinpoche, and John expressed his support for our little mag and offered to help in any way he could [...]

  7. [...] understand, and thinking you’re “spiritual” cultural appropriation or New Age Spiritual Materialism! Or is it just good ol’ happy-happy bliss-bliss, it’s alll [...]

  8. [...] either this was only adore n’light spiritual materialism that, during the finish of the day, was only about feeling good, as well as blissed out. Which is, [...]

  9. [...] of all? Is it about opening up to the present moment, and all that brings? Or is it merely about refining and perfecting ourselves, and our ego? Or is the yoga we practice losing its historical, spiritual thread—is it just about [...]

  10. [...] touchy-feely namaste types. It’s an offensive, funny, three-minute version of Chogyam Trungpa’s seminal “Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism,” one could say. “I’ll nonattach your [...]

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