The Mishap Lineage: Transforming Confusion Into Wisdom
by Chogyam Trungpa /
2009 / English / PDF
10.9 MB Download
All of us experience obstacles as part of our journey, in life and
on the spiritual path. In many cases, we think of them as purely
something unpleasant to overcome, or as a mistake that needs
correcting. Here, Chögyam Trungpa takes a radically different
approach to such obstacles, teaching that unexpected chaos,
confusion, and emotional upheavals can actually be used as fuel for
the journey—an energy that can transform confusion into sanity and
wisdom. He illustrates this transformative principle through
telling the lively history of the Trungpa tulkus (a lineage within
the Kagyü tradition of Tibetan Buddhism), of which he was the
eleventh incarnation. Trungpa referred to his lineage as the
"Mishap Lineage" because of the ups and downs and colorful lives
that were typical of his predecessors, and true of his own life as
well. The stories of the Trungpas are seen as a guide for the
practitioner’s journey and help us to understand how important
lineage and community remain for us today.
All of us experience obstacles as part of our journey, in life and
on the spiritual path. In many cases, we think of them as purely
something unpleasant to overcome, or as a mistake that needs
correcting. Here, Chögyam Trungpa takes a radically different
approach to such obstacles, teaching that unexpected chaos,
confusion, and emotional upheavals can actually be used as fuel for
the journey—an energy that can transform confusion into sanity and
wisdom. He illustrates this transformative principle through
telling the lively history of the Trungpa tulkus (a lineage within
the Kagyü tradition of Tibetan Buddhism), of which he was the
eleventh incarnation. Trungpa referred to his lineage as the
"Mishap Lineage" because of the ups and downs and colorful lives
that were typical of his predecessors, and true of his own life as
well. The stories of the Trungpas are seen as a guide for the
practitioner’s journey and help us to understand how important
lineage and community remain for us today.
