Product Description

In Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Chögyam Trungpa offers an inspiring and practical guide to enlightened living based on the Shambhala journey of warriorship, a secular path taught internationally through the Shambhala Training program.

Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala is a continuation of that path. Shambhala was an exploration of human goodness and its potential to create an enlightened society—a state that the author calls "nowness." And in that spirit of nowness, Great Eastern Sun —which is accessible to meditators and nonmeditators alike—centers on the question, "Since we're here, how are we going to live from now on?"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #353707 in Books
• Published on: 2001-07-17
• Released on: 2001-07-17
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 296 pages

Amazon.com Review
Chögyam Trungpa had a vision of a society of enlightened people, or at least of people on the path to enlightenment. These are the Shambhala warriors, people "brave enough not to give in to the aggression and contradictions that exist in society." A companion volume to Trungpa's classic Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Great Eastern Sun is an invitation for all people to discover their own goodness, which is always there, just as the sun is always rising. Trungpa had an uncanny grasp of the hang-ups and excuses that keep Westerners in their safe ego cocoons, and in Great Eastern Sun he entices us all out, to express our goodness and live a life on the edge of insecurity. The mindful life turns out to be one of detached but sacred existence, floating with the power of compassionate awareness. A genuine life is what Trungpa propels us to, and Great Eastern Sun is his lantern for guiding us down the path of genuine living. --Brian Bruya

Review
"As a loving and grateful student of Chögyam Trungpa, the Dorje Dradul of Mukpo, I am delighted that these wonderful teachings—which have so profoundly influenced and shaped my life—are now available to benefit others. May countless people have the good fortune to read this book."—Pema Chodrön, author of When Things Fall Apart



"With brilliance and good will, Chögyam Trungpa illuminates the dharma of wise society. He invites all of good heart to find a dignity in their human experience that joins together heaven and earth."—Jack Kornfield, author of After the Ecstasy, the Laundry

About the Author
Chögyam Trungpa (1940–1987)—meditation master, teacher, and artist—founded Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado; the Shambhala Training program; and an international association of meditation centers known as Shambhala International. He is the author of numerous books.

Customer Reviews

Every minute is important.
Chogyam Trungpa uses the Great Eastern Sun as a metaphor for liberation. It is always rising, and "there is always the potential for human beings to discover their own goodness and the sacredness of the world" (p. xvi). It represents "the dawn of wakefulness" (p. 151), and "overcoming frivolity and becoming a decent person" (p. 161). Conversely, the world in which people are "sleeping in their cocoons trying to avoid the pain of death is called the setting-sun world" (p. 9). Trungpa observes that the setting-sun world is synonymous with having a "groovy" time, trying to avoid the reality of impermanence (p. 162).

The basic goal of Trungpa's Eastern Sun teachings is "to radiate the peacefulness of nonaggression, learning how to develop discipline and wisdom, and developing the wisdom of body, speech, and mind" (pp. 50-51). Trungpa encourages us to take care of the world, and also have a sense of humor (p. 210). "Listen to your own brook, echoing yourself" (p. 123).

For some enlightening reading, I recommend Trungpa's GREAT EASTERN SUN.

G. Merritt

"It's real, sweethearts..."
I find this presentation of Trungpa's Shambhala vision much more intimate and satisfying than the first book, Shambhala. Both books offer clear and practical advice transparently; Great Eastern Sun leaves more of the edges and contrasts in the foreground, giving a more nuanced taste of the good times at Trungpa's house. This is a very rewarding volume, and as the other reviewers have noted, it's good to read this one more than once. (Really, that goes for all serious reading. Real books are not one-time-use disposables.)

That said, I would like to follow up on one of Trungpa's suggestions in Great Eastern Sun: "It would be worth investigation futher the origins of Shambhala vision in the European traditions... to conduct a study of Western historical figures who tried to achieve the Shambhala vision of englightened society" (p 134). Okay. Trungpa's contemporaries, Gilles Deleuze and Felix Guattari, had a vision of their own, and one quite resonant with Trungpa's: "Learning to undo things, and to undo onesself, is proper to the war machine: the 'not doing' of the warrior, the undoing of the subject" (A Thousand Plateaus p 400). So long, neurosis.

I'm a bit disappointed that some of Trungpa's actual words (the dreaded 'f-word' for one) were edited from this volume. Trungpa, like Joseph Conrad and V Nabokov, was a second-language master of the English tongue, and chose his words very carefully for impact. He chose punchiness in his diction, he took a risk; why pretend he played it safe?

Here's to Trungpa's successes, and to the birth pangs of a culture of englightenment. Cheers!

HOMAGE TO ACALA VIDHYARAJA, the Immoveable Radiant King! Namah samanta vajranam chanda maharosana sphotaya hum trat ham mam!

Dazzling, exasperating
"The Great Eastern Sun" is presented as a companion volume to Chogyam Trungpa's spiritual classic "Shambhala: The Sacred Art of the Warrior."

Both books were based on Trungpa's talks, but "The Great Eastern Sun" has suffered (or benefitted) from a much lighter editorial hand. The result is that the present volume preserves a stronger flavor of Trungpa's teaching style. On the other hand, the talks in this book were intended for a more advanced audience who were presumed to be already familiar with the material presented in the earlier book.

My experience of Trungpa's books has always been one of a cumulative effect. It helps to read, to practice, to read again, and to practice some more. The extraordinary nature of the teachings grow clearer with time and practice, although sometimes very little comes through on the first reading.