First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungpa

The impulse to believe the absurd when presented with the unknowable is called religion. Whether this is wise or unwise is the domain of doctrine. Once you understand someone's doctrine, you understand their rationale for believing the absurd. At that point, it may no longer seem absurd. You can get to both sides of this conondrum from here.

First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungpa

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:36 am

First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems
by Chogyam Trungpa
© 1983 by Chogyam Trungpa

YOU ARE REQUIRED TO READ THE COPYRIGHT NOTICE AT THIS LINK BEFORE YOU READ THE FOLLOWING WORK, THAT IS AVAILABLE SOLELY FOR PRIVATE STUDY, SCHOLARSHIP OR RESEARCH PURSUANT TO 17 U.S.C. SECTION 107 AND 108. IN THE EVENT THAT THE LIBRARY DETERMINES THAT UNLAWFUL COPYING OF THIS WORK HAS OCCURRED, THE LIBRARY HAS THE RIGHT TO BLOCK THE I.P. ADDRESS AT WHICH THE UNLAWFUL COPYING APPEARED TO HAVE OCCURRED. THANK YOU FOR RESPECTING THE RIGHTS OF COPYRIGHT OWNERS.


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Table of Contents:

1. The Spontaneous Song of Entering Into the Blessings and Profound Samaya of the Only Father Guru
2. Stray Dog
3. The Song of the Wanderer
4. Listen, Listen
5. Whistling Grasses of the Esk Valley
6. Song
7. In the North of the Sky
8. Goodbye And Welcome
9. Meteoric Iron Mountain
10. The Zen Teacher
11. American Good Intentions
12. First Thought
13. Samsara and Nirvana
14. Gain and Loss
15. Cynical Letter
16. Dignified Rocky Mountain
17. Philosopher Fool
18. Does Love Kill Anybody?
19. A Letter to Marpa
20. Aphorisms
21. The Nameless Child
22. The Myth of Freedom
23. Haiku
24. The Red Flag Flies
25. The Sword of Hatred
26. Silk Road
27. Tibetan Pilgrim
28. Trans World Air
29. A Flower is Always Happy
30. True Tantra Groupie
31. Glorious Bhagavad-Ghetto
32. Tale of the Tiger
33. Naropa Institute, 1974
34. Pema Yumtso
35. To Britain's Health
36. Supplication to the Emperor
37. Literal Mathematics
38. One Way
39. Shasta Road
40. Palm Is
41. Burdensome
42. Tsondru Namkhai
43. Pema Semma
44. Dying Laughing
45. Kunga Garma
46. 1111 Pearl Street: Victory Chatter
47. Wait and Think
48. Missing the Point
49. RMDC, Route 1, Livermore
50. To Gesar of Ling
51. Love's Fool
52. Report From Loveland
53. 1018 Spruce Street (And K.A.)
54. 1135 Tenth Street (And G.M.)
55. 1111 Pearl Street (And D.S.)
56. 78 Fifth Avenue
57. The Alden (And Thomas Frederick)
58. Commentary on "The Alden (And Thomas Frederick)"
59. Aurora 7 (#2)
60. 1111 Pearl Street: Off Beat
61. Aurora 7 (And Nyingje Sheltri)
62. Pan-American Dharmadhatu III
63. Tibetan Lyrics
64. Asleep and Awake
65. Great Eastern Daugherlet
66. Whycocomagh?
67. Lion's Roar
68. Timely Rain
69. Pan-Dharma Dollar
70. Meetings With Remarkable People
71. International Affairs: The Cosmic Joke of 1977
72. One Sound
73. Dixville Notch: Purrington House (And C.F.)
74. Afterthought
75. Don't Confuse This For Trick-Or-Treat
76. Eternal Guest
77. Swallowing the Sun and Moon Without Leaving the World in Darkness: Good Lady of Wisdom
78. Saddharma Punsters
79. I Miss You So Much
80. The Doha of Confidence: Sad Song of the Four Remembrances
81. Bon Voyage
82. Memorial in Verse
83. To My Son
84. For Anne Waldman
85. Putting Up With the Trans-Canada
86. Buddhism in the Canadian Rockies
87. Praise to the Lady of the Big Heart
88. Not Deceiving the Earth (And M.S.N.)
89. Drunken Elephant
90. Limp and Talk
91. How to Know No
92. International Affairs of 1979: Uneventful But Energy-Consuming
93. To the Noble Sangha
94. Fishing Wisely
95. Miscellaneous Doha
96. Expose: Acknowledging Accusations in the Name of Devotion
97. Mixed Grill Dharma Served With Burgundy of Ground Mahamudra 1980 Vintage: The Elegant Feast of Timeless Accuracy
98. Growing Pains are Over
99. Coming of Age of My Son
100. You Might Be Tired of the Seat That You Deserve
101. When I Ride a Horse
102. Timely Innuendo
103. A Heart Lost and Discovered
104. Command
105. Golden Sun
106. As Sky Larks Hunt For Their Prey
107. Seasons' Greetings
108. The Meek: Powerfully Nonchalant and Dangerously Self-Satisfying
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:39 am

THE SPONTANEOUS SONG OF ENTERING INTO THE BLESSINGS AND PROFOUND SAMAYA OF THE ONLY FATHER GURU

Shri Heruka, the unchanging vajra mind,
The primordial buddha, all-pervading, the protector of all,
Padma Trime, you are the lord, the embodiment of all the victorious
ones.
You are always reflected in the clear mirror of my mind.

In the space of innate ground mahamudra,
The dance of the self-luminous vajra queen takes place,
And passion and aggression, the movements of the mind, become
the wheel of wisdom;
What joy it is to see the great ultimate mandala!

The confidence of the unflinching youthful warrior flourishes,
Cutting the aortas of the degraded three lords of materialism
And dancing the sword dance of penetrating insight;
This is the blessing of my only father guru.

Inviting the rays of the waxing moon, Vajra Avalokiteshvara,
The tide of the ocean of compassion swells,
Your only son, Chokyi Gyatso, blossoms as a white lotus;
This is due to the limitless buddha activity of my guru.

In the vast space of mahashunyata, devoid of all expression,
The wings of simplicity and luminosity spread
As the snake-knot of conceptual mind uncoils in space;
Only father guru, I can never repay your kindness.

Alone, following the example of the youthful son of the victorious
ones,
Riding the chariot of the limitless six paramitas,
Inviting infinite sentient beings as passengers,
Raising the banner of the magnificent bodhisattvas,
I continue as your heir, my only father guru.

Like a mountain, without the complexities of movement,
I meditate in the nature of the seven vajras,
Subjugating Rudra with the hundred rays of deva, mantra, and
mudra,
Beating the victory drum of the great secret vajrayana,
I fulfill the wishes of my only father, the authentic guru.

In the sky of dharmadhatu, which exhausts the conventions of the nine
yanas,
Gathering rainclouds thick with the blessing of the ultimate lineage,
Roaring the thunder of relentless crazy wisdom,
Bringing down the rain that cools the hot anguish of the dark age,
As I transform existence into a heavenly wheel of dharma,
Please, my only father, authentic guru, come as my guest.
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:39 am

STRAY DOG

Chogyam is merely a stray dog.
He wanders around the world,
Ocean or snow-peak mountain pass.
Chogyam will tread along as a stray dog
Without even thinking of his next meal.
He will seek friendship with birds and jackals
And any wild animals.
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 am

THE SONG OF THE WANDERER

The mood of sadness is inexhaustible;
Trying to end it would be
Like trying to reach the limits of space.
The feeling of longing is sharp and quick
Like an arrow shot by a skillful archer.

Across the sea in an Asian island
There are wild flowers of every kind.
These flowers are inseparable from the yogi's experience.
This is too realistic to be only a dream,
But if it is really happening
I must say it is rather amusing.

In the land of Bhutan
Where the mountains are clothed in mist
Young Chogyam is wandering like a stray dog.
In the hermitage of the Blue Rock Castle
A pregnant tigress is suckling her young.
There we found the nectar of the new age.
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 am

LISTEN, LISTEN

Listen, listen to the sound of the mind's own utterance,
Within the womb of the beauty of Autumn,
While the setting sun shows the red glory of her smile.
Hearing the bamboo flute which no one plays,
Listen to the reeds swaying in the breeze,
And the silent ripple's song.

The disciples debate,
But never reach the ripple's end.
The teacher's word that lies beyond the mind --
Listened to, it cannot be found,
And found, it still cannot be heard.
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 am

WHISTLING GRASSES OF THE ESK VALLEY

Whistling grasses of the Esk Valley,
So many incidents occur.
The image is the climate of this part of the country.
There comes a hailstorm--
Children, children, seek protection!
A mighty thunderbolt strikes to the ground.
It does not make any distinction between trustees and the spiritual
leader.
Violent winds shake the Scots pine tree,
Copper beech and rhododendrons.
I said to myself,
You, most mighty of all, should have come three weeks earlier.
Here is the big storm.
Buckets of rain pour down.
The Esk river turns reddish in color,
Sweeps all the trees and branches away.
A mighty force invades our valley--
Fishes thrown up on the banks for the birds' delight.

Chogyam watches all this,
Wishing that I could be one of those fishes,
That this ruthless political current would throw me away.
Why wasn't I born an innocent fish
That could die in peace on the banks of the Esk?
If karma exists the weather will adjust.
I am not seeking revenge.
I am seeking peace
As one of those fish peacefully dead on the bank,
Its body a feast of its victory.
But I cannot help thinking they will say grace before the meal,
And will have a good cook
To make their evening feast enjoyable.

31 October 1969
Scotland
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 am

SONG

A railway station,
People busy, involved in their affairs.
A park keeper,
Enjoying cutting the flowers with his secateurs,
Pruning the roses.
This life is normal to some people.
But to people like us it is not normal at all.
So many things happen--
They are all part of life.

A battlefield,
Innocent people being killed.
I am sure we could change the course of the bullet--
Wars are not fought for hate,
But for pursuing further development.

I saw in my mind innocent Easter.
Young as he was his whole head had been exploded.
To whom could I tell such neglect and cruelty?
Where does it come from?

I say no more.

This is a lonely song.
I sing in a peaceful valley
Where the glittering frost ignites with the spark of sun.
This beauty does not satisfy me.
Come my friends, who has got heart?
That we may dance
And come into effect,
Into the perpetual time.

20 November 1969
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:40 am

IN THE NORTH OF THE SKY

In the north of the sky there is a great and dark cloud
Just about to release a hailstorm.
Mind, children,
Mind, young puppies and kittens,
That your heads are not injured.
Yet these hailstorms are merely pellets of ice.

There were hundreds of magicians
Who tried to prevent storm and hail.
In the course of time
All the ritual hats, altars and ritual garments
Have been blown away by the force of the hailstorms.

Here comes Chogyam disguised as a hailstorm.
No one can confront him.
It is too proud to say Chogyam is invincible,
But it is true to say he cannot be defeated.
Chogyam is a tiger with whiskers and a confident smile.
This is not a poem of pride
Nor of self-glorification:
But he is what he is.
He escaped from the jaw of the lion.

"Clear away," says the commander,
"You are standing on no-man's land.
We do not want to shoot innocent people."
We cannot alter the path of the shell.
Once the bomb is released it knows its duty:
It has to descend.
Chogyam knows the course of his action.
He could be described as a skillful pilot;
He can travel faster than sound,
Faster than thoughts.
He is like a sharp bamboo dagger
That can exterminate pterodactyls
Or fast moving boa constrictors.

I am not interested in playing games.
But what is a game?
It is a game when you shoot pheasants and deer.
You might say this is the game of the politicians,
Rather like the game of mah-jongg
Or that of chess.
Devoid of these games
I will sail straight through
Like a ship sailing through icebergs.
No one can change Chogyam's course,
His great odyssey.

The world waits,
Squirrels in the forest
And those of the moon
Listening in silence
Amidst gently moving clouds
There is a force of silence
With energy
Which can never be interrupted.
With conviction and energy
I send my love to you.
I love you.

23 November 1969
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:41 am

GOODBYE AND WELCOME

"Goodbye"
"Welcome"
"Glad to meet you"
"How do you do" --
All this I hear
Echoing in the cave of social meeting,
And the echo goes on and on
Until it dies in the mountain depths,
Powerless to reflect.
But O World, O Universe,
My journey to the overseas continent needs no copyright,
For it has never been conducted in the same manner.
It is the fresh meeting of man,
The true meeting of living man.
It is the pilgrimage,
The great odyssey which I have never feared,
Since I have not hesitated to flow with the river's current.

With blessings and wisdom I write this poem,
As I am free once and for all
In the midst of friends who radiate true love.
Love to you all.

16 December 1969
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Re: First Thought Best Thought, 108 Poems, by Chogyam Trungp

Postby admin » Wed Jun 17, 2015 4:41 am

METEORIC IRON MOUNTAIN

Meteoric iron mountain piercing to the sky,
With lightning and hailstorm clouds round about it.
There is so much energy where I live
Which feeds me.
There is no romantic mystique,
There is just a village boy
On a cold wet morning
Going to the farm
Fetching milk for the family.
Foolishness and wisdom
Grandeur and simplicity
Are all the same
Because they live on what they are.
There is no application for exotic wisdom,
Wisdom must communicate
to the men of now.
Dharma is the study of what is
And fulfills the understanding of what is here right now.
The ripple expands when you throw the pebble:
It is true, a fact.
That is the point of faith,
Of full conviction,
Which no one can defeat or challenge.

Please, readers,
Read it slowly
So you can feel
That depth of calmness as you read.
Love to you.
I am the Bodhisattva who will not abandon you,
In accordance with my vow.
Compassion to all.

17 December 1969
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