The Vidyadhara Trungpa Rinpoche

Trungpa Rinpoche was born in Tibet and raised in the strict monastic tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. In 1970, after fleeing Tibet following the Chinese invasion, he came to America. At that time many people were seeking a spiritual path, and Trungpa Rinpoche spent the next seventeen years of his life travelling and teaching western students about meditation and spiritual practice.

Although he was raised in strict monastic tradition of Buddhism in Tibet, he was very broad minded. He was able to appreciate the fundamental sacredness of life and the lives of people from many traditions. He not only followed the Buddhist path, but also explored many different aspects of life, which included an interest in the visual arts, poetry and so forth. He also possessed uncanny insight into our deepest fears and addressed many of them in his teachings: the speed and alienation of modern life, depression, materialism, aggression, anger, and anxiety, and a crippling lack of self worth.

Trungpa also held an unshakeable belief in human goodness and our ability to create enlightened human society. His most ardent message is that each of us is a genuine and powerful individual who can help this world. He challenged us to embrace life and to find the spark of sacredness and health in every moment.

Excerpt from Meditation in Action Chapter I.

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