Chögyam Trungpa's Path of Shamatha-Vipashyana Meditation

Based upon a seminar presented at Naropa Institute in 1974

Having read through the core classical Texts on meditation in the Theravadin, Mahayana, and Vajrayana traditions we will now look at how the essence of all of those traditions are synthesized into a profound system for practice by VCTR. Over the course of his 17 years in North America CTRs presentations of Shamatha and Vipashyana meditation practice covered the gamut, from the traditional versions as presented by Indian Buddhist masters to the more formless versions presented in the Mahamudra and Maha Ati traditions of Tibet.

In this course we will study how Rinpoche's presentation differs from the traditional one. First the incredibly profound seminar on Shamatha and Vipashyana that he gave at the first summer of Naropa Institute in 1974. This is currently only publicly available on DVDs from Shambhala media, so we will study locally produced transcripts.

If we have time we will then study the Mahamudra sections which he slipped into his so called Hinayana presentation of Shamatha and Vipashyana during the Hinayana sections of various vajradhatu seminaries and now incorporated into the Profound Treasury of Dharma, and Rinpoche’s famous short presentation on Maha Ati meditation recorded by his English student Michael Hookham (now Rigdzin Shikpo).

Core Materials

  1. Course Syllabus

  2. Source Book

  3. Excerpts on Meditation and the Way of Maha Ati

  4. "The Way of Maha Ati"

Supplemental Materials

  1. Class One: Outline of the Satipatthana Sutra and Breathing

  2. Pali Suttas Mentioning Shamatha and Vipashyana

  3. Characteristics and Chart of Shamatha

  4. Mindfulness, Mental Factors, and Samprajanya

  5. Additional Readings

  6. The Stages of Meditation of Shamatha and Vipashyana by Jamgon Kongtrul

  7. Prajnaparamita Upadesa by Aryadeva

  8. "Meditation and the Fourth Moment"

Class Recordings

  1. February 3, 2015

  2. February 10, 2015

  3. February 17, 2015

  4. February 24, 2015

  5. March 10, 2015

  6. March 24, 2015