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The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma #2
The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion: The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma, Volume Two
The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma represents meditation master Chögyam Trungpa’s greatest contribution to Western Buddhism. This three-volume collection presents in lively, relevant language the comprehensive teachings of the Tibetan Buddhist path of the hinayana, mahayana, and vajrayana. This work will resonate with new students of Buddhism as well as the most senior students.
The second volume, The Bodhisattva Path of Wisdom and Compassion, presents the bodhisattva teachings of the mahayana. At this point, having trained and seen the benefits of looking within, the student begins to shift their focus outward to the broader world. Formal entry into the mahayana occurs with taking the bodhisattva vow. Mahayana practitioners dedicate themselves to the service of all sentient beings, aspiring to save them from sorrow and confusion, and vowing to bring them to perfect liberation. This stage of the path emphasizes the cultivation of wisdom through the view and experience of emptiness, or shunyata, in which all phenomena are seen to be unbounded, completely open, ungraspable, and profound. From the ground of shunyata, compassionate activity is said to arise naturally and spontaneously. In addition to mindfulness and awareness, the mahayanist practices lojong, or “mind training,” based on the cultivation of the paramitas, or “transcendent virtues”: generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditation, and prajna, or “knowledge.” As a component of lojong, tonglen, or “sending and taking,” is practiced in order to increase maitri, or loving-kindness. Other topics covered in detail in this volume include bodhichitta, skillful means, Buddha nature and basic goodness, Madhyamaka, the ten bhumis, the three kayas, and more.
590 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2013
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409 people want to read
About the author
Chögyam Trungpa
166 books814 followersVidyadhara Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (Tibetan: ཆོས་ རྒྱམ་ དྲུང་པ་ Wylie: Chos rgyam Drung pa; also known as Dorje Dradul of Mukpo, Surmang Trungpa, after his monastery, or Chökyi Gyatso, of which Chögyam is an abbreviation) was a Buddhist meditation master, scholar, teacher, poet, and artist. He was the 11th descendent in the line of Trungpa tulkus of the Kagyü school of Tibetan Buddhism. He was also trained in the Nyingma tradition, the oldest of the four schools, and was an adherent of the rimay or "non-sectarian" movement within Tibetan Buddhism, which aspired to bring together and make available all the valuable teachings of the different schools, free of sectarian rivalry.
Trungpa was a significant figure in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, founding Naropa University and establishing the Shambhala Training method, a presentation of the Buddhadharma largely devoid of ethnic trappings. In 1963, he moved to England to study comparative religion, philosophy, and fine arts at Oxford University. During this time, he also studied Japanese flower arranging and received an instructors degree from the Sogetsu school of ikebana. In 1967, he moved to Scotland, where he founded the Samye Ling meditation centre.
Shortly thereafter, a variety of experiences—including a car accident that left him partially paralyzed on the left side of his body—led him to give up his monastic vows and work as a lay teacher. In 1969, he published Meditation in Action , the first of fourteen books on the spiritual path published during his lifetime. The following year he married Diana Pybus and moved to the United States, where he established his first North American meditation centre, Tail of the Tiger (now known as Karmê-Chöling) in Barnet, Vermont.
In 1986, he moved to Nova Scotia, Canada, where hundreds of his students had settled. That Autumn, after years of heavy alcohol use, he had a cardiac arrest, and he died of heart failure the following Spring. His legacy is carried on by his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, under the banner of Shambhala International and the Nalanda Translation Committee.
Trungpa was a significant figure in the dissemination of Tibetan Buddhism to the West, founding Naropa University and establishing the Shambhala Training method, a presentation of the Buddhadharma largely devoid of ethnic trappings. In 1963, he moved to England to study comparative religion, philosophy, and fine arts at Oxford University. During this time, he also studied Japanese flower arranging and received an instructors degree from the Sogetsu school of ikebana. In 1967, he moved to Scotland, where he founded the Samye Ling meditation centre.
Shortly thereafter, a variety of experiences—including a car accident that left him partially paralyzed on the left side of his body—led him to give up his monastic vows and work as a lay teacher. In 1969, he published Meditation in Action , the first of fourteen books on the spiritual path published during his lifetime. The following year he married Diana Pybus and moved to the United States, where he established his first North American meditation centre, Tail of the Tiger (now known as Karmê-Chöling) in Barnet, Vermont.
In 1986, he moved to Nova Scotia, Canada, where hundreds of his students had settled. That Autumn, after years of heavy alcohol use, he had a cardiac arrest, and he died of heart failure the following Spring. His legacy is carried on by his son, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, under the banner of Shambhala International and the Nalanda Translation Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
September 3, 2013
Pretty much what it seems like--encyclopedic and pretty awesome. Also I randomly found my copy on the street, which makes it even more awesome; about as close to an engraved invitation as you can get.
February 7, 2013
Such beautiful essential teaching. His words are acute, connected and alive.
November 5, 2025
'As the second of the three vehicles, or yanas, the mahayana is known to be a great and powerful journey. Its power comes from the realization of your own potential; it comes from the realization that you are a worthy person. You have the potential to be without aggression or passion, to be a person without problems. You could be thoroughly, utterly, completely good. You could be a person with basic sanity and goodness. It is possible.'
'The Tibetan word for yana is thekpa, which means "that which lifts you up"... Once you step into the mahayana, you do not have much control. It goes by itself and there is no reverse, none whatsoever... Life itself moves rather than you moving through life. The journey takes you over.'
'The birth of mahayana spirit begins with a combination of distrust and the possibility of good news. It is a very powerful emotional experience, a sweet-sour feeling. That quality of joy and delight is wisdom, or jnana, and the doubt or distrust is compassion. Doubt and compassion are both very direct... There is a sense of something touching your heart, and it is painful.'
'One of the basic principles of mahayana is learning to include others in your world. That process begins with the realization of complete bodhichitta. You do not have to attend to or cultivate the awakened state of being as something new in your system. You realize that you already possess that awakened state of freshness. Anything that you can appreciate and enjoy in your life, such as seeing a beautiful flower, experiencing exquisite situations, or hearing beautiful language, teachings, or music, comes out of that awakened state.'
'True bodhichitta combines spaciousness, sympathy, and intelligence; or shunyata, compassion (karuna), and knowledge (prajna). In order to be exposed to intelligence, or prajna, you have to understand that it is not worth struggling, that you have to give up ego fixation. In order to be exposed to sympathy, or compassion, you have to give up territoriality, possessiveness, and aggression. And in order to relate with spaciousness, or emptiness, you have to realize that there is no point trying to use metaphysical analogies or the language of nonreference point as another reference point; you just need to relate with yourself.'
'The notion of bodhichitta is that we have the faculties to experience the world at its best. We can see things beautifully, we can experience things beautifully. The only requirement is that we let go of all our struggling and searching, all of our shopping. When we do so, we might be left feeling as if we have given something up. But as we relax further, more and more, we realize that our appreciation is growing. It becomes a natural experience to have an appreciation of the beauty of things as they are.'
'Bodhichitta is absolute nonaggression, the epitome of nonaggression. It is peace without reward, and openness without feedback. You are simply open. The quality of gentleness and peace in the bodhisattva's approach is absolutely devastating.'
'With ultimate bodhichitta there is no world outside, no world separate from yourself. From the point of view of ego there is a total nonexistence of personality. That ultimate understanding of egolessness comes from your vipashyna experience becoming more outrageous. You are more willing to be brave, heroic, and crazy.'
'Love is very noble, elegant, beautiful, resourceful, and utterly visionary. It is the starting point or foundation of the mahayana.'
'Tenderness is what keeps you functioning throughout your whole life. Tenderness makes you a genuine and lovable person. Tenderness is magnetic; it causes the softening up of your environment altogether. Tenderness brings about wakefulness in yourself and others. It is what inspires you to comb your hair and wear clothes. We often forget such simple logic, but because of tenderness, you are capable of talking to others and working with them. You are capable of opening and closing a door, or taking a walk in the fresh air. You are capable of smiling. Those are all aspects of tenderness or bodhichitta.'
'The reason bodhisattvas can actually work so hard to relate with reality is because of that quality of delightfulness and humor. There is a willingness to be an adolescent rather than a grown-up. A sense of humor runs through all three yanas completely.'
'Skillful means are naturally accomplished by allowing yourself to relate with life in general without strategy or speed...'
'The mahayana brings greater vision and greater action. Heroism, celebration, and excitement are all solidly a part of it. You begin to like the world around you. You are aware of the activities and phenomena happening during your meditation and postmeditation experience, and you develop an appreciation for the phenomenal world. You begin to like your environment and, as egoless as you may be, you begin to like yourself. The appreciation of the world outside is called compassion, and the appreciation of yourself is called maitri. Unless those two are working together, it is a dead end.'
'The point is simply that you just keep going. Once you keep going, there will be messages coming to you from the universe about how far you are or are not going. You don't need to talk to your teacher, particularly... As long as you are open, you find reference points everywhere. Any confusion you experience has within it the essence of wisdom automatically. So as soon as you detect confusion, it is the beginning of some kind of message. You should not be terrified of your confusion, but you should look into it further. You should push into it instead of closing yourself off. In that way, you just keep opening and unfolding, like flowers in the summertime.'
'You should not take time off from your confusion, or from the inconvenience or embarrassment of seeing that confusion. It is better not to stop, for you are about to see something. If you stop, you stop seeing, so you have to keep going. Obviously, what you see may not be the greatest thing, but it is not necessarily the most terrible, either. Whatever you see has its own openings and unfoldings. In any case, it will be a great contribution to your path. And gradually, stich by stitch, step-by-step, you will finally become a good bodhisattva.'
'The Tibetan word for yana is thekpa, which means "that which lifts you up"... Once you step into the mahayana, you do not have much control. It goes by itself and there is no reverse, none whatsoever... Life itself moves rather than you moving through life. The journey takes you over.'
'The birth of mahayana spirit begins with a combination of distrust and the possibility of good news. It is a very powerful emotional experience, a sweet-sour feeling. That quality of joy and delight is wisdom, or jnana, and the doubt or distrust is compassion. Doubt and compassion are both very direct... There is a sense of something touching your heart, and it is painful.'
'One of the basic principles of mahayana is learning to include others in your world. That process begins with the realization of complete bodhichitta. You do not have to attend to or cultivate the awakened state of being as something new in your system. You realize that you already possess that awakened state of freshness. Anything that you can appreciate and enjoy in your life, such as seeing a beautiful flower, experiencing exquisite situations, or hearing beautiful language, teachings, or music, comes out of that awakened state.'
'True bodhichitta combines spaciousness, sympathy, and intelligence; or shunyata, compassion (karuna), and knowledge (prajna). In order to be exposed to intelligence, or prajna, you have to understand that it is not worth struggling, that you have to give up ego fixation. In order to be exposed to sympathy, or compassion, you have to give up territoriality, possessiveness, and aggression. And in order to relate with spaciousness, or emptiness, you have to realize that there is no point trying to use metaphysical analogies or the language of nonreference point as another reference point; you just need to relate with yourself.'
'The notion of bodhichitta is that we have the faculties to experience the world at its best. We can see things beautifully, we can experience things beautifully. The only requirement is that we let go of all our struggling and searching, all of our shopping. When we do so, we might be left feeling as if we have given something up. But as we relax further, more and more, we realize that our appreciation is growing. It becomes a natural experience to have an appreciation of the beauty of things as they are.'
'Bodhichitta is absolute nonaggression, the epitome of nonaggression. It is peace without reward, and openness without feedback. You are simply open. The quality of gentleness and peace in the bodhisattva's approach is absolutely devastating.'
'With ultimate bodhichitta there is no world outside, no world separate from yourself. From the point of view of ego there is a total nonexistence of personality. That ultimate understanding of egolessness comes from your vipashyna experience becoming more outrageous. You are more willing to be brave, heroic, and crazy.'
'Love is very noble, elegant, beautiful, resourceful, and utterly visionary. It is the starting point or foundation of the mahayana.'
'Tenderness is what keeps you functioning throughout your whole life. Tenderness makes you a genuine and lovable person. Tenderness is magnetic; it causes the softening up of your environment altogether. Tenderness brings about wakefulness in yourself and others. It is what inspires you to comb your hair and wear clothes. We often forget such simple logic, but because of tenderness, you are capable of talking to others and working with them. You are capable of opening and closing a door, or taking a walk in the fresh air. You are capable of smiling. Those are all aspects of tenderness or bodhichitta.'
'The reason bodhisattvas can actually work so hard to relate with reality is because of that quality of delightfulness and humor. There is a willingness to be an adolescent rather than a grown-up. A sense of humor runs through all three yanas completely.'
'Skillful means are naturally accomplished by allowing yourself to relate with life in general without strategy or speed...'
'The mahayana brings greater vision and greater action. Heroism, celebration, and excitement are all solidly a part of it. You begin to like the world around you. You are aware of the activities and phenomena happening during your meditation and postmeditation experience, and you develop an appreciation for the phenomenal world. You begin to like your environment and, as egoless as you may be, you begin to like yourself. The appreciation of the world outside is called compassion, and the appreciation of yourself is called maitri. Unless those two are working together, it is a dead end.'
'The point is simply that you just keep going. Once you keep going, there will be messages coming to you from the universe about how far you are or are not going. You don't need to talk to your teacher, particularly... As long as you are open, you find reference points everywhere. Any confusion you experience has within it the essence of wisdom automatically. So as soon as you detect confusion, it is the beginning of some kind of message. You should not be terrified of your confusion, but you should look into it further. You should push into it instead of closing yourself off. In that way, you just keep opening and unfolding, like flowers in the summertime.'
'You should not take time off from your confusion, or from the inconvenience or embarrassment of seeing that confusion. It is better not to stop, for you are about to see something. If you stop, you stop seeing, so you have to keep going. Obviously, what you see may not be the greatest thing, but it is not necessarily the most terrible, either. Whatever you see has its own openings and unfoldings. In any case, it will be a great contribution to your path. And gradually, stich by stitch, step-by-step, you will finally become a good bodhisattva.'
July 7, 2013
Just like "individual liberation" I will be reading this for a long long time.
April 17, 2014
An overview of Trungpa's views on things related to the Mahayana tradition. Generally has some good ideas but is not particularly coherent, nor is it particularly practical or in-depth.
June 8, 2020
The second volume of the edited compilation of Chögyam Trungpa’s seminary teachings entitled “The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma” (Chögyam is the portmanteau of Chökyi Gyatso, which means “Ocean of Dharma”). This volume focuses on Mahayana, laying out its central notions systematically - awakened heart-mind (bodhichitta), buddha nature (tathāgatagarbha), emptiness (shunyata), the 6 transcendent perfections (paramitas), the 59 mind training slogans (lojong), and the 10 stages of the bodhisattva path (bhumis). These teachings represent the heart of Buddhism, building on the basics of mindfulness and awareness (shamatha and vipashyana), expanding the vision from individual liberation from suffering to also helping others to do so with wisdom and compassion, but without any moralistic or superficial subtexts. The book ends on the realization of prajna paramita (the transcendent perfection of wisdom) which is also the starting point for further, tantric practices to be covered in the third and final volume of the trilogy.
This is a very thorough, comprehensive, clearly articulated, and accurately structured exposition of the Buddhist teachings, which emphasize “cutting through” the ego and its projections to achieve the twofold egolessness of the self (inner world of thoughts and emotions) and the “other” (that is, all worldly phenomena). An Ocean of Dharma, indeed.
I find it to be extremely relevant in our times of racial conflict, ecological disaster, rising inequality, polarization and division of the identity politics, and other social processes. And it is luminous with compassion and wisdom, highly applicable on the personal level, as it should be. Mahayana is where the strict and disciplined approach of Hinayana leads to relaxation and letting go - after all, there is no “there” there, and so no need to take ourselves so-so seriously. The luminosity of the natural mind shines forth.
This is a very thorough, comprehensive, clearly articulated, and accurately structured exposition of the Buddhist teachings, which emphasize “cutting through” the ego and its projections to achieve the twofold egolessness of the self (inner world of thoughts and emotions) and the “other” (that is, all worldly phenomena). An Ocean of Dharma, indeed.
I find it to be extremely relevant in our times of racial conflict, ecological disaster, rising inequality, polarization and division of the identity politics, and other social processes. And it is luminous with compassion and wisdom, highly applicable on the personal level, as it should be. Mahayana is where the strict and disciplined approach of Hinayana leads to relaxation and letting go - after all, there is no “there” there, and so no need to take ourselves so-so seriously. The luminosity of the natural mind shines forth.
July 17, 2017
Just a disclaimer, I probably won't give Trungpa anything less than 5 stars. Haven't felt the need. But anyways, this is just a massive and full introduction to the Mahayana, in the way only Trungpa (and the editor) can describe. Trungpa is known for his ability to translate things clearly for the Western audience, and this book is no exception. It is not an introduction by any means: this book is a full coverage of everything one could ask for with regards to Mahayana practice.
This is a book well worth reading and rereading at different stages of practice. I can see myself reading this on an annual basis.
This is a book well worth reading and rereading at different stages of practice. I can see myself reading this on an annual basis.
October 12, 2021
Yes, the dates read on this are correct. Almost two years! This was a book club read, we met every two weeks (with breaks in the summer, usually) and discussed a chapter or two. The discussions were profoundly helpful to my reading of this book. So all I can say is that if you are interested in Mahayana Buddhism, there is a wealth of dharma here. It is worth grappling with.
October 2, 2024
Great insights with this book. Very powerful.
It’s a bit dense, but it made for a great audiobook
It’s a bit dense, but it made for a great audiobook
September 6, 2018
Mahayana landscape at its best
Nothing compares to this comprehensive second of three volumes describing the path of the three Yanas. This is an astonishing compilation.
Nothing compares to this comprehensive second of three volumes describing the path of the three Yanas. This is an astonishing compilation.
March 3, 2015
totally OZZUM series....
May 8, 2017
Lovely teachings on Mahayana, unveiling, deepening and cultivating boddhichitta to awaken limitless compassion. Includes also Lojong Teachings with commentaries also from Chögyam
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews