THE CHÖGYAM TRUNGPA LEGACY PROJECT

April 4, 2007 will mark the twentieth anniversary of the death of Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche [1940-1987]. We are only now beginning to realize the tremendous scope of his personal contribution to the introduction of authentic Buddhist practice and knowledge in the West. His books are considered classics on meditation and the Buddhist path, and he is certainly one of the most important and influential spiritual teachers of the 20th century.

Chögyam Trungpa presented a truly vast view. He proclaimed not only the entire nine yanas [stages] of the Tibetan Buddhist path, but also the Shambhala path of warriorship and compassionate action. His vision was that the Shambhala teachings could apply equally to practitioners from all of the world's traditional religious approaches, providing a fundamental ground on which all religious traditions could flourish. He himself was an artist, a poet, and many would say a warrior-statesman. He practiced and offered innumerable skillful means to wake people up, in fields as diverse as art, poetry, psychology, theater, and politics.

In his honor and in his footsteps, please join in establishing the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project. We envision this project as creating a very large tent of dharma—a space as vast and open as Trungpa Rinpoche's mind, or as close to that as we can project. We want to establish a place for everyone who connects with Rinpoche's legacy, now and in the future, and we invite you to contribute to manifesting that legacy, keeping it alive in the deepest sense of the word.

Chogyam Trungpa himself described this as the proclamation of "open house." At the opening of the first Karma Dzong meditation center in Boulder, Colorado in 1972, he said:

This event is a proclamation of open house. Those who want to practice are invited to take part in meditation, to go through the pain, go through the bliss, whatever you experience. Creating an open house situation is a gesture proclaiming that our aim and object are not related with dogma but on trying to encompass all areas of openness. That knowledge can be found throughout the teachings of Tibetan Buddhism or Buddhism in general—Sanskrit Buddhism, Pali Buddhism, or other schools of Buddhism. Since it is known that all dharmas are marked with emptiness, therefore all dharma is marked with openness, at the same time. There is tremendous room to work with chaos or confusion.

The sole purpose of the Chogyam Trungpa Legacy Project is to promote and support the dharma legacy of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche. The Legacy Project will be an independent non-profit foundation incorporated in the United States, in Canada (as a charitable organization) and in Europe, serving to preserve, disseminate and expand Chögyam Trungpa's legacy. The Legacy Project will support and augment the preservation, propagation and publication of Trungpa Rinpoche's dharma teachings. It will further these goals through support for existing programs as well as the initiation of new projects and programming. This will include the creation of a comprehensive virtual archive and learning community. The project will also help to create the financial base for current and future generations to support this mission. Through this process, the CT Legacy Project will enhance, enrich, and further inspire existing institutions and other manifestations of the Shambhala world Chögyam Trungpa created.

Chögyam Trungpa came out of a largely monastic and nomadic culture, which had many elements that were still medieval. He moved from that into twentieth century life in the West and embraced the changes, the technologies, and the secular culture he encountered. At the time of his death, the revolution in the home and individual use of computers and the internet was just beginning to be felt. Now, we have the opportunity to use these technologies to create a strong on-line presence and community as one of the cornerstones of the Legacy Project. This project will be based, not in one physical location, but will have an international membership. Like the nomadic culture of Tibet, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project could set up its tent, sponsoring programs in any number of locations, and then the caravan can move on. Much of the continuity of the project will be maintained and enhanced through communications and information shared via the internet and other electronic means.

The Legacy Project will supplement existing support for activities of the Shambhala Archives, such as the Audio Recovery Project to digitize the recordings of the Vidyadhara's teachings and make available a complete online inventory of his work. The project may also help to fund and to encourage funding for programs and initiatives already underway at Naropa University to explore the heritage of its founder. These include several new academic courses, an annual series of conferences, and the endowed Vidyadhara Vision Fund, which will support these activities, building toward the possibility of an endowed Chögyam Trungpa chair. Other institutions now and in the future may also sponsor academic research or courses of study which make use of Chogyam Trungpa's writings. In a spirit of open inquiry, the Legacy Project may provide support for these efforts in the form of funding editors, teachers, and students; providing access to relevant documents and syllabi; and/or providing staff and other expert help. This, in turn, could lead to the publication of new scholarly papers or books building upon Rinpoche's original work.

The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project may also initiate new projects that expand access to the teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in ways that complement existing efforts or in completely new ways. For example, a traveling exhibit of his artwork and belongings could be initiated, or a series of summer seminars could be offered at various practice centers. In general, the project will support and present both the prajna and the upaya aspects of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's dharma legacy. That is to say, we will be working with both the knowledge he imparted and the many methods that he created to transmit his wisdom.

Finally, the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will establish an endowment to fund its activities and to ensure that the dharma legacy of Chögyam Trungpa remains available to future generations.

The timing is clearly right for the launch of this endeavor. This October, Naropa University begins its yearly conference on Chögyam Trungpa's life and work. A major documentary film on his life is in the offing. The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa were recently published, and a number of books about his life are emerging. The Chronicles of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche (www.chronicleproject.com) has established a major oral history project on the life and teachings of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. By 2008, all of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's oral teachings-more than 5,000 hours of material-will have been digitized. Carolyn Gimian, founding director of the Shambhala Archives, has agreed to act as the director of the Legacy Project during its inception. Lady Diana Mukpo is involved in the planning and execution of the project. Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche has given his blessing to the project. Many of Chögyam Trungpa's senior students, a number of whom are now teachers, are supporting this endeavor. This is an excellent ground on which to manifest the Big Tent of the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project. We invite you to join in creating something truly worthy of the great gift of teachings which we have received.

How the Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project will evolve depends on all of us. We are now in the early planning stages of this project. Please join us at one of the meetings this fall, or send us your inquiries and suggestions. Individual consultations and meetings can be arranged, if you are unable to attend one of the group meetings.

For more information or to express your interest, please write to: The Chögyam Trungpa Legacy Project c/o