Dharma Quote: No Enemy

[image source]

This was the Ocean of Dharma quote a couple of days ago. I've been been meaning to post it before but hadn't gotten around to it.

Chogyam Trungpa's ideas on warriorship have had a huge influence on my conception of growth and self exploration. In all forms of inner exploration, it is crucial to adopt the mind of the warrior as Rinpoche teaches in Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior, one of my favorite dharma books.

NO ENEMY

For the Shambhala warrior, the actual, basic notion of victory is not so much that you have one-upped your enemy and therefore you are victorious. Rather, no enemy exists at all; therefore, there is victory. This is the idea of unconditional warriorship and unconditional victory. In connection with this, the concept of sacredness is that fearlessness is carried into everyday life situations, even brushing your teeth. So fearlessness occurs all over the place, all the time. Fearlessness here is also unconditional. In this way, fearlessness becomes cheerful and very light. There's no need for cowardice or fear at all, or any moments of doubt. Actually what we're talking about is doubtlessness, we could say, rather than fearlessness. There's no doubt. There are no second thoughts. Everything is a complete warrior's world. So here victory is not having to deal with an enemy at all. It is the notion of no enemy. The whole world is a friend.

From OCEAN OF DHARMA: The Everyday Wisdom of Chogyam Trungpa. 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion. Number 119. [Unpublished excerpt from Talk Five of Warriorship in the Three Yanas. August 1978, Rocky Mountain Dharma Center.]

Here is a related quote on being a warrior that I have always liked.

TO EXPERIENCE FEARLESSNESS, IT IS NECESSARY TO EXPERIENCE FEAR

The essence of cowardice is to not acknowledge the reality of fear. Fear takes many forms. We are afraid of death, we are afraid that we can't handle the demands of our life, and there is abrupt fear, or panic, when new situations occur. Fear is expressed as restlessness: how we move, how we talk, how we chew our nails, how we sometimes put our hands in our pockets uselessly. We have to realize our fear and reconcile ourselves with fear. However, acknowledging fear is not a cause for depression. Because we possess such fear, we can potentially experience fearlessness.

FROM Shambhala: The Sacred Path of the Warrior Book and Card Set.

Tags: Dharma Quote, No Enemy, Chogyam Trungpa, Ocean of Dharma, fearlessness, Shambhala, warrior, warriorship, Buddhism, fear, personal growth