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Zen becomes One

Sept 07/07 



“When you meet a person who has inner authentic presence, you find he has an overwhelming genuineness, which might be somewhat frightening because it is so true and honest and real.  You experience a sense of command radiating from the person of inner authentic presence.  Although that person might be a garbage collector or a taxi driver, still he or she has an uplifted quality, which magnetizes you and commands your attention.  This is not just charisma.  The person with inner authentic presence has worked on himself and made a thorough and proper journey.  He has earned authentic presence by letting go, and by giving up personal comfort and fixed mind”  (Trungpa, C.,1986, p.128). 


Warrior:  someone who embodies non-agression, freedom from arrogance, and humbleness (Trungpa, p.91)

“When you are fully gentle, without arrogance and without aggression, you see the brilliance of the universe”.    (Trungpa, p.92)

“One of the key points in discovering drala principle is realizing that your own wisdom as a human being is not separate from the power of things as they are.  They are both reflections of the unconditioned wisdom of the cosmic mirror.  Therefore there is no fundamental separation or duality between you and your world”.  (Trungpa, p. 78)

Authentic Presence   (summarized from Trungpa, p. 133-143) 

Four dignities: Meek, Perky, Outrageous, Inscrutable  


Basically experiencing a humble and gentle state of being.  Resting in a state of simplicity, being uncomplicated and approachable.  The warrior of meek extends a sense of kindness to himself and mercy to others.  Your awareness allows you to refrain from activities that dim the vision of the Great Eastern Sun.  Three stages:  modesty, unconditional confidence, vast mind.  You accomplish every activity without difficulty, and you inspire those around you to do the same.  Symbolized by a tiger in its prime, who moves slowly but heedfully through the jungle, not searching for prey, but self-satisfied and modest.  


Connected with uplifted and youthful energy.  Symbolized by a snow lion who enjoys the freshness of the highland mountains.  Vibrant, energetic and also youthful. Experiencing an uplifted and joyful mind.  A continual state of delight that is not caused by anything.  Comes from the meekness experienced previously.  The warrior of perky is never caught in the trap of doubt, of doubting oneself.  This doubt can manifest itself as anxiety, jealousy, arrogance, or slandering others.  Perky rests in the trust that comes from meekness . “The warrior of perky is both humble and uplifted, as well as fundamentally youthful”.  


Being daring and entering into situations without hope and fear.  But not wild or unreasonable.   Overcoming hope, and fear, and possesses the strength and power of warriorship.  Symbolized by the garuda, a legendary Tibetan bird referred to as the king of birds.  This bird hatches full born from its egg and soars into outer space, expanding beyond any limits.  The mind fathoms the whole of space.  Complete expansion of mind.  Tremendous relaxation, no obstructions, no anxiety, no fear, no imperfection, based on meek and perky, which allows outrageousness.  Because there are no obstacles, you have immense capabilites of working for others.  “You are able to help them, providing whatever is needed.”


The experience of fulfillment and uncontrived, spontaneous achievement. Represented by the dragon, energetic, powerful and unwavering.  Based on the tiger, lion and garuda.  Two categories:  the state of inscrutability and the expression of inscrutability.  A state of being, not static, with humour and playfulness, joyous and methodical.  Solid and relaxed, open and fearless, free from longing and doubt, and at the same time very interested in the worlds.  Self-contained, confident, not requiring feedback,a conviction that does not need confirmation.  “You feel a sense of genuineness, that you are not deceiving yourself or others”.  Continuously sharpening your intelligence, the mind is deadly accurate, “…not because of aggression but because of its basic confidence”.  Manifests itself elegantly, and methodically, implying the truth, but not spelling it out.  Non committal, not from lack of interest, but from lack of need of confirmation.  “..the imprint of the truth is more important that the truth itself.”  “The warrior of truth is not in a rush.”  “…so the action of inscrutability is to create an environment which contains fearlessness, warmth and genuineness”.

“Authentic presence brings meekness, perkiness, outrageousness, and ultimately achieves inscrutability.” 

“Inscrutability comes from giving rather than taking. As you give, you find services available automatically – thus the warrior conquers the world.  Such a notion of generosity brings freedom from inhibition.  Then relaxation develops. The warrior doesn’t have to struggle.”

“Inscrutability is brilliant and fearless because the warrior is guided by the vision of the Great Eastern Sun.  With exertion and delight you can lift yourself up, in order to achieve authentic presence and, ultimately, the state of being of the universal monarch.  By opening yourself and fearlessly giving to others, you can help to create a powerful world of warriors.”

The Shambhala Lineage   (Trungpa, p. 144-150) 

“..the master warrior is humble, very have to go beyond selfishness…his humbleness comes from working with others…patient in working with others….let things assume their own shape in their own time…patience is extending gentleness and faith to others all the time…the master warrior….is able to join heaven and earth….most important, in every acgtivity of his life, in every action he takes, there is always magic–always…wisdom is accessible and extremely simple, but also vast and profound…those who have proclaimed the true goodness…of human beings…have always had access to this realm, in some form…”

“Over the centuries, there have been many who have sought the ultimate good and have tried to share it with their fellow human beings.Those who have been fearless in their search and fearless in their proclamation belong to the lineage of master warriors, whatever their religion, philosophy, or creed.  What distinguishes such leaders of humanity and guardians of human wisdom is their fearless expression of gentleness and genuineness–on behalf of all sentient beings.  We should venerate their example and acknowledge the path they have laid for us.  They are the fathers and mothers of Shambhala, who make it possible, in the midst of this degraded age, to contemplate enlightened society.”

Magic  (Trungpa, p.78-81) 

“…your own wisdom as a human being is not separate from the power of things as they are….there is no fundamental separation or duality between you and your world….there is some principle of magic in everything…the phenomenal world….is fickle and flexible and also merciless…To use an analogy, either you are riding on a donkey, or the donkey is riding on you…the more you struggle to gain the upper hand…the more you become subject to the phenomenal world…the real challenge is to transcend that duality altogether…it is possible to contact energy that is beyond dualism, beyone aggression–energy that is neither for you nor against you.  That is the energy of is connecting the wisdom of your own being with the power of things as they are…if you are able to…you can discover magic in everything.”

Zen becomes One.  Searching for fellow warriors to be.  Waiting for one very special one to arrive.



Trungpa, C.  (1986) Shambala, the Sacred Path of the Warrior.  New York:  Bantam Books

  1. What a lovely post! I greatly enjoy reading it.
    Thank you so much for your sharing. You have set another milestone in highlighting the importance of Authentic Presence and the four dignities: Meek, Perky, Outrageous, Inscrutable as a sacred path of the warrior (educator, I suppose).
    I great appreciate your reference to such deep insights into humanity and leadership. These are important to the spiritual growth of any zealous autonomous learner and educator, given the many distractions in this real and virtual world. This shines.

    I am not sure if these are included in a teacher education curriculum. But when I was a student, there was once a visiting lecturer sharing his insights in the use of philisophy in business. And it was brillant. So, do you think such philosophy be also included into the curriculum of say educational leadership?

    How would teachers and educators having those attributes listed help their learners?

  2. deadvocate permalink

    Hello John. You are a very good teacher. Each statement of yours ends with a question prompting more discussion!

    I think it is a shame that these attributes are not included in an educational leadership curriculum. However, I wonder if they would be understood, as in my opinion one must be ready to understand these things in order to understand them, and maybe not everyone is ready.

    However, if an educator had those attributes, I think the learners would benefit as the teacher would have a better understanding of their role, and the method by which to assist learners.

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