nbmc

The Northfield Buddhist Meditation Center

The Four Dignities and the confidence of the Shambhala Warrior, Dharma Talk by Patrick Dallas

March 6, 2011
10:00 am	to	11:00 am

The four dignities are meek, perky, outrageous, and inscrutable.  All human beings experience the four dignities in some form.  Meekness is basically experiencing a humble and gentle state of being, while perkiness is connected with uplifted and youthful energy.  Outrageousness is being daring and entering into situations without hope and fear, and inscrutability is the experience of fufillment and uncontrived, spontaneous achievement.  Although everyone has some experience of these expressions of energy, unless there is actual discipline and awareness applied, there is no fundamental sense of going forward in your life, and the four dignities are buried as part of your habitual pattern rather than becoming a path toward egolessness.  So fundamentally, the four dignities must be connected to the path of warriorship.

Chogyam Trunpa, Rinpoche
Shambhala, The Sacred Path of the Warrior

The Shambhala (shambhala-mn.org) teachings presented by Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche and Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche are meant for times such as these when people have a difficult time resting in their basic goodness.  Our vision for what the best of human life could be is greatly diminished and we find ourselves in a cocoon that deadens us to our world.  The fears and doubts we experience limit our genuine smile and ability to extend beyond our own self-concern and also lessen our ability to feel and celebrate our inherent connection to the earth and other human beings.  Warriorship in this context is the bravery (using the tool of meditation practice) to look with gentle appreciation and discipline at the details of our experience.  As a result, we rediscover our heart, regain our trust in the basic goodness of being alive, and develop a natural desire to explore the world and benefit others.  The path of the four dignities is meant to help us travel the path of becoming a completely genuine person who is able to connect with the energy of this world.  Each dignity is represented by an animal:  Meek is represented by the tiger, while Perky is represented by the snow lion.  Outrageous is represented by the garuda, while Inscrutable is represented by the dragon.  In this talk we will explore these dignities and how they help develop the authentic presence of the Shambhala warrior!

Patrick Dallas has been a student of Chogyam Trungpa, Rinpoche since 1983 and has been studying with his son, Sakyong Mipham, Rinpoche since the early 1990′s.  These teachers have presented the wisdom of both the Buddhist and Shambhala traditions to many students of diverse backgrounds.  Mr. Dallas attended the 1986 Vajradhatu Seminary with Trungpa, Rinpoche and became a meditation instructor and teacher in the years that followed, finally becoming a Director of Shambhala Training in the early 1990′s.  He has been active in many roles within the Minneapolis and Chicago Shambhala Centers over the years, including Center Director and Head of Practice and Study.  Currently, he is active in teaching Shambhala Training weekend programs and presenting introductory seminars introducing people to meditation and the view of meditation.  Mr. Dallas lives in the Twin Cities and can be reached at pdallas399@q.com

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