The Collected Works of Chögyam Trungpa: Volume Seven by Chögyam Trungpa Page A

sing, socialize: a ritual is the attitude of sacredness brought to events.
He designed institutions, businesses, and our “corporate structure” into embodiments of his sadhana—his song of realization—flipping conventional structures into vehicles for spiritual practice and awakening. As exhilarating as this was, it was also totally claustrophobic: the Vidyadhara’s message was that there is no time off from sacred view. All situations of gathering, meeting, and socializing were demanding opportunities for invocation, transformation, practice, and waking up.
The design activity of the Vidyadhara was a major thread of his skillful means, teaching, and tireless effort to share with us his unique perception. . . . The goal of the Vidyadhara was not to create a perfect world. The goal was to create an environment that could accommodate and nurture the waking state of mind of the student warrior. The goal, as has been said, was the path: to include everything we usually discard as “not spiritual” into the practice. Dharma art is an ongoing journey to recover our ability to see the extraordinary beauty and meaning within ordinary life. 64
     
    I think of Volume Seven as a beacon, drawing people to an appreciation of Rinpoche as an artist. Many people who know him as a Buddhist teacher have no idea that he was involved in the arts at all. Yet this is a singularly important part of his contribution to dharma in America. The Art of Calligraphy is a wonderful showcase for his calligraphy, and Dharma Art brings together his ideas on art, artistic process, and aesthetics, but there is as yet no publication or other vehicle that fully captures and conveys the visual power and full expanse of his artistry. A coffee table book with full-color reproductions of his design work and dharma art installations would be a great step, along with quality color reproductions of his photographs. The completion of a film based on the principles of the Milarepa Film Project would also convey much more about Chögyam the artist, and further exhibits of his work and dharma art installations would both inform and provoke us to look further, not just at his work but more deeply into our own perception. For it is not purely to honor Rinpoche or to enshrine him as a great artist that additional offerings are called for. Rather, his work was intended to challenge us, to cheer us up, and to enliven our path through the world. It would be a great gift to many to see that his work is fully documented, so that it can be passed on, appreciated, and practiced in the future. In this regard, the work of his students is also extremely important. Those who studied closely with him need to be encouraged to discuss and show in greater depth what they learned from him and how they are now applying this in their own work.
    In a sense, Chögyam Trungpa’s work as an artist was among the most revolutionary parts of his teaching. He truly believed that art can change the world. In this belief, he was focused not on the content of art but on how art can alter perception. If you can change the way people see the world, he taught, then they will change the world they live in. In essence, this is the premise of enlightened society. As he said in The Art of Calligraphy:
     
We would like to organize and create a decent society. We could be slightly, positively arrogant by even saying “enlightened society.” . . . You have a tremendous responsibility: the first is to yourself, to become gentle and genuine; the second is to work for others in that same way. It is very important to realize how powerful all of us are. What we are doing may seem insignificant, but this notion of dharma art will be like an atomic bomb you carry in your mind.
     
    Chögyam Trungpa saw the transformation of society as the means to help others on a much greater scale, never ignoring the individual’s place or responsibility, as he makes clear in the quote above, but joining that with the