Notes

1.Find more resources on my website KimRoberts.co.

2.For the sake of simplicity, I use the term yoga to include all of the yogic practices, including meditation.

3.The Pocket Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala, page 4.

4.Rinpoche (pronounced rin-po-chay) literally precious one in Tibetan, is a term of endearment and respect used to address reincarnate Buddhist teachers. When appended to a teacher’s name it denotes respect. It can also be used by itself to speak about the teacher in third person (Rinpoche said…). It is used essentially like we use the word dear in English. When capitalized and appended to a name, it denotes respect for the lama mentioned. It is used in a similar manner as when we might say, “Jonathan, Dear.” When capitalized without a name in front of it, it refers with a sense of familiarity to the teacher being discussed (as in “Rinpoche said he would come this afternoon”), which can lead to endless confusion when there is more than one teacher being discussed. When rinpoche is not capitalized, it is a general term or used when referring to a teacher who is not specifically mentioned, for example, “There was a rinpoche teaching the program.” The easiest way to think of it is like this: Rinpoche, or a rinpoche.

5.If you ever want to read a true adventure tale that reads like fiction, read his autobiography, Born in Tibet, where I got this story. It is the tragic account of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s journey out of Tibet, when he fled the invading Chinese Communists.

6.[See Part 4 Resources.]

7.If you want a fascinating read about this era of Mysore and the development of both Ashtanga and Iyengar yoga, see The Yoga Tradition of the Mysore Palace by N. E. Sjoman.

8.There is an exception to this view. In Vajrayana Buddhism, enlightenment is dependent upon allegiance to a teacher. More on this later…

9.“Winds” refers to the Tibetan word lung. In Sanskrit this is referred to as “prana.” Prana rides the breath, and breath mirrors mind. Breath and mind are two sides of the same coin—they work in tandem. So one way to settle the mind is to settle the breath. This is the way of yoga, working with prana. Sitting meditation takes a different approach by working directly with the mind, citta. So you can approach settling the mind from two different directions; or if you really want an effective means, use both.

10.Wikipedia.

11.A stupa is a reliquary that holds remains of great Buddhist teachers, and also a sacred architectural feature that is a physical representation of the mind of enlightenment.

12.Practitioners of Buddhist tantra, or Vajrayana Buddhism.

13.From Cave in the Snow, Ani Tenzin Palmo, page 130.