The Myth of Freedom
and the Way of Meditation
By Chögyam Trungpa
“The attainment of enlightenment from ego’s point of
view is extreme death.... It is the ultimate and final
disappointment. Treading the spiritual path is painful. It is a
constant unmasking, peeling off of layer after layer of masks. It
involves insult after insult.”
The Myth of Freedom was published shortly after Cutting Through Spiritual
Materialism in the mid-1970s. Like Cutting Through, it
presents a grand tour of the Buddhist teachings in essential form,
from Hinayana to Mahayana to Vajrayana. And
like Cutting Through, it presents a ferociously uncompromising
view of the genuine spiritual path that is strangely
comforting. Having abandoned hopes and fantasies of spirituality,
having completely surrendered to what is, we can view any state of
mind and anything that happens to us as workable. Both books should be
required reading for anyone considering commitment to a spiritual
tradition, and for anyone forgetful of what commitment means.
Granted these similarities, The Myth of Freedom covers
significantly different ground from Cutting Through. It is a
bit more diffuse. The five elements / five Buddha Families are not mentioned here, but there is an extensive
commentary on the ten paramitas in relation to the ten bhumis. Another section details how the nature of devotion
and the teacher-student relationship changes through the different
yanas. The sections on sitting meditation, working with emotions, and practicing with daily life situations
are full of pithy, practical advice not found elsewhere in Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s writings. The chapter called
‘Love’ is perhaps the most useful four pages about
romantic relationship to be found anywhere outside Ngak’chang Rinpoche and Khandro
Déchen’s writings. Anyone interested in the Khandro Pawo
Nyida Mélong Gyüd teachings of Aro should check out this short
essay.
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