Picture of Chögyam Trungpa

Chögyam Trungpa

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The Unconditional Possibility of Cheerfulness

There is a spark of goodness that exists even before you think. We call this the primordial dot. We are worthy of that. Everybody possesses the unconditional possibility of cheerfulness, which is not connected purely with either pain or pleasure. You have an inclination: in the flash of one second, you feel what needs to be done. It is not a product of your education; it is not scientific or logical; you simply pick up on the message. And then you act: you just do it.

That basic human quality of suddenly opening up is the best part of human instinct. You know what to do right away, on the spot–which is fantastic. That is what we call the dot, or basic goodness and unconditional instinct. When you have an instinct of the real instinct, you don’t think: you just feel, on the spot. Basic trust is knowing that there is such a thing as that spark of basic goodness. Although you might be in the worst of the worst shape, still that goodness does exist.

From “Working with Early Morning Depression,” in Great Eastern Sun: The Wisdom of Shambhala, page 27.

Visit the Chogyam Trungpa Digital Library to access more than 550 audio and video recordings. Access to the recordings from Great Eastern Sun will be added very soon!

 

Chogyam Trungpa, early 1970s. Photographer Unknown.

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