ZenLife Blog
The Four Dignities: Path of a Spiritual Warrior (Bodhisattva)
Some years ago, I did a series of four paintings on what are known in the Shambhala tradition as “the four dignities”. This tradition which was developed by one of my teachers, Chogyam Trungpa, used these rich metaphors to represent the path of a spiritual warrior (bodhisattva). I am writing this blog to share these paintings and some of the teachings the accompany them…
In the Buddhist tradition, the path of the Bodhisattva is well laid out. In the Shambhala teachings Chogyam Trungpa spoke of this as the path of a spiritual warrior. Part of this practice uses four metaphors known as the Four Dignities. These are the Tiger of Meekness, the Snow Lion of Perkiness, the Garuda of Outrageousness and the Dragon of Inscrutability.
“waking up” by Ann Ehringhaus
I had a dream in Krakow.
I was sharing acupressure points
with a Zen meditation group
as we travelled to Auschwitz.
They were the points of grief . . .
An Appropriate Response – The Four Dignities
In the Buddhist tradition, the path of the Bodhisattva is well laid out. In the Shambhala teachings Chogyam Trungpa spoke of this as the path of a spiritual warrior. Part of this practice uses four metaphors known as the Four Dignities. These are the Tiger of Meekness, the Snow Lion of Perkiness, the Garuda of Outrageousness and the Dragon of Inscrutability. These four metaphors can help guide us in discerning an appropriate response.