Come back for an exclusive scoop on the origins of Shambhala.
— from Part 8.
You made it. This is almost finished. I want to explain the origins of all the “Shambhala” teachings as I saw them and as witnessed by someone who was there and whom I can interview anytime I want; we have become friends. He is a living informant, and I believe (almost) every word he tells me.
Imagine you are sitting in a typical Scottish pub during the 1960s, and a robed monk comes out of nowhere, looks at you, immediately bows, leans in real close and personal-like, and touches your forehead with his. In addition to this strange greeting for the times, this man starts chanting very loudly something that sounds like mumbo-jumbo emitted from a screeching cat. Of course, you might be taken off guard, but it was a time when such strange occurrences were commonplace, as East began meeting West and Desmond met Chögyam Trungpa. Des was intrigued by this slightly stoned-looking monk appearing in that pub, which was a rare occurrence.
The friendship that formed between Desmond and Trungpa was described to me as honest, off the cuff, and organic, with no basis for conversation other than Desmond had been to India many times before that first meeting with Trungpa, and let's say Desmond had been exploring hallucinogenic Hinduism with vigor. Word must have gotten around. You know, truth-seeking communities are closed and very small places. I also know of these kinds of friendships when a person is stripped of one’s culture (or has stepped outside the bounds and constraints of their birth culture) and then meets another in a similar boat, such as with Trungpa and Desmond. Such as myself and all of my friends now.
From experience, I know these friendships tend to be more honest than most, as truths are leached out or have no way of hiding behind layers of tribal protocols that we all follow unconsciously. So, I believe my pal Desmond when he says, "I was Trungpa's drug dealer."
Of course, nothing was shocking about a fresh monk from the East experimenting with drugs on arrival to the West, this being the ‘60s. We have all heard the legends of cocaine and booze binges Trungpa had over the years, but what Desmond told me about his brief friendship might still shock anyone who has followed the saga of Shambhala International LLC over the decades.
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