Tralam-mé Q&A (1)

Q Rinpoche, do you have awareness of people’s tralam-mé?

R Yes – but it is not necessary. You can know the nature of your tralam-mé without need of asking anyone else.

Q So people just have to find out through their practice?

R There is nothing particularly mysterious about this – people do not have to be clairvoyant. People just need to look at their lives and how they are. And of yourself – you know by your own history – without need of asking us about it. If you seem to fall out of love easily—without being unduly offended—then you know that your tralam-mé is adulterated. If you become easily disenchanted with romantic partners – then you know that your tralam-mé is adulterated.

Q So loss of tralam-mé could be linked with self-preservation in a sense?

R It could look like that – but I would say it had more in common with nihilist cynicism. Obviously it is not useful to remain in relationship with an untrustworthy, selfish, abusive, or adulterous person – that is another matter entirely. Loss of tralam-mé has more to do with fault-finding – when one’s love evaporates due to the other person simply being human and experiencing life’s normal vicissitudes. One should be able to experience occasional instances of less-than-lovely behaviour from one’s partner without shifting the primary nature of one’s affection. Tralam-mé allows us to experience—if only reflectively—the non-dual aspect of our partner – and due to this we are able to make allowances. When tralam-mé begins to become eroded – we find ourselves capable of lessening tolerance, whilst expecting a higher degree of tolerance from the other.

Q I think I need further clarification of tralam-mé – I mean, what it is exactly – can you explain what the word means in Tibetan?

R Tralam-mé is a strange word. In ordinary terms it pertains to ‘anything that happens in the sky’ – weather conditions, precipitation, rainbows, the Aurora Borealis, asteroids, meteor showers – it is an interesting word. We do not have a word in English that includes ‘everything in the sky’; we have atmospheric conditions, but that term does not include meteor showers or the Aurora Borealis. Tralam-mé includes everything that happens in the sky – seeing the stars in the sky, the moon in the sky, visions in the sky, whatever happens in the sky.

The words ‘khra’ on its own means ‘eagle’. Lam means ‘context’, ‘territory’, ‘way’, or ‘natural unfoldment’. ‘Mé’ means ‘fire’. When ‘khra’ is paired with the word ‘khro’—meaning ‘ferocity’—then ‘passion’ is indicated. When ‘khra’ is paired with the word ‘rGya’—meaning ‘vastness’—then ‘diverse colours’ are designated. When ‘khra’ is paired with the word ‘lhem’—meaning ‘instantaneous’—it means ‘glittering’. Thus one can see that many meanings are implied which portray colours and radiance in space.

That is what tralam-mé means in ordinary terms. In terms of Dzogchen long-dé, tralam-mé is used in the context of vajra romance – and thus we translate the term as ‘poetic turbulence’. Poetic turbulence is the ‘romantic energetic’ which is sparked by the capacity for realisation in two individuals.

This does not just exist as an effective interface between male-female romantic couples; it exists between everyone, to one degree or another. It affects how people get on or collaborate with each other. We call it ‘poetic turbulence’ as an ‘emptiness and form’ term: ‘poetic’ is the form aspect and ‘turbulence’ is the emptiness aspect. Tralam-mé is the mode in which people accidentally rhyme with each other. This is why we use the word poetry. Poetry is not part of the word tralam-mé; but ‘poetic turbulence’ is a pragmatic, descriptive translation of tralam-mé. When people fall in love with each other, they rhyme – their respective tralam-més rhyme. In terms of diluted tralam-mé – this is caused by adultery. Adultery means watering down or weakening; so if one has engaged in multiple relationships in the same time frame, one weakens or adulterates one’s tralam-mé. One then finds it harder to rhyme, and one therefore moves into assonance. Assonance means rhyming with the vowel . . .

Q Does this also happen when we fantasise? Is that why we have to be careful of our fantasies?

R Yes. You find that, in a broader sense, tralam-mé will affect how you are with anybody. Apart from adultery, it could be the betrayal of friends. One then becomes a person who does not like anybody overmuch; and nobody likes us either. If you are not loyal in friendship, it also has the effect of adulterating the tralam-mé – but to a lesser degree. One finds oneself gradually having less sympathy with anyone, and consequently fewer people have sympathy with us. We become societally marginalised persons. We find that with people who are sufficiently self-centred – that they have fewer and fewer friends. They find people harder and harder to like. They find fault with everyone.

Q Then that’s a way to check your tralam-mé at times?

R Yes. If you find it easy to make friends – and keep them. If you do not find it difficult to fall in love – then you have a strong tralam-mé.

Q It sounds like tralam-mé is significantly more important than personality in the interaction of people.

R Well yes – but it is bound up with personality. Personality and tralam-mé reflect each other.

Q Outside of regular practice, what can be done to repair tralam-mé?

R Nothing.

Q Nothing?

R Nothing – apart from liberation. It is a phenomenon which cannot be repaired apart from rebirth. Rebirth repairs tralam-mé. You can make sure it is not further eroded; but it is not repairable by any means.

Q So tralam-mé is of one life-time?

R It comes with the body as a fresh arena of energetic pattern-absorbency – that is to say it is pre-pattern potentiality. It is a dimension which responds to pattern and which allows pattern to arise in relation to other strongly colourful patterns.

Q Does it relate to bodhicitta?

R Yes – but ‘bodhicitta’ in terms of the way in which bodhicitta is expressed within Vajrayana – and particularly within Dzogchen long-dé.

Q But bodhicitta can be developed, can’t it? So then how is it that bodhicitta doesn’t affect tralam-mé?

R Bodhicitta functions far more pervasively than tralam-mé. Tralam-mé is partially physical – it is energetic. Bodhicitta can be completely intangible, and therefore it can be developed through intangible practices. Tralam-mé is exhaustible. Many other things in life are exhaustible – including life itself. It is like inherited wealth. It is the inherited wealth of re-birth. As with inherited wealth – one does not have to work to obtain it. Once it is lost however, there is no way to regain it. One can work—naturally—but if one has to work for wages . . . wealth is unlikely. Tralam-mé then, is a capacity we have and one which can be developed – just as wealth can be made to gain even greater wealth. I do not wish this to sound like an advertisement for capitalism [laughs] but there are certain similarities. The difference between inherited wealth and the wealth of tralam-mé is that everyone is born with the capacity for tralam-mé.

Q So, Rinpoche – if a person has adulterated the tralam-mé, they can develop bodhicitta.

R Yes.

Q What then would be the best way to practise having lost the capacity of function in terms of tralam-mé?

R One could simply forget about attempting romantic relationship in terms of the practice of vajra romance – and live as a solitary yogi or yogini. One could become a monk or nun.