Trungpa at Oxford University? Really?
Trungpa studied at Oxford University, did he? Well now we know. One of the main pillars of Trungpa’s story as told by his followers is that he was extraordinarily brilliant – "flawed but nevertheless brilliant". One of the main pillars of that notion is that he “got himself into Oxford” (see, for example, 2 minutes into the trailer for “Crazy Wisdom”, a filmic eulogy to Trungpa, watchable at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80jGSadccmY ). In the light of his background as a refugee from mysterious Tibet, this appears particularly impressive. The claim has been woven so deeply into the story told by his followers, and repeated so often, that many observers will take its truth for granted. The glamour of being “an Oxford man” was encouraged by Trungpa himself, as witness the elocution lessons he gave to his followers in “how to speak properly”, which is to say to imitate what he thought of as his Oxford accent. Yet on close examination it appears to be a fable. The trut...