SLOGAN 33 • Don’t bring things to a painful point.
We all have lots of faults, and it is easy to get caught up in dwelling on them. It is easy to see all the things that are wrong about everyone and everything else as well. We may feel that we are doing somebody a favor by pointing out to them where they fall short, convincing ourselves that we are only doing so for their own benefit. But focusing on people’s most vulnerable areas, their most painful points, can undermine their confidence and their ability to go forward. Likewise, focusing on our own faults can be equally discouraging. [Read more…] about 33: Don’t Bring Things to a Painful Point
32: Don’t Wait in Ambush
SLOGAN 32 • Don’t wait in ambush.
This slogan is about scheming mind, the mind that never forgets a slight or an insult. Instead it keeps eating away at us, sometimes for years, and even decades. This unforgiving attitude can cause us to cut ourselves off from long-term friends or relatives. It can become so rigid and fixed, that even on our deathbed we refuse to let it go. Many people carry such grudges for life. Beyond simply carrying a grudge, we begin to plot our revenge. We wait patiently for just the right moment, a time when that person has let down their guard, or when they are in a weakened position, and then we let them have it. [Read more…] about 32: Don’t Wait in Ambush
31: Don’t Malign Others
SLOGAN 31 • Don’t malign others.
When we malign someone, our intention is to cause harm. Our words are spiteful and ill-spirited. There is a saying that “sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” But in fact words do have power and they certainly can hurt. [Read more…] about 31: Don’t Malign Others
30: Don’t Be So Predictable
SLOGAN 30 • Don’t be so predictable.
When we work with mind training and the devleopment of bodhichitta, we are interrupting our usual way of going about business. We find that many of our actions are programmed and extremely predictable and we notice that in other people as well. This is why it is so easy to push each other’s buttons. It is why it is so easy to manipulate and to be manipulated. [Read more…] about 30: Don’t Be So Predictable
29: Abandon Poisonous Food
SLOGAN 29 • Abandon poisonous food.
The image of poisonous food suggests an experience that is seemingly nourishing, but in fact can kill you. In terms of slogan practice, this image refers in particular to the poison of ego-fixation and its power to transform the nutritious food of loving-kindness practice into poison. [Read more…] about 29: Abandon Poisonous Food