SLOGAN 37 • Don’t make gods into demons.
It is possible to take the very best and turn it into the very worst. When we first encounter the dharma and the mind training teachings, we are be so open and excited. It is so refreshing to encounter practical guidelines for developing wisdom and compassion and to find teachings we can actually apply in our everyday activities. But the more we practice and the more we become familiar with the teachings, the more tempted we are to close down and check out. Instead of appreciating the power of the practice, we begin to insert the heavy hand of ego. [Read more…] about 37: Don’t Make Gods into Demons
38: Don’t Seek Others’ Pain as the Limbs of Your own Happiness
SLOGAN 38 • Don’t seek others’ pain as the limbs of your own happiness.
It is embarrassing to realize how much of our own happiness seems to be based on the suffering of other beings. Even worse, we find that at times we go so far as to hope that someone else suffers, because we know that we will benefit from their pain. We hope that someone else will lose, so that we can win. We develop a kind of dog-eat-dog, or your-pain-my gain mentality. [Read more…] about 38: Don’t Seek Others’ Pain as the Limbs of Your own Happiness
39: All activities should be done with one intention
SLOGAN 39 • All activities should be done with one intention.
It seems that every day we fall willy-nilly into a never-ending string of activities. They seem to come at us from outside, without our necessarily having anything to do about it. We keep busy with one thing after another from morning until night. [Read more…] about 39: All activities should be done with one intention
40: Correct all Wrong with One Intention
SLOGAN 40 • Correct all wrongs with one intention.
This slogan is about the power of establishing the attitude of mind training as a kind of underlying habit of mind. As in the previous slogan, it is about the power of our intention.
On the spiritual path we encounter both external and internal obstacles to practice and to awakening. Sometimes you are inspired and other times you are not. Even when you are inspired to practice, all sorts of external obstacles arise: you suddenly get sick, you need to attend to a family crisis, your job leaves us exhausted, etc. [Read more…] about 40: Correct all Wrong with One Intention
41: Two Activities: One at the Beginning, One at the End
SLOGAN 41 • Two activities: one at the beginning, one at the end.
When you start your day, you could actually take a moment to think about what you are doing. Instead of just launching in, you could begin properly, with something in mind beyond just getting through your to-do list. In particular, you could look on each day as an opportunity to practice lojong, or mind training. [Read more…] about 41: Two Activities: One at the Beginning, One at the End
42: Whichever of the two occurs, be patient
SLOGAN 42 • Whichever of the two occurs, be patient.
What happens to your practice when you extremely happy, when things are going especially well? And what happens to your practice when things are going horribly, and you are not doing well at all? That is what this slogan is about, and the advice is to be patient in either case. [Read more…] about 42: Whichever of the two occurs, be patient
43: Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
SLOGAN 43 • Observe these two, even at the risk of your life.
The two primary vows or commitments of the Buddhist path are the refuge vow and the bodhisattva vow. More generally, the two primary commitments one makes on the spiritual path are to work on oneself and to help other beings. These two vows provide fundamental guidelines for how to approach your practice and your daily life. [Read more…] about 43: Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
44: Train in the Three Difficulties
SLOGAN 44 • Train in the three difficulties.
Mind training or lojong is a way to uncover and develop confidence in our own inherent goodness and that of all beings. It is a way to cultivate loving-kindness. You might say that is the good news. But the way to go about that is by going directly to the dark side, to what prevents that awakened quality from manifesting, which is not an easy task. You might say that is the bad news. [Read more…] about 44: Train in the Three Difficulties
45: Take on the three principal causes
SLOGAN 45 • Take on the three principal causes.
It is good to be aware of the convergence of circumstances that makes it possible for you to practice the dharma. By attending to the underpinnings that support you on the path, you can create and maintain a strong base for moving forward. You can develop greater appreciation for your good fortune, and not take it for granted. [Read more…] about 45: Take on the three principal causes
46: Pay heed that the three never wane
SLOGAN 46 • Pay heed that the three never wane.
Our initial inspiration to study with a teacher or to practice the dharma has a tendency to fizzle away over time. It is one thing to enjoy a burst of enthusiasm, but it is quite another to keep going after the initial excitement wears off. But that is exactly the point when you begin to practice for real. [Read more…] about 46: Pay heed that the three never wane