Category: Living the Lojong

The 52nd lojong slogan instructs us, “Don’t misinterpret.” This simple slogan has six specific teachings, the first of which is about patience. Pema Chodron explains it as choosing to have patience when we confront challenges. Today, we’re going to discuss the next two. At the heart,…

The 52nd lojong slogan says, “Don’t misinterpret.” At face value, this means going into a situation with the intention to understand. Actively choose not to be ignorant. Ask questions. Assume you don’t know everything. And don’t allow negativity to skew your understanding. Norman Fischer says, “All…

Of all the points, practicing with bodhicitta is most important. This week we are looking at the third of the main points in the teaching on the 51st lojong slogan, “This time practice the main points.” As a refresher, the first point tells us to focus…

The second point of the 51st lojong slogan is that practice beats understanding. As a reminder, the slogan says, “This time, practice the main points.” The first point is to practice to benefit others more than yourself. This second point says that our practice is more…

“This time, practice the main points” says lojong slogan 51. And because these 3 points are so important, we’re going to take the next 3 weeks to go over them. But first, let’s talk about what it means that this slogan begins with “this time.” In…

Don’t be swayed by external circumstances. That’s the simple teaching of the 50th lojong slogan. Easier said than done, though, right?! As Norman Fischer says, “It’s always something.” Truly, there will always be some kind of reason for us to fall away from our practice. We…

What would it look like if you chose to attend to your resentment? That’s the inquiry behind the 49th lojong slogan. Traditionally, it reads, “Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment.” Now, why would we do a thing like that?! Well, because usually resentment arises at the…

It’s vital to include everything in mind training. Leave nothing out. Literally every single thing that happens to you- everything you think, experience, or observe- can help you grow. And in fact, one of the best gifts of lojong mind training is that it helps us…

The 47th lojong slogan teaches us to keep the three inseparable. These three are body, speech, and mind. In other words, live integrated. The teachings often refer to them as the three gates, because they’re the three ways we interact with the world. Traleg Kyabgon writes,…