Under this category we share Living the Lojong articles with you.
Lojong slogan 25 says, “Don’t talk about injured limbs.” It’s a short-hand way of reminding us to speak kindly of others. It also reminds us that usually, when someone is doing something worth commenting on, their actions (or our criticism of them) are coming from a…
The 23rd lojong slogan teaches, “Change your attitude, but remain natural.” Even as we’re seeking to train our minds, we don’t need to look for confirmation outside of ourselves. And we especially don’t want to fake it, as if we’re working to show off our progress.…
Lojong slogan 22 says, “Always abide by the three basic principles.” In this one, we hear echoes of the first lojong slogan (“first, train in the preliminaries”). It’s a chance for us to hit refresh and do a check-in. So what are the three basic principles?…
“If you can practice when distracted, you are well trained.” So says the 21st lojong slogan. Of course, this comes only with time. When we first learn something, we get distracted and frazzled so easily. Our minds focus too intently on getting it right. Only with…
The 21st lojong slogan says, “Always maintain only a joyful mind.” Straight-forward enough, right? Except, being constantly joyful sounds impossible, doesn’t it? I was talking with my best friend the other day and we agree: we’re over it. We are over Covid and all the restrictions…
The twentieth lojong slogan says, “Of the two witnesses, hold the principle one.” In other words, trust yourself. Here, the two witnesses are you, and other people. Sometimes we base our understanding of ourselves on what other people say about us. Sometimes they’re right. But sometimes,…
The eighteenth lojong slogan says, “All dharma agrees at one point.” And that point, in one word, is compassion. Another way to say this is egolessness or no self. (Dharma here simply means teachings.) I admit, for a few years, this concept of no self in…
The eighteenth lojong slogan basically tells us that what we practice in life, we practice in death. It reads, “The mahayana instruction for ejection of consciousness at death is the five strengths: how you conduct yourself is important.” It’s so important to die well. And these…
The last of the five strengths is the strength of dedication. As a reminder, the seventeenth lojong slogan says, “Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.” You can read about determination, familiarization, reproach, and seed of virtue in my previous posts. Dedication of merit is…
The fourth strength, reproach, is the courage to accept your faults. As a reminder, the seventeenth lojong slogan says, “Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.” The first three strengths are determination, familiarization, and seed of virtue. The fourth is, trickily enough, called reproach. This…
