Under this category we share Living the Lojong articles with you.
Seed of virtue is the third of the five strengths that make up the condensed heart instructions of lojong slogan seventeen. (You can read about the first two, determination and familiarization in my previous posts.) Norman Fischer writes, “Seed of virtue is the recognition of our…
The seventeeth lojong slogan teaches us to “practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.” The first strength is determination, and the second is familiarization. In other word, it’s our habits. We know our day runs by our habits. If we want to quit a habit,…
The seventeeth lojong slogan says, “Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions.” These strengths, or forces, as Jamgon Kongtrul calls them, give us everything we need to grow on this path of service and enlightenment. And they’re called heart instructions because that’s where they come…
Whatever you meet is the path. That’s the translation Zen teacher Norman Fischer gives to the 16th lojong slogan, “Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.” Fischer writes, “We human beings are always doing spiritual practice, whether we know it or not.” This may feel strange,…
“Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join with meditation.” No matter what, life includes meeting the unexpected. We can’t get around life’s little (and big) surprises. And even though this happens to us every day, we often act like it’s a surprising personal affront every time. The 16th…
Sometimes, we need to pray for help. The fifteenth lojong slogan mentions four practices that are the best methods. They include accumulating merit, laying down evil deeds, and feeding our ghosts. The final one is to pray for help. More traditionally, we hear it described as…
In the four practices, the third is commonly described as, “Feed your ghosts.” As a refresher, we’re still working with the fifteenth lojong slogan, “Four practices are the best of methods.” The first is accumulation of merit and the second is laying down evil deeds. In…
The fifteenth lojong slogan says, “Four practices are the best of methods.” The first method is accumulating merit. The second is to lay down evil deeds. This one’s pretty obvious. Quite simply, be open to seeing where you may be wrong. And when you realize it,…
The fifteenth lojong slogan is: four practices are the best of methods. These four practices are: Accumulate merit. Lay down evil deeds. Offer to the dons. Make an offering to the dharmapalas This is when it’s very obvious that I’m not fully Buddhist (I’m what my…
Have you ever considered confusion to be a form of protection? Yeah, me neither. But that’s exactly what the fourteenth lojong slogan suggests: Seeing confusion as the four kayas is unsurpassable shunyata protection. And listen, I know what you’re thinking. It is the first week of…
