Being Ordinary
- Introduction
- • ★ Lojong Slogans
- Begin with the beginning
- Treat experiences as dreams
- Examine the nature of awareness
- Don’t get trapped by emptiness
- Rest in the openness of mind
- In the intervals be a conjurer of illusion
- Practice giving and receiving on the breath
- 3 Objects, 3 Poisons, 3 Seeds of Virtue
- Always train with the slogans
- Begin Tonglen with yourself
- Use misfortune as practice
- Drive all blame into a single source
- Be grateful to everyone
- Let confusion awaken and practice emptiness
- Do good, avoid evil, appreciate your lunacy, pray for help
- Every encounter suddenly becomes the path
- Cultivate a serious attitude
- Practice for death as well as for life
- There is only one point of focus
- Be true to the principled one
- Cultivate an ever-present joyful mind
- Proficiency comes when practicing even when distracted
- Always train in the 3 basic elements
- Don’t make a public display of your efforts
- Don’t speak of the faults of others
- Don’t ponder the actions of others
- Don’t save your biggest problem
- Don’t expect results
- Don’t poison yourself
- Don’t be so predictable
- Don’t be mean
- Don’t wait in ambush
- Don’t make everything so painful
- Don’t unload on everyone
- Don’t rush things
- Don’t be devious
- Don’t make gods into demons
- Don’t be complacent of suffering
- Focus on a singe intention
- Remedy obstacles with one intention
- Two activities begin the day end the day
- Be patient either way
- Observe, no matter what
- Face the three challenges
- Adopt three key elements
- Keep tract of the three key elements
- Keep the three inseparable
- Train without bias
- Meditate on your dissatisfactions
- Embrace challenges presented by circumstances
- Right now exert yourself, get it right
- Remain committed and engaged
- Be consistent in your practice
- Be wholehearted
- Find freedom through investigation and close analysis
- Be modest and unassuming
- Practice sympathetic joy
- Be even tempered
In the intervals be a conjurer of illusion
(6)
Your life happens in three intervals. First pre-meditation, the time before your meditation period starts. Second, the mediation period. Third, the post-meditation.
The interval referred to in this slogan is the third part, the post-meditation part. This interval is essential because it is where you interact with the world. Easy to be peaceful and mindful in the primary practice but so much harder in the post, and you spend so much more time in the post-meditation period.
The creativity of spiritual practice lies in transforming your responses to the myriad events that present themselves to you. in reality, these intervals don’t exist. Life is one unified flow. What you do in meditation affects the whole you, just like what happens in post-meditation affects your meditation.
“In the intervals be a conjurer of illusion “ points to a way of acting in post-meditation by applying the previous slogans. Daily life can get messy. Applying mind training makes life and your interactions better. As your post-meditation gets cleaned up, your meditation will become more stable.
You are encouraged to carry the curiosity and playfulness of your meditation into your daily activities. You can practice this at any time. To start, take brief moments to become curious about your awareness. Take this moment to reflect in the transitional moments of life. Getting up from your desk, open the refrigerator, or when putting your coat on to go to work, ask yourself, ‘what does this breath feel like?’ be curious about this moment, then move on. By being mindful of thoughts and sensations as you interact with your life, post-meditation, and meditation, they will more and more blend.
These practices steer you toward healthy behaviors. Watch that you don’t develop any feelings of specialness. Mind Training is a field where the ego and unwarranted piety can subtly assert itself if you are not watchful. The goal here is “Becoming Ordinary.”
What is meant by ‘illusion’ in this sense? Seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, feeling, and thinking all seem to have their source in your mind. But the mind is like a conjures trick. The conjure knows it is an illusion, but it is you who is fooled. Look behind the curtain. You do not have to try to solidify the phenomena of the mind.
Cultivate a mind of a child-like beginner. You don’t know. Make curiosity, enthusiasm, spontaneity, and the ingredients of your spiritual practice and life.
What does “child of illusion” mean? Have you experienced a time when the wonde r of life stormed your awareness bathing you in the feeling of completeness of togetherness? Sudden awesome envelopment of a settled and expansive awareness. If so, then you have the experience of being a “child of illusion”.
Recognize the shifty and imaginary state of the world. Be open-hearted, child-like, and puppy-like. Cultivate this without losing the flavor of your meditative balance. Cultivate a sense of playful wonder as the Zen poet Ikkyu said, (Learn) how to read the love letters sent by the wind and rain, the snow and moon.
Carry the sense of all experience being a magical illusion into your daily life. Look at the thing directly in front of you. Relax enough so that the atmosphere of your experience begins to be seen as you.
Be even tempered ………………………………………..[[201904260449]] Always train in the 3 basic elements ………………………[[201903220513]] Let confusion awaken and practice emptiness ………………..[[201903130526]] Treat experiences as dreams ………………………………[[201903010555]]
Alternate Titles
- In postmeditation be a child of illusion
- In postmeditation practice, be a child of illusion
- Between meditation sessions act as an illusory being
- In the meditation break be a creator of illusion.
- In postmeditation, consider phenomena as illusory
- Play in the dream
03-05-2019 - 4:46 AM ›[[201903050446]] → #slogans