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
There is only one point of focus
(19)
The original slogan is: “All dharma agrees at one point.”
The ‘one point’ captures what it means to train the mind. You train your mind by eliminating your self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance. The source of your self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance is the ego, and the ego is an illusion.
To open up to reality. The reality of what just what is.
The amount of self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance is a measure of practice and your level of maturity. Too much and you come off as an arrogant asshole, too little and you can’t function. Find a balance is hard work and you need less self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance than you think. This work gives purpose to the practice. A real measurable outcome. A target. “On an optimistic note, if we find that our practice results in decreased your self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance, you can recognize the authenticity of your practice. Practicing in this way distinguishes a true dharma practitioner from one who is merely practicing a facsimile.” [^@Wallace:2001aa] Try, try, try.
The ego is a distraction. It distracts you from the value available in mindfulness. Out ego, tendencies have developed over our lifetimes influenced by our genes and our social and cultural environment. Over this time, you’ve built defenses that keep the fortress of your ego insulated from how things are, and when reality turns out different, you freak out. You lose control and fear the world is falling. Unfortunately, you see a lot of support for this freaking out behavior from the media.
The way around this is to open up. Not be so stuck on yourself. Learn to be more tender; learn to be a beginner. Give up self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance and integrate this work into daily life.
“… there is no target for the trio of study, reflection, and meditation to destroy other than this.” [^@Jinpa:2011aa] Here Thupten Jinpa, quoted from his 2011 book Essential mind training: Tibetan wisdom for daily life is referring to destroying your self-cherishing attitude and self-grasping ignorance.
Don’t poison yourself ……………………………………[[201903280559]] Drive all blame into a single source ………………………[[201903110656]] Be true to the principled one …………………………….[[201903190550]] Don’t make a public display of your efforts ………………..[[201903230512]] Cultivate a serious attitude ……………………………..[[201903160423]] Rest in the openness of mind ……………………………..[[201903040448]] Don’t ponder the actions of others ………………………..[[201903250613]] Right now exert yourself, get it right …………………….[[201904190458]]
Alternate Titles
- There’s only one point
- All dharma agrees at one point
- The intent of all teachings converges on a single point
- All dharma has a single purpose
- All dharma is included in one purpose
- All dharma collects into one intention
- All dharma has a single goal
- Get over yourself
03-18-2019 - 6:24 AM ›[[201903180624]] → #slogans