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
Embrace challenges presented by circumstances
(50)
Bring all experiences into the path. Positive and negative. Rich and not so rich. Keep an open spirit and embrace challenges presented by your circumstances. Let them become aids to your spiritual practice.
What is meant by “embrace”?
- being flexible, but rooted and strong
- not vacillating between wanting and repelling
- developing a mature ‘other focused’ attitude
- acknowledging influences
- seeing the positive in life’s situations
- operating within your locus of control
- focusing on long term vs short term intentions
Don’t give circumstances control. Don’t wait for the right circumstances. Don’t be swayed by circumstances. Don’t treat Mind Training differently in different circumstances. All circumstances nurture this practice. This is reminiscent of the Stoic slogan ‘Settle on type of person I want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company’. Stick to being an upright person not matter the circumstances. “The only rearrangement that needs to be made is to your own attitude.” [^@Leif:2010aa]
Start before you think you are ready. Dive in. Inertia is so important. Waiting for circumstances to be what you think will be favorable is time wasted and the circumstances may never seem favorable. Embrace life. Move, learn, correct, move again.
There is aways a glimmer of sunshine in every event. Just grab it. In the film ‘Life is Beautiful, Giorgio Cantarini, who played the father, was being marched off to the gas chamber and he did a funny march so his son could see that even in this moment of tragedy there was the opportunity to smile if you took it.
Don’t ponder the actions of others ………………………..[[201903250613]] Don’t unload on everyone …………………………………[[201904020523]] Be even tempered ………………………………………..[[201904260449]] Be consistent in your practice ……………………………[[201904210547]] Keep the three inseparable ……………………………….[[201904150459]]
Alternate Titles
- Don’t be swayed by circumstances
- Don’t be swayed by external circumstances
- Do not depend on other conditions
- Don’t depend on external conditions
- Do not rely on other conditions
- Depend not upon other circumstances
- Do not be dependent on external factors
- Meditate consistently in every circumstance
04-18-2019 - 5:05 AM ›[[201904180505]] → #slogans