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
Find freedom through investigation and close analysis
(55)
Two parts to this slogan. First is to investigate which troubling emotion is dominating you, then second is to closely analysis the troubling emotion noticing specific situations, relationships, where it arises and apply the appropriate antidote. Working in this way until it no longer dominates your mind-stream. This is the way to diminish negative emotions and eventually the antidote spontaneously arises the moment a troubling emotion is triggered.
Our usual idea of mediation is that it is a calming, relaxing, a break. But here and in all the Mind Training slogans, there is work to do. Sometimes hard work. It is sometimes not very relaxing. In this slogan you are encouraged to conjure up emotional undercurrents for analysis. Externally you can show a superficial face of calmness and be internally avoiding unpleasant realities. You need to stop pretending. “Lojong is not about putting on a show, or keeping up appearances. Destructive patterns thrive on being hidden.” [^@Leif:2010aa] Be willing to rile things up a bit.
Be reflective. Look at your course of experience and analyze it. Investigate ego-clinging and analyze disturbing emotions.
If you don’t push the limits, you will stay as you are. Push on patterns, questions assumptions, and don’t take anything for granted.
Examine the nature of awareness …………………………..[[201903020514]] Don’t be so predictable ………………………………….[[201903290503]] Face the three challenges ………………………………..[[201904120530]] Be modest and unassuming …………………………………[[201904240458]]
Alternate Titles
- Examine and analyze
- Find freedom by probing and testing
- Be released through the two: investigation and close analysis.
- Liberate yourself by examining and analyzing
- Find freedom through both examination and investigation
- Free yourself by means of investigation and analysis
- Be liberated by two: examination and analysis.
- Free yourself by analysis and testing
- Liberate by examination and analysis
04-23-2019 - 5:12 AM ›[[201904230512]] → #slogans