For well over a year, Acharya Judy Lief, teacher in the Shambhala tradition of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, has been offering weekly commentary on one of Atisha’s 59 mind-training (Tib. lojong) slogans, which serve as the basis for a complete practice. With this week’s entry, Judy has now given teachings on all 59 slogans. We would like to thank Judy for her extensive guidance and for the tremendous knowledge, insight, and diligence she has shown throughout this process.
Atisha (980-1052 CE) was an Indian adept who brought to Tibet a systematized approach to bodhicitta (the desire to awaken for the sake of all sentient beings) and loving-kindness, through working with these slogans. Judy edited Chogyam Trungpa’s Training the Mind (Shambhala, 1993), which contains Trungpa Rinpoche’s commentaries on the lojong (“mind-training”) teachings. Each entry includes a practice.
Preliminary Teachings
Lojong Slogans 1-20
1. First train in the preliminaries
2. Regard all dharmas as dreams
3. Examine the nature of unborn awareness
4. Self-liberate even the antidote
5. Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence
6. In post-meditation, be a child of illusion
6.1. Absolute and Relative Bodhichitta
7. Sending and taking should be practiced alternately. These two should ride the breath
8. Three objects, three poisons, and three seeds of virtue
9. In all activities train with slogans
10. Begin the sequence of sending and taking with yourself
11. When the world is filled with evil, transform all mishaps into the path of bodhi
14. Seeing confusion as the four kayas is unsurpassable shunyata protection
15. Four practices are the best of methods
16. Whatever you meet unexpectedly, join it with meditation
17. Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions
18. The ejection of consciousness
19. All dharma agrees at one point
20. Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one
Slogans 21 – 40
21. Always maintain only a joyful mind
22. If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained
23. Always abide by the three basic principles
24. Change your attitude, but remain natural
25. Don’t talk about injured limbs
27. Work with the greatest defilements first
28. Abandon any hope of fruition
33. Don’t bring things to a painful point
34. Don’t transfer the ox’s load to the cow
35. Don’t try and be the fastest
37. Don’t make gods into demons
38. Don’t seek others’ pain as the limbs of your own happiness
39. All activities should be done with one intention
40. Correct all wrongs with one intention
Slogans 41 – 59
41. Two activities: one at the beginning, one at the end
42. Whichever of the two occurs, be patient
43. Observe these two, even at the risk of your life
44. Train in the three difficulties
45. Take on the three principal causes
46. Pay heed that the three never wane
47. Keep the three inseparable
48. Train without bias in all areas. It is crucial always to do this pervasively and wholeheartedly
49. Always meditate on whatever provokes resentment
50. Don’t be swayed by external circumstances
51. This time, practice the main points
53. Don’t vacillate
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