58 Lo-jong Proverbs

Lojong (often translated into English as Mind Training) is a practice in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition based on a set of proverbs formulated in Tibet in the 12th century by Chekawa. Practitioners undertake to connect with the world in an unconditionally positive way, and also to take full responsibility for their experience of it. The practice involves redefining, reconceptualizing and reprogramming one's intent and way of thinking - hence "Mind Training". Unlike many practices it does not require that one signs on to a particular system of beliefs, nor is it something one can only do on one's meditation cushion. In fact, the best practice is often done out in the world, with exactly those people and situations that upset and irritate one the most. The twin foundations of the practice are Absolute Bodhicitta, which could be very roughly be translated as "Open-Mindedness", and Relative Bodhicitta, which could be translated, again very roughly, as "Compassion". The Lojong proverbs in their present form were composed by Chekawa (1101-1175 CE). Chekawa led the life of an ordinary monk until one day he saw a text on his cell-mate's bed, open at the phrase: Gain and Victory to Others, Loss and Defeat to Oneself The phrase struck him so intensely, presumably because it is so different from how we all mostly live our lives, that he determined to seek out the author (Langri Tangpa, 1054-1123) of the text (which is a very famous root text of Mahayana Buddhism, usually referred to as the Eight Verses for Training the Mind. He eventually found out that Langri Tangpa had already died, but went to study with one of Langri Tangpa's students, Sharawa, with whom he stayed for twelve very tough years. Probably the most seminal commentary on the Lojong practice was written by Jamgon Kongtrul (one of the main founders of the non-sectarian Rime movement within Tibetan Buddhism) in the 19th century. This commentary was translated by Ken McLeod, initially as 'A Direct Path to Enlightenment'. This first translation, which contains an excellent introduction to the practice, served as the root text for Osho's 'Book of Wisdom'. Later, after some consultation with Chogyam Trungpa, Ken McLeod re-translated the work as 'The Great Path of Awakening'. This latter translation serves as a foundation for many of the more modern commentaries by non-Tibetan authors. The original Tibetan text is somewhat cryptic, referring to the 'Three Difficulties, the 'Four Practices, the 'Five Forces', and so on, without any further explanation of those terms. For this reason a full understanding of the text requires either a commentary or else a 'scriptural', rather than literal, translation that takes a little extra time to elucidate the concepts. The proverb listing below is one such translation.

The Lojong Proverbs

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. First, train in the preliminaries. Treat everything you perceive as a dream. Find the consciousness you had before you were born. Let even the remedy itself drop away naturally. Stay in the primeval consciousness, the basis of everything. Between meditations, treat everything as an illusion. As you breathe in, take in and accept all the sadness, pain, and negativity of the whole world, including yourself, and absorb it into your heart. As you breathe out, pour out all your joy and bliss; bless the whole of existence. 8. Understand your attachments, your aversions, and your indifference, and love them all. 9. Apply these proverbs in everything you do. 10. When practicing unconditional acceptance, start with yourself. 11. When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up. 12. Take all the blame yourself. 13. Be grateful to everyone. 14. Don't worry- there's nothing real about your confusion. 15. When something unexpected happens, in that very moment, treat it as a meditation. 16. Work with the Five Forces. The Five Forces are: 1.Be intense, be committed. 2. Familiarization - get used to doing and being what you want to do and to be. 3. Cultivate the white seeds, not the black ones. 4. Turn totally away from all your ego trips. 5.Dedicate all the merits of what you do for the benefit of others. 17. Practice these Five Forces and you are ready for death at any moment. 18. All teachings have the same goal. 19. Follow the inner witness rather than the outer ones. 20. Always have the support of a joyful mind. 21. Practicing even when distracted is good training. 22. Always observe these three points: 1. Regularity of practice. 2. Not wasting time on the inessential. 3. Not rationalizing our mistakes. 23. Change your attitude, but stay natural. 24. Do not discuss defects. 25. Don't worry about other people. 26. Work on your greatest imperfection first. 27. Abandon all hope of results. 28. Give up poisonous food. 29. Don't be consistent. 30. Don't indulge in malicious gossip. 31. Don't wait in ambush. 32. Don't strike at the heart. 33. Don't put the yak's load on the cow. 34. Remember - this is not a competition. 35. Don't be sneaky. 36. Don't abuse your divine power for selfish reasons. 37. Don't expect to profit from other people's misfortune. 38. In all your activities, have a single purpose. 39. Solve all problems by accepting the bad energy and sending out the good. 40. Renew your commitment when you get up and before you go to sleep. 41. Accept good and bad fortune with an equal mind.

42. Keep your vows even at the risk of your life. 43. Recognize your neurotic tendencies, overcome them, then transcend them. 44. Find a teacher, tame the roving mind, choose a lifestyle that allows you to practice. 45. Love your teacher, enjoy your practice, keep your vows. 46. Focus your body, mind, and spirit on the path. 47. Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice: train with a whole heart. 48. Always meditate on whatever you resent. 49. Don't depend on how the rest of the world is. 50. In this life, concentrate on achieving what is most meaningful. 51. Don't let your emotions distract you, but bring them to your practice. 52. Don't let your practice become irregular. 53. Train wholeheartedly. 54. Free yourself by first watching, then analysing. 55. Don't feel sorry for yourself. 56. Don't be jealous 57. Stay focused. 58. Don't expect any applause.