Slogan #1
The 59 Lojong slogans are reminiscent of Patanjali’s pithy sutras and similar to his 196 aphorisms, these slogans have much to teach us. The first Sutra is “Now, the teachings of yoga.” which can be understood as the teachings of yoga are NOW, ie, in this moment. Similarly, the first slogan is “First, train in the preliminaries,” with FIRST being the operative word. The four reminders are meant to influence our every action. First things first. Live or train in these daily reminders or preliminaries. Everything that has happened and is happening in your life is grist for the mill. Open to the possibility that your day-to-day life can reflect your meditation practice.
The first Lojong slogan is all about life and death and everything in between. I see the four preliminaries as the four directions of my internal compass. Slogan #1 is a way to start over, to course correct, to reclaim your life.
Maintain an awareness of the preciousness of human life. This is the Japanese aesthetic of Wabi-Sabi—nothing lasts, nothing is finished, nothing is perfect. The world is already broken and yet, when you drop your fear and open your heart, its preciousness is there too.
Be aware of the reality that life ends; death comes for everyone. Death is inevitable. In our COVID-19 world, we are experiencing a more intimate relationship with death as we grapple with the pandemic.
Karma. Reciprocity. Every action has an effect. Your actions matter. How can you be a force for good? “My actions are my only true belongings. I cannot escape the consequences of my actions. My actions are the ground on which I stand.”
Pain, stress and sorrow are inevitable and inescapable but the suffering that grows from jealousy, anger, hatred, and confusion is optional.
Lojong will teach us to be resourceful and accountable, to adjust, to respond to stress in life-affirming ways, and to see beauty and hope and connections with something larger than ourselves. How? With compassion. A typical definition of compassion is to “suffer with; to feel and acknowledge our own pain or the pain of another.” The Lojong slogans ask us to take this movement of the heart one step further: compassion is also wishing others to be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
Pema Chödrön explains why this practice is so powerful: “The basic message of the lojong teachings is that if it’s painful, you can learn to hold your seat and move closer to that pain. Reverse the usual pattern, which is to split, to escape. Lojong introduces a different attitude toward unwanted stuff: if it’s painful, you become willing not just to endure it but also to let it awaken your heart and soften you. You learn to embrace it.”
Journaling Prompts
These are the questions that I asked myself but choose your own journaling adventure!
What inspired you to begin this journey?
Are you open to accepting what you’ll learn about yourself? How can you reclaim your life? What are you running away from?
Define this precious life given the difficulties that you’re experiencing right now.
What needs to be the “firsts” in your life? Answer this question from the vantage of your deathbed.
With each difficult situation/person in your life, shine a light on your self-interest and egocentric biases.
Who is the real enemy? Whatever exists out there also exists inside.
Sutra 2.16 states: “As our suffering is self-created, we have the ability to consciously intervene and fully extinguish future causes of suffering.” Discuss.