Slogan #9

May 23

In all activities, train with slogans.

Practice is not just some Eastern jargon, although the word often gets dismissed as such. Instead, it’s a useful code word for a much bigger shift in perspective on the purpose of life...If life is going to lead toward awakening, you have to come to view everything you do, both on and off the mat, as a practice.
Ethan Nichtern

Stop and ask yourself the question: “What’s happening right now?” How is this slogan relevant for the particular conditions of my life? How can I apply this intentional practice in order to awaken compassion in myself and others? These slogans are a call to action to walk our talk and to cultivate a loving connected presence to self and others when things are not okay. Which is now. You don’t have to wait for things in the world to improve before you practice. Everything is grist for the mill—and everything holds the potential for transformation. Pema Chodron encourages us to practice Tonglen “on the spot” as an alternative to acting out or shutting down, to exploding or imploding. In fact, success in meditation is choosing Tonglen and resourcefulness over reactivity; taking in pain and sending out relief is our secret sauce.

Tonglen Practice #3: “Sit down and pay attention to your body. Now pay attention to your breath, in and out, as your belly rises and falls. Rest in each exhale. Feel yourself relaxing with each successive breath. Now imagine suffering as a tiny red spot in front of you. Breathe in the dot. Expand it slowly until it grows as large as it can, even to the point of covering the entire universe. Repeat to yourself: ‘Suffering is not mine, it belongs to everyone and everything.’ Feel the red color as beautiful.” ~Norman Fischer

On the spot also refers to those moments where your heart breaks open. One of these moments for me happened about 8 years ago: we stopped at a popular burger joint just outside of Orillia on the way home from visiting friends up north. There is a bridge above the highway providing both north and south access to the restaurant. As Marshal and I were crossing the bridge to return to our car, we met a family of young girls around 9-10 years old with their mom and a new puppy. Our dog Miko and the puppy did a little let’s get to know each other dance while the girls laughed with delight. They had just picked up their new puppy. We were entering the parking lot when Miko barked at something; I turned to look across the highway and the puppy saw Miko and yanked at the leash in her excitement. The child dropped the leash and the puppy ran in oncoming traffic and was killed instantly. I fell to my knees and wept and spontaneously wished for the ability to take away their pain. The anguished screams of that family will haunt me forever.

“Having that single underlying focus has a lot of power. When obstacles arise, they are abruptly brought short by the power of your intention. It is as if you have created a kind of gyroscope to guide your course and bring you back to stability when you lose your balance.”
Judy Lief