Lojong

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 fifty-nine or so proverbs that form the root text of the Lojong practice are designed as a skillful set of antidotes to the bad mental habits, paranoia, and fixed ideas that cause us all so much suffering. They contain both Absolute Bodhicitta suggestions to expand and loosen up one's view of the world, such as Find the consciousness you had before you were born and Treat everything you perceive as a dream, and Relative Bodhicitta suggestions for relating to the world in a more constructive way, such as Be grateful to everyone or When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.

The last 50 years have seen a great revival of interest in the Mind Training practice, partly as a result of increased interest in Tibetan Buddhism as a whole, partly because the practice is very accessible and is capable of rapidly producing rapid positive changes both in the practitioner and in the world around him. Prominent Western teachers alive today who have helped in this revival include Pema Chodron, Ken McLeod, and Alan Wallace. A couple of 20th century teachers, Chogyam Trungpa and Osho (Rajneesh), both of whom attracted of good deal of controversy in their lifetime, also wrote influential commentaries on the text and helped to spread the practice.

History of the practice

The Lojong practice was developed over a 300-year period between 900 and 1200 CE, as part of the Mahayana school of Buddhism that emphasizes compassion and connection with the world rather than a 'selfish' search for individual enlightenment.

The first link in the chain was a Sumatran teacher called Dharmaraksita, author of a well-known text called the 'Wheel of Sharp Weapons' that describes how the workings of karma cause the effects of our own negative actions to return upon us. His most famous student was Atisha, (982-1054 CE) a young Bengali monk of noble birth who made the long and perilous sea journey to Sumatra and stayed with Dharmarakshita for twelve years.

Atisha is generally regarded as the originator of the Lojong practice. His theoretical understanding of the practice was expressed in his 'Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment', but he was also known for his humility and commitment to leading a life in accordance with the practice.

At an advanced age he left a very honored position in India to teach in Tibet, where he stayed for the rest of his life, partly because they needed a good teacher to help them re-establish Buddhism after the persecution of King Langdarma but partly as a penance for having misjudged and expelled some Tantric practitioners in his role as head of discipline at Vikramsila monastery.

A famous story is told of Atisha that when he heard that the inhabitants of Tibet, where he was going, were very pleasant and easy to get along with, instead of being delighted, as most people would be, he was horrified, thinking that they would not stimulate his own negative emotions enough for his Lojong practice to be challenging. So he brought along his ill-tempered Bengali servant-boy, whom he know to be potentially capable of annoying him sufficiently to provide him with raw material for his practice. This kind of upside-down logic is very typical of the Lojong practice (witness the story of Chekawa's deathbed prayers later in this history).

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.

Eventually Chekawa went to live with a colony of lepers and did the practice with them. Over time many of them were healed, more lepers came, and eventually people without leprosy also started to take an interest in the practice. One particular case was Chekawa's brother. His brother was an extremely prickly and sceptical person, much too proud to request teachings, but was curious and started listening in at the window as his brother was teaching. Eventually Chekawa noticed some very positive changes in his brother's behavior and confronted him, whereupon he 'confessed'! Chekawa realized that if the teachings could work for his brother, they could work for anyone! This was the stimulus that caused him to write down for posterity the text as we know it today.

On his deathbed, Chekawa prayed and asked for a prophetic dream of his next rebirth. He awoke in tears of sorrow. He had prayed to be reborn in the Hell Realms so that he could help all the countless beings undergoing untold suffering there, but his dream had revealed that instead he was to be reborn in Dewachen, the Pure Land of Amitabha. Rebirth in Dewachen is what all normal Tibetan Buddhists pray for through their whole lives, but Chekawa was inconsolable until he received another dream that the light of his presence would still shine down and relieve the suffering of the beings down there.

Root text

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: others have been created by Ken McLeod and by Zara Houshmand.

Here are the proverbs:

• 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.
• Understand your attachments, your aversions, and your indifference, and love them all.
• Apply these proverbs in everything you do.
• When practicing unconditional acceptance, start with yourself.
• When everything goes wrong, treat disaster as a way to wake up.
• Take all the blame yourself.
• Be grateful to everyone.
• Don't worry- there's nothing real about your confusion.
• When something unexpected happens, in that very moment, treat it as a meditation.
• 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.
• Practice these Five Forces and you are ready for death at any moment.
• All teachings have the same goal.
• Follow the inner witness rather than the outer ones.
• Always have the support of a joyful mind.
• Practicing even when distracted is good training.
• Always observe these three points: 1. Regularity of practice. 2. Not wasting time on the inessential. 3. Not rationalizing our mistakes.
• Change your attitude, but stay natural.
• Do not discuss defects.
• Don't worry about other people.
• Work on your greatest imperfection first.
• Abandon all hope of results.
• Give up poisonous food.
• Don't be consistent.
• Don't indulge in malicious gossip.
• Don't wait in ambush.
• Don't strike at the heart.
• Don't put the yak's load on the cow.
• Remember - this is not a competition.
• Don't be sneaky.
• Don't abuse your divine power for selfish reasons.
• Don't expect to profit from other people's misfortune.
• In all your activities, have a single purpose.
• Solve all problems by accepting the bad energy and sending out the good.
• Renew your commitment when you get up and before you go to sleep.
• Accept good and bad fortune with an equal mind.
• Keep your vows even at the risk of your life.
• Recognize your neurotic tendencies, overcome them, then transcend them.
• Find a teacher, tame the roving mind, choose a lifestyle that allows you to practice.
• Love your teacher, enjoy your practice, keep your vows.
• Focus your body, mind, and spirit on the path.
• Exclude nothing from your acceptance practice: train with a whole heart.
• Always meditate on whatever you resent.
• Don't depend on how the rest of the world is.
• In this life, concentrate on achieving what is most meaningful.
• Don't let your emotions distract you, but bring them to your practice.
• Don't let your practice become irregular.
• Train wholeheartedly.
• Free yourself by first watching, then analysing.
• Don't feel sorry for yourself.
• Don't be jealous
• Stay focused.
• Don't expect any applause.

References

• Pema Chodron, Start Where You Are
• Chogyam Trungpa, Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness
• Rabten and Dhargyey, Advice from a Spiritual Friend
• Dilgo Khyentse, Enlightened Courage
• Mind Training: The Great Collection by Geshe Geshe Thupten Jinpa
• Lojong, Developing the Good Heart: Level 3 of The Steps to Buddhahood (Lam Rim) by The Asian Classics Institute