An Introduction to Lojong

Welcome to my lojong blog! Each week I will attempt to express and share the wisdom of this tradition through my photos and my (limited) understanding of the slogans. I would be remiss if I did not first list the teachers and sources through whom I've been introduced to this way of training:

Chodron, Pema. Start Where You Are: A Guide to Compassionate Living. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 1994. Print.

Fischer, Norman. Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 2012. Print.

Kongtrul, Dzigar. The Intelligent Heart: A Guide to the Compassionate Life. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 2016. Print.

Kyabgon, Traleg. The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 2007. Print.

Lief, Judy. “Train Your Mind: Lojong Commentary by Judy Lief.” Tricycle. Web.19 Aug. 2014.

Trungpa, Chogyam. Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-kindness. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 1993. Print.

Additional sources I have found useful:
Chodron, Pema. Always Maintain a Joyful Mind: And Other Lojong Teachings on Awakening Compassion and Fearlessness. Boston: Shambhala Publishing, 2007. Print.

Tulku, Ringu. Mind Training. Ithaca: Snow Lion Publishing, 2007. Print.

Wallace, B. Allen. Buddhism with an Attitude: The Tibetan Seven-Point Mind-Training. Boston: Snow Lion Publishing, 2001. Print.

Chodron, Pema. Be Grateful to Everyone: An In-Depth Guide to the Practice of Lojong. Boston: Shambhala Audio, 2011. Audio.

Khyentse, Dilgo. Enlightened Courage. Ithaca: Snow Lion Pub., 2006. Print.

Kongtrul, Jamgon. (translated by Ken McLeod). The Great Path of Awakening. Boston: Shambhala Pub., 2005. Print.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet, an introduction to lojong:

Lojong is a mind training practice in the Buddhist tradition. Brought to Tibet from India by Atisha (982-1054), it was originally a secret teaching given only to a select group. Geshe Chekawa (1102-1176) wanted to open the lojong instructions to other people. As a result, he wrote The Root Text of the Seven Points of Training the Mind, based on the slogans of Atisha. Lojong is a way to learn how to see things from a larger, inclusive perspective rather than a self-absorbed one. The seven points of mind training are comprised of fifty-nine slogans. Their purpose is to change the way we think, what we think about, and how we manage our emotions.

I. The Preliminaries

Slogan 1

II. The Actual Practice

Slogans 2 – 10

III. Transforming Adversity

Slogans 11 -16

IV. Maintaining the Practice

Slogans 17 -18

V. Evaluating the Practice

Slogans 19 – 22

VI. Commitments of the Practice

Slogans 23 – 38

VII. Guidelines for the Practice

Slogans 39 -59

Note: It's my personal opinion that these slogans were numbered for a reason. Their ideas build on each other, so it's helpful to understand slogan one before jumping to slogan fifteen. I would encourage people to start at the beginning and work through them first before randomly choosing one.