There is a quote often used by writers and conference speakers in the business world: "Eat a live frog first thing in the morning and nothing worse will happen to you the rest of the day."* Their analogy is not meant to be taken literally but as an encouragement to work on one’s most challenging task first, because it will likely reap the most benefits and have the biggest impact. Lojong training uses the same logic by advising to start where we feel most stuck in our spiritual practice. To find our 'frog,' Pema Chodron suggests looking for a feeling of righteous indignation; upon finding it, we can "let go of the story line, let go of the conversation, and own our feeling completely." We do this with an attitude of unconditional friendliness and acceptance rather than judgment. By attending to our strongest habitual pattern with a willingness to change it, we often eliminate a lot of smaller ones. As Chogyam Trungpa colorfully expressed it, "You do not just want to work with chicken shit, you want to work with the chicken itself."
*Though this quote is usually attributed to Mark Twain, it is more likely a rendering of the words of Nicolas Chamfort.
Our greatest obstacles are also our greatest wisdom. ~ Pema Chodron
For more information on the twenty-seventh slogan, go here.
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