This time, practice the main points.

Baby meerkat photo from National Geographic Kids

          Wildlife researchers are beginning to study how some animals purposefully instruct their young. There has been much debate over what constitutes teaching, especially a criteria that could be observed by humans. In 1992, biologists Tim Caro and Marc Hauser successfully proposed three behaviors to identify such instruction:

1. The usual behavior of the teacher is modified when an inexperienced pupil is present.
2. There is a personal cost to the teacher.
3. The student learns skills more rapidly than it would have on its own.

Helping their young develop survival skills will ultimately advance their species, therefore these animal instructors waste no time when it comes to teaching. What advances our spiritual development? Slogan fifty-one identifies three main points: selfless action, application of the teachings and a mind committed to awakening and compassion. Like the animal teachers, we have no time to lose.

Practicing what is important means getting your priorities straight in terms of your spiritual practice. ~ B. Alan Wallace

For more information on the fifty-first slogan, go here.

Slogan Fifty-one

This time, practice the main points.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:

            We have all the elements we need, and the time to use them is now. Every situation we encounter offers us an opportunity for practice. The three main points of this slogan are:

• Selflessness – We should put the benefit of others before our own; our concerns should not be self-centered.
• Application – Practice is more important than analytical study; we need to apply what we’ve learned in our daily lives.
• Bodhichitta – An enlightened heart and mind is characterized by acts of loving-kindness rather than a focus on self-improvement; bodhichitta transforms a rigid, dogmatic practice into a gentle, spiritual one.

Photo: A sundial, surrounded by Spanish moss, with three immature hickory nuts on its face.

            In 1986, I vaguely remember hearing that Halley’s Comet was going to move close enough to be seen from Earth. Because of other distractions in my life, it came and went without notice by me. Unfortunately that was probably my last chance to see it, because the comet won’t make another appearance until 2061. Letting that event slip past me is similar to the caution of slogan fifty-one: don’t waste any opportunity for spiritual development. This slogan also suggests I develop discrimination with my practice in three ways. The first is to remember the welfare of others is more important than my progress. It’s better to do good than to look good. The second is to move from the intellectual realm into the real world. Studying the slogans is a waste of time if I don’t put them into practice. The third point is to practice with gentleness and a warm heart rather than dutiful detachment. The purpose is to develop compassion, not rack up credit points that I can redeem.