All activities should be done with one intention.

Photo by Tom Hubbard

          Whether it's a trickling stream or a rushing river, water in nature rarely flows in a straight line. It meanders as it seeks the path of least resistance, preferring to turn and tumble in a new direction when it encounters obstacles. Over long periods of time, it can erode most terrain and may begin to change direction. Yet the one thing that all natural streams and rivers consistently do is flow downhill due to gravity. Even if the force of water is so great as to push it uphill briefly (such as in a flood), water will ultimately be influenced by gravity. What compels us in the same way gravity does water? Usually it is the ego, prompting us to think, speak and act according to its desires. Yet this slogan encourages us to be concerned for everyone, not just ourselves. Patience, kindness and understanding can guide us as we move through our day.

The one intention is to have a sense of gentleness toward others and a willingness to be helpful to others - always. ~ Chogyam Trungpa

For more information on the thirty-ninth slogan, go here.

Slogan Thirty-nine

All activities should be done with one intention.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:

            What thread runs through all of our daily activities? What motivation is behind our goals, projects and efforts? Usually our intention is centered on getting what we desire. We look to reward ourselves first before being concerned about anyone else. However, lojong involves a commitment to gentleness along with a willingness to benefit others – the essence of the bodhisattva vow. There’s no need to wage war on our ego, because this consideration means we are also compassionate toward ourselves. But instead of thinking only from a self-centered perspective, we can maintain a spirit of benevolence. Even the simple act of eating can be dedicated to other people, as we intend its use to help us reach out with loving-kindness.

Photo: A Virginia creeper clings to the trunk of a pine tree.

            Mentally make a list of all your weekly activities, including people with whom you interact, hobbies and obligations. Now imagine choosing a bead for each item on the list, possibly using shape, color or design to represent each one. If you were going to string all those beads to make a necklace, you would have to choose a strong fiber so it wouldn’t break with the weight. Slogan thirty-nine suggests that we use the sturdy thread of bodhicitta, the desire for an awakened mind. This longing has at its essence loving-kindness; we wish to alleviate everyone’s suffering, including our own. Pema Chodron related this story:

When I was about six years old I received the essential bodhichitta teaching from an old woman sitting in the sun. I was walking by her house one day feeling lonely, unloved and mad, kicking anything I could find. Laughing, she said to me, “Little girl, don’t you go letting life harden your heart.” Right there, I received this pith instruction: we can let the circumstances of our lives harden us so that we become increasingly resentful and afraid, or we can let them soften us and make us kinder and more open to what scares us. We always have this choice.