Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one.

Photo by URI Botanical Gardens

          The temperatures are sizzling here, and the markets are busy selling a fruit perfect for this kind of heat - watermelon. Most people have difficulty in determining whether an uncut melon is ripe before buying it. And since watermelons don't ripen once picked, some tips for choosing a sweet, fully developed one can be helpful:

• It should have a deep, hollow sound ("thunk") when slapped.
• The field spot (where it lay on the ground) should be yellowish, not white.
• It should be relatively heavy (watermelons are 90% water).
• The luster of the rind should be matte rather than shiny.

Of course there's no sure-fire way to judge the inside of a watermelon by its outside, which is precisely this slogan's point about people. The only person continually with us since birth is ourselves. While other people may have helpful observations, we are the best authority of our spiritual progress. Only we can truly tell if we're working with reality or running from it. Our practice can be evaluated by asking ourselves a few candid questions. Is my practice helping me know myself better - my thoughts, emotions and habitual reactions? Do I recognize my methods for deflecting insecurity (that only escalate my suffering)? Am I kind to myself and others? This assessment is not meant to produce self-satisfaction or self-denigration. Rather it acknowledges that we can be a trustworthy judge in seeing where we're stuck and where we're making headway.

You have never been away from yourself for even a minute. You know yourself so well. Therefore, you are the best judge of yourself.  ~  Chogyam Trungpa

For more information on the twentieth slogan, go here.

Slogan Twenty

Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one.

From the Lojong for the Layperson booklet:

                It is natural when we begin something new to want feedback on our progress, and we generally look to other folks to provide it. But this slogan teaches the only “witness” who can truly know whether we’re being genuine or phony is us, not other people. No one else knows what our existence is like, or what is going on inside us. People might give compliments or criticism, but we should not regard their opinions as more important than our own. It is our responsibility to see our life as clearly as possible – assets and liabilities – and act on what we see. The principle witness is not there to condemn or congratulate, neither does it judge us as worthy or unworthy. It is simply an honest, objective look at the way we relate to others, and whether the degree of our self-absorption has changed.

Photo: Lightning whelk above a collection of other seashells. 

          Imagine being on a game show, being presented with the following doors* and told to choose one. Behind one is a broken-down jalopy, another has a sack of garbage, a third has a box of thumbtacks, and the last has enough money to pay all your bills for a year. Which door would you choose?

 Is your choice influenced by the image carved into the door? That's the conundrum that this slogan points out. While it's good to listen to the opinions of others, no one else can see what's behind our door. They base their ideas on what they outwardly perceive. Yet there's no way for them to tell what is actually motivating us or whether we're even being honest. I am the only person who can look within and determine whether I'm being sincere in my spiritual practice, or if I'm just trying to impress other people. As the primary witness, I've got the inside scoop on what's behind that particular door.

*These doors were hand-carved by sculptor Ron Ramsey.