Awakening Compassion (Link #717)

Speaker: Jennifer O'Keeffe. Jennifer describes how the Lojong practice supports us in transforming adversity into a path of awakening. As a mind training tool, Lojong helps to liberate ourselves from attachment to self cherishing and to cultivate a compassionate heart. In today's talk, Jennifer covers slogans 11-14: (11) ‘When the world is full of evil, transform misfortune into the path of awakening’: When we bring our obstacles onto the path, they help clarify our practice; (12) ‘Realize all faults spring from one source: Ego clinging, belief in "I"’: Rather than blaming others for challenging circumstances we turn to our own minds, analyzing how all phenomena result from multiple causes and conditions; (13) ‘Meditate upon gratitude toward all’: Being grateful for beings who do us harm or irritate us, seeing their provocations as our true teachers; (14) ‘Use whatever you face as a practice immediately’: With awareness, our suffering can be a gateway to bodhicitta with such practices as tonglen, the four immeasurables and recitation of mantras and prayers.