Don’t ponder others. What does it mean? Here a student at Middle Way School, explains slogan 26 in our series of students explaining Atisha’s mind-training slogans. This slogan is about letting go of the habit of comparing ourselves with others, and seeing ourselves and others in a clear, unbiased way. We don’t need to focus so much on desirable or undesirable (dualistic) qualities. When we are able to give this up, even a little, we begin to experience that much more freedom from our habits. We can let go of establishing that we are okay by comparing ourselves to those who we perceive as less okay.

“The point of this slogan is that you should trust your own experience, and not always have to compare it to that of other people. It is to loosen the tendency to be so fascinated with what is wrong with everybody else that you are unable to see what is right and good about them.”—Judy Lief, in “Working with the Slogans of Atisha — A practical guide to leading a compassionate life”

It’s essential to remember the basis of Lojong practice. In the words of MWE Advisor Gaylon Ferguson, from his article, “59 Ways to Turn Your Mind Around” on Lion’s Roar, “The traditional lojong practices are based on confidence in our original nature as compassionate—even if years of ego-centered habits sometimes cover and distort this innate impulse. The suggestion is that any one of us, if we are willing to genuinely engage in these contemplations, can gradually unlearn egocentric habits and clear away their cloudy overlays, allowing the warmth and brilliance of natural wakefulness to shine.”

Find more resources via this Index of lojong slogans.

Video by @chase.c.bauer