In all activities, train with the slogans.

Sweetgrass Braids - Photo by Mari Helle

          It's interesting to discover as an adult what an influence other people have had in one's life. My father-in-law always hated shopping and frequently attempted to persuade his wife to make haste with the phrase, "Get it and let's go!" I tend to dither when picking out a gift for someone else, and my husband often uses the same expression on me. As a child, my mother had a rule that all the holiday decorations had to be packed away before January 1st. She gave the impression that it was bad luck to do otherwise (though I think she was just tired of the holiday excitement). Now that I have my own home, I make sure to put away all evidence of the holiday before New Year's Day too. What we hear, see and do on a regular basis tends to become woven into the normality of our lives. The ninth slogan is an encouragement to take the wisdom of lojong and likewise braid it into our everyday experiences. It invites us to become so familiar with the slogans that certain events or emotions trigger the thought of one like a fragrance that brings back fond memories.

Transformation doesn't come from changing our mannerisms or our way of talking; it comes from learning to think about things differently. ~ Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche

For more information on the ninth slogan, go here.