Lojong Cards and Booklet

Lojong Cards and Booklet
This self-published deck and booklet are the intellectual property of Beverly King. Please do not copy or reproduce any photos or blog posts without permission.

Monday, February 13, 2017

Don't be jealous.

Adelie penguins - photo by George Pellissier

          Adelie penguins breed and raise their young in Antarctica. To protect their eggs from the run-off when ice melts, their elevated nests are built from stones. Males with the best-looking nests are more likely to attract a mate, but unfortunately, they share space with a half million other Adelies. Good stones are highly prized and sought after, and because the nests are so close, the rocks in one penguin's nest are sometimes stolen by another. It may seem odd to compare thievery with envy, but isn't that what it is about - an attempt to steal someone's joy about their good fortune by our negative attitude or corrosive words? "Don't be jealous" is an encouragement to notice that hollow, grasping feeling when it arises within us, not to shame ourselves, but to wake us up. We can remember how good it feels to have someone genuinely share our happiness, the gift of doubling our joy. Where jealousy is accompanied by strong resentment, we can try a twist on loving-kindness (metta or maitri) meditation. We send out kind wishes for each person (beginning with those we feel benevolent toward and moving on to difficult people): "May your joy never decrease; may your good fortune continue." 

The practice of developing happiness for others confronts the patterns that bind us to these painful states and helps us loosen their grip. It opens the door to realizing that the happiness of others doesn't take anything away from us but can instead be our own happiness. ~ Sharon Salzberg

For more information on the fifty-seventh slogan, go here.

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