Langri Thanpa (Kadampa)

By thinking of all sentient beings
As even better than the wish-granting gem
For accomplishing the highest aim
May I always consider them precious

Wherever I go, with whomever I go
May I see myself as less than all others,
And from the depth of my heart
May I consider them supremely precious.

May I examine my mind in all actions
And as soon as a negative state occurs,
Since it endangers myself and others,
May I firmly face and avert it.

When I see beings of a negative disposition
Or those oppressed by negativity or pain,
May I, as if finding a treasure,
Consider them precious, for they are rarely met.

Whenever others, due to their jealousy,
Revile and treat me in unjust ways,
May I accept this defeat myself,
And offer the victory to others.

When someone whom I have helped
Or in whom I have placed great hope
Harms me with great injustice,
May I see that one as a sacred friend.

In short, may I offer both directly and indirectly
All joy and benefit to all beings, my mothers,
And may I myself secretly take on
All of their hurt and suffering.

May they not be defiled by the concepts
Of the eight worldly concerns
And aware that all things are illusory
May they, ungrasping, be free from bondage.

These verses are attributed to Atisa, an Indian Buddhist pandit who travelled to Tibet in the 12th Century and there established the Kadam ("Virtue") school.

While the Kadampa died out soon afterwards, its influence continued through Gampopa, one of the founders of some of the Kagyu schools and through the later revival of its core Teachings by Tsongkhapa, whose heirs founded the Gelug school.

"Lojong" or "mind-training" in this context means turning one's habits of cognition, perception, and behaviour from one based in self-concern to a recognition of the reality of suffering for oneself and others and the resolve to liberate oneself and others from the causes of suffering.

"Suffering" in this sense is a poor translation of "dukkha", a Sanskrit term, the roots of which mean "obstruction". One is "obstructed" through commitment to a conditioned and closed approach to experience ("samsara": "the circuit of conditioning").

Lojong is intended to be a foundational set of Mahayana contemplations, based on the Bodhisattvacaryavatra.

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