What is Lojong?
Lojong (blo sbyong) is a Tibetan Buddhist mind-training system designed to transform habitual self-centered patterns into compassion and awakening. The practice centers on 59 pithy aphorisms—often called slogans or maxims—organized into seven points, which practitioners use as contemplative tools to work with difficult emotions, adversity, and the fundamental illusion of a separate self. Unlike meditation techniques focused on calm or concentration, lojong directly engages challenging mental states and life circumstances as the raw material for spiritual development. The core insight: obstacles are not impediments to practice but the practice itself.
Origins & Lineage
Lojong originated with the Bengali master Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (982–1054 CE), who brought the practice to Tibet in 1042. Atiśa synthesized teachings he received from his principal teacher Dharmakīrti of Suvarnadvipa (Sumatra), known as Dharmakīrti of the Golden Isle, who emphasized the cultivation of bodhicitta—the mind of awakening dedicated to liberating all beings. Atiśa initially kept these instructions secret, fearing they were too radical for public transmission.
The teachings remained concealed until the Kadampa master Chekawa Yeshe Dorje (1101–1175) discovered them and recognized their transformative power. Chekawa systematized the oral instructions into the Seven Points of Mind Training (Blo sbyong don bdun ma), the root text that became the foundation for all subsequent lojong literature. His arrangement covers: the preliminaries, training in bodhicitta (both conventional and ultimate), transforming adversity, condensed instructions for a lifetime, the measure of mind training, the commitments, and guidelines for mind training.
The practice spread through the Kadampa school and later became integrated into all four major Tibetan Buddhist lineages—Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya, and Gelug—though it remains especially prominent in the Kadampa and Gelug traditions. Dozens of commentaries emerged over subsequent centuries, with significant texts by Konchok Gyaltsen (1388–1469) and Jamgon Kongtrul (1813–1899), whose anthology The Great Path of Awakening preserved numerous lojong root texts.
How It’s Practiced
Lojong practice involves memorizing and contemplating specific slogans as situations arise in daily life. Unlike formal seated meditation, lojong is designed for application in the midst of activity. When a practitioner encounters frustration, illness, conflict, or praise, they recall a relevant slogan—such as “Drive all blames into one” (recognizing self-grasping as the root problem) or “Be grateful to everyone” (seeing all beings as teachers)—and use it to reframe the experience.
The practice has two main components. First, conventional bodhicitta training uses slogans to develop compassion, often paired with tonglen (sending-and-taking), a visualization practice where one breathes in the suffering of others and sends out relief and happiness. Second, ultimate bodhicitta training employs slogans that point to emptiness and the groundless nature of phenomena, such as “Rest in the nature of alaya, the essence” or “Regard all dharmas as dreams.”
Practitioners typically receive formal instruction from a qualified teacher who explains the slogans and provides context within the broader Buddhist path. The training emphasizes immediacy: slogans are meant to interrupt habitual reactions in real time, creating a gap where awareness can arise. Some practitioners work through the slogans sequentially; others focus on one slogan for weeks or months until its meaning penetrates.
Lojong Today
Contemporary seekers encounter lojong primarily through retreat centers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, particularly those affiliated with Shambhala, Tergar, and various Gelug institutions. The system gained Western prominence through Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, who taught lojong extensively in North America beginning in the 1970s, and his student Pema Chödrön, whose accessible books—Start Where You Are (1994) and The Places That Scare You (2001)—introduced lojong to mainstream Western audiences.
Many meditation centers offer dedicated lojong courses, typically 7–12 weeks, working through the 59 slogans systematically. The practice has also been adapted into secular mindfulness contexts, though traditionalists note that severing lojong from its Buddhist framework of karma, rebirth, and emptiness may dilute its transformative potential.
Online platforms now feature lojong applications, daily slogan generators, and recorded teachings by contemporary masters such as Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, and B. Alan Wallace. Academic interest has grown as well, with scholars examining lojong as a sophisticated system of cognitive reframing predating modern psychology by nearly a millennium.
Common Misconceptions
Lojong is not positive thinking or affirmations. The slogans do not encourage denial of suffering or papering over difficulties with spiritual platitudes. Instead, they demand unflinching engagement with whatever arises, using discomfort as a catalyst for cutting through self-deception.
It is not a stand-alone practice divorced from Buddhist ethics and view. Traditional lojong assumes a foundation in refuge (commitment to the Buddhist path), an understanding of karma, and some grounding in emptiness teachings. Practicing slogans without this context can lead to spiritual bypassing—using teachings to avoid genuine psychological or interpersonal work.
Lojong is not primarily about feeling better, though that may occur. Its aim is egolessness, the loosening of the self-protective cocoon that perpetuates suffering. Some slogans—particularly “Always maintain only a joyful mind”—can be misread as enforcing compulsory cheerfulness; the actual instruction points to unshakeable equanimity grounded in recognizing the empty nature of both pleasure and pain.
Finally, the 59 slogans are not meant to be intellectually understood and filed away. They are intended as living instructions that reveal their meaning through repeated application in difficult circumstances.
How to Begin
Start with a foundational text: Pema Chödrön’s Start Where You Are offers the most accessible contemporary introduction, providing each slogan with commentary rooted in everyday experience. For those wanting traditional context, Norman Waddell’s translation of Chekawa’s Seven Points of Mind Training in The Great Path of Awakening (by Jamgon Kongtrul) presents the root text with classical Tibetan commentary.
Seek instruction from a qualified teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. While books provide entry, the oral transmission and guidance from someone who has practiced lojong extensively prevent misinterpretation and provide accountability.
Begin with one slogan relevant to your current difficulty. “Train in the two—giving and taking—alternately” (tonglen) works well for those experiencing relational conflict or illness. Memorize it, contemplate its meaning during formal meditation, then apply it when challenging situations arise. Notice the gap between your habitual reaction and the slogan’s instruction; that gap is where transformation occurs.
Consider attending a lojong retreat or course at a Tibetan Buddhist center. Shambhala centers regularly offer structured programs; Tergar and Gelug institutions provide teaching in traditional settings. The collective container of retreat practice amplifies individual effort and provides community support for working with the sometimes confronting nature of these teachings.