This section is called “Evaluation of Mind Training” and it means just that - how are you doing? How is this going? We are spending this time and energy meditating, reading, on retreat, etc. Is it working? What does that even mean in this case?
Slogan 19 “All dharmas agree at one point”
This slogan condenses all the others, in fact, the whole of Buddhist teaching, into one point. Which is that Dharma - the teachings of the Buddha - are about overcoming ego. From the Four Noble Truths to the most advanced esoteric tantric texts, it’s all fundamentally about seeing through the illusion of ego.
What is and what is not ego? The way I’m thinking of ego now is as the thought patterns, deeply engrained but not permanent or unworkable, that make us feel separate, confused, aggressive, and needy. Ego is a belief in our selves as an isolated, disconnected, solid thing. Believing there is a real, identifiable, thing called Matthew Bellows. But what we discover through meditation practice and study is that no matter how hard we look for that thing, that solid sense of self, we can’t find it. And we can’t find it because it really actually doesn’t exist.
So this slogan says that basically all teachings agree on this one point. So therefore, that’s the right way to evaluate how your mind training is going.
Slogan 20 “Of the two witnesses, hold the principal one”
The two witnesses are other people, and your own inner voice. Instead of living by the opinions of others - good or bad - this slogan is saying your own inner voice is the right thing to believe.
We know. We know ourselves. By this point we have spent so much time with ourselves. We have an inner sense of the right direction to head, even if we don’t know why. Even if it turns out to not be what we hoped when we get there.
The Zen teacher Norman Fischer translates this slogan “Trust your own eyes”
So in terms of evaluating our practice, our journey towards being finally free from the illusion of ego, don’t take other’s word for it. Look deeply at yourself. Listen deeply to your inner truth.
Where are you on this journey? What is working? How far have you come? Where are you stuck? What hard thing do you need to do next?
Slogan 21 “Always maintain only a joyful mind”
This is not a death march. Getting free from the illusion of our ego is a good thing, something to be celebrated. Taking it too seriously, grinding, wallowing in the difficulty, is not helpful.
Which is not to say that it’s not hard. It’s quite obviously hard. But things being difficult does not mean they can’t be joyful at the same time. Climbing a tall mountain is hard, but it’s joyful to move our bodies, be with others or alone, try something challenging, succeed or fail.
The Zen teacher Norman Fischer translates this slogan “Maintain joy (and don’t lose your sense of humor”
That’s the general attitude on the path. If you are not doing it joyfully, you are doing it wrong. You can even measure your progress on the path by how joyful you are on it.
Not smiley/dopey joy, but actual uplifted cheerfulness joy.
Slogan 22 “If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained”
Here’s another way to evaluate your mind training, your progress on the path to freedom from ego. It’s easy to meditate when your mind is calm, when the lighting is right, the dog is quiet and you have your favorite incense.
But can you be mindful of your body, your breath, your environment when it’s loud and chaotic? Can you feel your experience when your mind is rushing around? Or when your emotions are bouncing all over the place? When someone insulted you or ignored you? Can you still feel your full human life? Or do you retreat into a shell of anger and resentment, neediness or ignorance when things don’t go your way.
Only you know for sure.
So really, there are two main ways to evaluate your mind training - are you joyful in the midst of the challenges, and can you maintain awareness when the environment is not ideal?
Ok, let’s practice those two things.