Applying the Practice throughout Life

The fourth point of mind training addresses a crucial question: How do we integrate these teachings into the fabric of our entire existence? Rather than treating lojong as a separate meditation practice, this point shows us how to weave bodhicitta into every aspect of our lives—from our daily routines to our final breath.

This integration is captured in two core slogans that form the heart of this point. The first deals with how we live; the second with how we die. Both rely on the same fundamental structure: the five powers.

The Five Powers for Daily Life

"The essence of the instruction, briefly stated, is to apply yourself to the five strengths."

Here, Chekawa condenses the entire lojong path into five essential practices—five "strengths" or "powers" (Tibetan: stobs lnga) that can transform any moment into an opportunity for training the mind. These are not separate techniques but different aspects of a unified approach to living with bodhicitta.

The Power of Impetus

The first power is impetus or intention (kun slong gi stobs). This means beginning each day—indeed, each activity—with a clear intention to benefit others. Before getting out of bed, we can set our motivation: "May everything I do today serve the welfare of all beings." Before eating, working, or even relaxing, we briefly recall why we're engaging in spiritual practice.

This isn't mere positive thinking. The power of impetus recognizes that our underlying motivation shapes the karmic quality of all our actions. The same activity—cooking a meal, driving to work, having a conversation—becomes either a bodhisattva deed or ordinary worldly activity depending on our intention. By cultivating the habit of checking and refreshing our motivation throughout the day, we gradually transform our entire life into dharma practice.

The Power of Familiarization

The second power is familiarization (goms pa'i stobs). This refers to consistent, repeated practice that makes bodhicitta our default response rather than something we have to consciously generate. Just as we've become familiar with self-cherishing through countless lifetimes of repetition, we now deliberately familiarize ourselves with cherishing others.

Familiarization happens through formal practice—our daily tonglen sessions, our contemplation of bodhicitta—but also through countless small moments of application throughout the day. When someone cuts us off in traffic, can we immediately think of taking on their anger? When we see someone suffering, does compassion arise spontaneously? The power of familiarization transforms these dharma responses from forced efforts into natural reflexes.

The Power of Wholesome Seeds

The third power involves accumulating wholesome seeds (dge ba'i sa bon gyi stobs) or positive karma. This means consciously creating merit through generosity, ethical conduct, and other virtuous activities, always with the motivation of benefiting others.

But this power goes deeper than simply doing good deeds. It means recognizing that every moment offers opportunities to plant seeds of awakening. Offering a smile, listening with genuine attention, choosing patience over irritation—these small acts, performed with bodhicitta motivation, become powerful causes for enlightenment.

The practice also includes dedicating whatever merit we create to the benefit of all beings. Rather than hoarding our good karma for personal benefit, we continuously give it away through dedication, which paradoxically increases rather than depletes our store of merit.

The Power of Revulsion

The fourth power, revulsion (sun 'byin pa'i stobs), means developing genuine distaste for our habitual self-cherishing and the suffering it creates. This isn't self-hatred but rather a mature recognition that our ego-clinging is the source of all our problems.

When we catch ourselves acting from pure self-interest—complaining, blaming others, seeking praise, avoiding responsibility—we learn to feel the same revulsion we'd feel toward spoiled food. This natural aversion to selfishness makes it easier to choose the alternative of cherishing others.

The power of revulsion also includes recognizing the futility of worldly pursuits when motivated by ego. Fame, wealth, pleasure, and comfort pursued for their own sake never bring lasting satisfaction. Seeing this clearly helps us redirect our energy toward the meaningful goal of benefiting others.

The Power of Aspiration

The fifth power is aspiration (smon lam gyi stobs)—making heartfelt prayers and wishes for the welfare of all beings. This includes formal dedication prayers at the end of practice sessions, but it also encompasses the spontaneous wishes that arise throughout our day: "May this person be happy," "May I be able to help," "May all beings be free from suffering."

Aspiration practice recognizes that our deepest wishes and prayers have tremendous power to shape reality. When we consistently aspire for others' welfare rather than our own advantage, we align our unconscious mind with bodhicitta. These aspirations continue working even when we're not consciously practicing, like seeds planted in the fertile ground of our mental continuum.

The Five Powers at Death

"The mahāyāna advice for transference involves the same five strengths. Conduct is important."

The second slogan reveals something remarkable: the same five powers that guide our daily practice become our method for transforming the death process itself into the ultimate mind training opportunity. This approach to death represents the culmination of the entire lojong path.

Preparing for Death as Ultimate Practice

In Tibetan Buddhism, the time of death is considered the most crucial moment for determining our future rebirths. The state of mind at death—particularly our final conscious moment—has tremendous influence over where and how we're reborn. Rather than approaching death with fear or denial, lojong practice transforms it into our greatest opportunity to benefit others.

The five powers at death work differently than in daily life, adapted to the unique circumstances of the dying process:

Impetus at Death means maintaining our bodhicitta motivation even as the body fails. Instead of clinging to life or fearing death, we approach our dying as an offering for the benefit of all beings. We might think, "May my death be meaningful. May whatever merit I've accumulated benefit all sentient beings. May my next rebirth allow me to serve others even more effectively."

Familiarization at Death involves relying on whatever dharma practice has become most natural to us. If we've spent years practicing tonglen, we continue that practice as we die. If loving-kindness meditation is our strongest familiarity, we rest in that. The key is not learning new techniques but deepening our most established positive mental habits.

Wholesome Seeds at Death means using our final moments to create merit through generous giving. This might involve making offerings, giving away our possessions, or simply maintaining generous thoughts toward all beings. Some practitioners give away their bodies as food for vultures or donate organs to help others.

Revulsion at Death becomes a final letting go of attachment to this life, this body, and this identity. Rather than fighting death, we use our mature understanding of impermanence to release our grip on everything we've been clinging to. This includes not just material possessions but also our reputation, relationships, and even our spiritual achievements.

Aspiration at Death involves making powerful final prayers for the welfare of all beings. These death-time aspirations are considered especially potent because they arise from a mind that's naturally letting go of ordinary concerns. We might pray to be reborn in circumstances where we can best serve others, or for all beings to achieve freedom from suffering.

The Importance of Conduct

The slogan's final phrase—"conduct is important"—emphasizes that how we actually behave matters tremendously, both in life and death. It's not enough to have good intentions or correct philosophical understanding. The five powers must manifest in our actual conduct.

This means maintaining ethical behavior, treating others with respect and kindness, and embodying the bodhisattva ideal in our daily interactions. At death, conduct includes maintaining dignity, avoiding actions that increase others' distress, and demonstrating through our behavior that dharma practice truly prepares us for life's ultimate transition.

Integration with Ordinary Life

Point Four's genius lies in showing how spiritual practice needn't be separate from ordinary life. Whether we're washing dishes, having difficult conversations, facing illness, or preparing for death, every moment becomes an opportunity to apply the five powers.

This integration requires learning to maintain awareness of our motivation and practice while fully engaging with whatever we're doing. A mother caring for sick children practices the power of aspiration by genuinely wishing for their wellness. A person facing financial difficulties practices the power of revulsion by recognizing how attachment to wealth creates suffering.

The five powers also provide a framework for evaluating our progress. Are we remembering to set positive intentions? Are we becoming more familiar with bodhicitta responses? Are we creating merit and dedicating it properly? Are we developing healthy aversion to selfishness? Are our deepest wishes focused on others' welfare?

The Continuity of Practice

Perhaps most importantly, Point Four establishes continuity between life and death, showing that authentic spiritual practice creates an unbroken stream of beneficial mental states. The practitioner who has spent years applying the five powers in daily life naturally continues applying them at death. Death becomes not an interruption of practice but its culmination.

This continuity also extends beyond death. The mental habits we strengthen through applying the five powers create karmic momentum that influences our future rebirths. A mind thoroughly trained in bodhicitta naturally seeks circumstances where it can continue benefiting others, even if those circumstances are in a completely different life form or realm of existence.

The fourth point thus transforms our entire lifespan—and even our death—into a single, integrated journey of awakening. Every moment becomes precious not for its own sake but as an opportunity to strengthen our capacity to benefit all beings. In this way, the most ordinary activities become sacred, and life itself becomes our temple of practice.