The Commitments of Mind Training

The sixth point presents sixteen commitments (dam tshig) that serve as protective guidelines for the mind training practitioner. These are not arbitrary rules but essential safeguards that prevent the corruption of lojong practice and ensure its authentic development. Like guardrails on a mountain path, these commitments keep us from falling into spiritual pitfalls that could harm both ourselves and others.

The commitments arise naturally from understanding the profound nature of mind training. When we work with such powerful methods as tonglen (Point 2) and the transformation of adversity (Point 3), we need clear ethical boundaries to prevent their misuse. These guidelines protect the practice from being twisted by ego-clinging or used to justify harmful behavior.

The Three Foundational Principles

"Train constantly in three basic principles."

The first commitment establishes three fundamental principles that underlie all mind training practice: not transgressing the mind training commitments themselves, not being reckless in our conduct, and not falling into partiality in our compassion.

Not transgressing the commitments means taking these guidelines seriously as essential supports for our practice, not optional suggestions. They are medicine for the ego's tendency to corrupt even the most beneficial teachings.

Not being reckless means maintaining wisdom alongside compassion. While mind training teaches us to take on others' suffering and give away our happiness, this doesn't mean abandoning common sense or engaging in harmful behavior under the guise of spiritual practice.

Not falling into partiality means extending our practice to all beings without discrimination. We cannot practice compassion only for those we like or find agreeable while maintaining hardness toward those who challenge us. True bodhicitta makes no such distinctions.

Remaining Natural

"Change your attitude, but remain natural."

This commitment addresses a crucial balance in practice. While mind training fundamentally transforms our attitude from self-centeredness to other-centeredness, this inner revolution should not manifest as artificial or contrived behavior.

The deepest changes happen internally. We cultivate genuine compassion and wisdom without needing to advertise our spiritual practice through dramatic gestures or conspicuous behavior. A mind training practitioner might appear quite ordinary on the outside while undergoing profound inner transformation.

Remaining natural also means not forcing experiences or manufacturing spiritual states. We practice consistently and allow genuine realization to unfold organically, without pushing for dramatic breakthroughs or putting on spiritual airs.

Protecting Others' Dignity

"Don't speak of injured limbs."

This commitment prohibits us from pointing out others' physical disabilities, weaknesses, or sensitive spots—literally or figuratively. It teaches us to protect others' dignity and avoid causing unnecessary pain through careless speech.

More broadly, this guideline cultivates sensitivity to what might hurt or embarrass others. Even when we think we're being helpful or honest, we must consider whether our words will genuinely benefit the other person or simply satisfy our own impulse to comment.

This restraint becomes especially important as our practice deepens. We might develop clearer perception of others' patterns and problems, but this insight comes with the responsibility to use it skillfully rather than as ammunition for criticism or gossip.

"Don't ponder others' flaws."

Related to the previous commitment, this instruction tells us to stop dwelling on others' faults, mistakes, or negative qualities. This mental habit of fault-finding is one of ego's favorite pastimes, and it directly contradicts the mind training emphasis on seeing others' basic goodness.

When we catch our mind obsessing over someone's shortcomings, we can redirect that energy toward examining our own patterns instead. This shift transforms criticism into self-reflection and moves us toward greater wisdom and humility.

We can still recognize harmful behavior and protect ourselves when necessary. The point is to stop feeding our mind's addiction to judgment and superiority.

Starting with the Strongest Patterns

"Train first with the strongest destructive emotions."

This commitment encourages us to work directly with our most challenging mental patterns rather than avoiding them. Instead of tiptoeing around our anger, jealousy, or attachment, we apply mind training methods precisely where they're most needed.

Working with our strongest emotions provides the clearest test of our practice. If tonglen can help us with rage or deep grief, we know the method is truly effective. If we can maintain bodhicitta when facing our deepest fears, our confidence in the practice becomes unshakeable.

This approach also prevents us from using spiritual practice as a sophisticated form of avoidance. Mind training isn't about creating a perfect bubble of calm but about developing genuine capacity to work with whatever arises.

Letting Go of Results

"Abandon any expectations of results."

This commitment strikes at the heart of ego's relationship to spiritual practice. We naturally want our efforts to produce visible improvements in our life circumstances, relationships, or inner state. But fixating on results corrupts the practice and creates subtle forms of spiritual materialism.

True mind training is done for its own sake, out of genuine concern for all beings' welfare, not to achieve personal benefits. When we release expectations, we free the practice to work in its own way and timing, which is often different from what we imagine.

Abandoning expectations doesn't mean becoming passive or indifferent. We maintain enthusiastic effort while holding outcomes lightly, trusting that sincere practice will naturally bear fruit.

Avoiding Spiritual Poison

"Give up poisonous food."

This commitment warns against mixing mind training with harmful motivations or attitudes. Just as nutritious food becomes poisonous when contaminated, beneficial practices become destructive when motivated by pride, competitiveness, or hidden self-interest.

Poisonous food in spiritual practice might include using meditation to feel superior to others, practicing compassion to gain admiration, or studying dharma to win arguments. These motivations corrupt the practice from within, preventing genuine development.

We examine our intentions regularly, checking whether our practice is serving genuine awakening or feeding ego's subtle agendas. This ongoing purification keeps the practice clean and effective.

Avoiding Excessive Loyalty

"Don't be so loyal to the cause."

This seemingly paradoxical commitment prevents us from becoming fanatical about our practice or our particular tradition. While devotion and commitment are essential, excessive loyalty can lead to narrow-mindedness, sectarianism, and aggression toward those who practice differently.

True loyalty to the dharma means remaining open to wisdom wherever it appears and avoiding the trap of defending "our" tradition against "theirs." The ultimate goal is the welfare of all beings, not the victory of any particular approach.

This commitment also prevents us from using our spiritual identity as another form of ego-enhancement. We practice humbly, knowing that attachment to even the most beneficial methods can become an obstacle.

Avoiding Retaliation and Aggression

"Don't lash out in retaliation."

When others harm us, the natural impulse is to strike back. This commitment asks us to interrupt that cycle of retaliation and instead use mistreatment as an opportunity to deepen our practice.

We can still establish appropriate boundaries and protect ourselves. But the commitment asks us to refrain from adding our own aggression to the already volatile mix of human conflict. We protect ourselves and others without seeking revenge or trying to "teach someone a lesson" through punishment.

Each moment of restraining retaliation strengthens our capacity for genuine patience and compassion. We discover that non-retaliation often defuses conflicts more effectively than fighting back.

"Don't lie in ambush."

This commitment prohibits us from waiting for opportunities to get back at those who have wronged us. The mind training practitioner doesn't plot revenge or look for chances to expose others' mistakes.

Lying in ambush reveals the subtle ways ego can corrupt even our spiritual practice. We might convince ourselves we're "helping" someone by pointing out their faults or creating situations where their weaknesses are revealed, but this behavior stems from hostility, not compassion.

Instead, we cultivate genuine forgiveness and look for opportunities to help rather than harm those who have hurt us.

Avoiding Unfair Attacks

"Don't strike a vulnerable point."

When conflicts arise, we naturally look for our opponent's weakest spots—their insecurities, past mistakes, or sensitive areas. This commitment forbids us from exploiting such vulnerabilities, even when we feel justified in defending ourselves.

Striking vulnerable points might win arguments or conflicts in the short term, but it destroys trust and creates lasting harm. The mind training practitioner aims to preserve others' dignity even during disagreements.

This restraint requires great patience and skill. We learn to address actual issues without attacking the person, to maintain firm boundaries without cruelty, and to protect ourselves without seeking to destroy others.

Fairness in Responsibility

"Don't transfer the ox's burden to the cow."

This vivid metaphor warns against shifting our responsibilities onto others, particularly those less capable of bearing them. We don't use our spiritual practice as an excuse to avoid our fair share of life's difficulties.

In practical terms, this means not expecting others to compensate for our shortcomings or pick up our slack. If we're going through difficulties, we don't automatically assume others should adjust their lives to accommodate us.

This commitment also applies to emotional labor. We don't make others responsible for managing our feelings or reactions, even when we're practicing mind training methods like taking on suffering.

Avoiding Competitiveness

"Don't be competitive."

Competition has no place in authentic dharma practice. This commitment prohibits us from turning spiritual development into a contest where we try to outshine others or prove our superiority.

Competitiveness in spiritual practice takes many subtle forms: comparing meditation experiences, showing off our knowledge, or subtly competing for teachers' attention. All of these corrupt the practice and feed ego rather than diminishing it.

Instead, we rejoice in others' accomplishments and progress, knowing that everyone's awakening benefits the whole community. We practice for the sake of all beings, not for personal glory.

Proper Practice

"Don't misperform the rites."

This commitment ensures that we practice mind training methods correctly and completely, without shortcuts or distortions that might seem easier but undermine the practice's effectiveness.

Misperforming the rites might include doing tonglen without genuine compassion, rushing through preliminary practices, or modifying instructions to suit our preferences rather than following the traditional methods that have been proven effective over centuries.

We approach the practice with respect and precision, understanding that these methods have been refined by generations of practitioners and deserve to be transmitted accurately.

Maintaining Proper Perspective

"Don't reduce gods to demons."

This commitment warns against using spiritual practice to justify harmful behavior or turning beneficial practices into obstacles. We don't twist mind training into a reason for aggression, superiority, or neglect of practical responsibilities.

For example, we might use the teaching on taking on others' suffering as an excuse for martyrdom or self-destruction. Or we might interpret the instruction to "drive all blames into one" as permission to blame ourselves excessively rather than taking healthy responsibility.

Maintaining proper perspective means understanding the real intent behind each instruction and applying it in ways that genuinely serve awakening rather than feeding ego in subtle ways.

Avoiding Harmful Motivations

"Don't seek others' misery as crutches of your own happiness."

The final commitment addresses perhaps the most subtle corruption of mind training: taking secret pleasure in others' difficulties because they make us feel better about our own situation.

This twisted satisfaction violates the fundamental spirit of bodhicitta, which genuinely wishes for all beings' happiness and freedom from suffering. Even when others' problems don't directly affect us, we shouldn't use them as sources of comparative comfort.

Instead, we cultivate genuine empathy and look for ways to help alleviate others' suffering. Their pain becomes motivation for deeper practice rather than a source of self-congratulation.

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These sixteen commitments work together to create a container within which mind training can develop authentically. They address the ego's countless strategies for corrupting even the most beneficial practices and provide clear guidelines for maintaining the pure intention that makes lojong effective.

The commitments are not burdens but supports, like the banks of a river that allow water to flow powerfully toward its destination. By following these guidelines, we ensure that our mind training serves its true purpose: the development of genuine wisdom and compassion for the benefit of all beings.

As we work with these commitments, we begin to see how thoroughly they permeate authentic spiritual life. They're not separate from our practice but expressions of the same awakened heart that tonglen cultivates. In following them, we embody the very bodhicitta we seek to develop.