Are you seeking a spiritual path that meets you in the middle of your busy, messy, beautiful life? Perhaps you’ve tried mindfulness or read books on compassion, but something still feels incomplete — like you’re yearning not just for peace, but for transformation. If that resonates, Training in Compassion: Zen Teachings on the Practice of Lojong by Norman Fischer may be the gentle, radical guide you didn’t know you needed.
In this article, Buddhism Way will explore Fischer’s contemporary take on the ancient Tibetan Buddhist lojong slogans — pithy, poetic, and powerful teachings for transforming the mind. You’ll discover how this Zen teacher lovingly translates these teachings into a form that resonates deeply with modern hearts. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced practitioner, Fischer’s warm voice offers something precious: a way to let our everyday sufferings become fuel for awakening.
Let’s walk together through this profound and accessible work, seeing not only what it teaches but how it invites us to live differently.
🧭 What This Book Is About
Training in Compassion is Norman Fischer’s insightful rendering of the 59 lojong slogans, which originate from the 12th-century Tibetan master Geshe Chekawa. These slogans are part of a larger practice of mind training (lojong in Tibetan) — a method for transforming ordinary self-centeredness into profound compassion.
Norman Fischer, a Zen priest, poet, and founder of the Everyday Zen Foundation, brings his decades of practice and teaching to bear on these ancient slogans. Though lojong comes from the Tibetan tradition, Fischer offers his interpretations from a Soto Zen perspective, showing how the universal principles of compassion, self-awareness, and non-attachment transcend lineage and cultural background.
The book was published in 2013 and remains a favorite among spiritual practitioners looking for a practical, heart-centered way to meet the challenges of modern life. Fischer’s voice throughout is conversational, wise, and unpretentious — making what could feel arcane or abstract feel warm, immediate, and applicable.
📖 Structure of the Book
The book is structured around the 59 traditional lojong slogans. Each slogan serves as a mini-chapter — a seed of reflection followed by Fischer’s unpacking and commentary. There is no rigid organization by theme or topic; rather, each slogan invites the reader into a new doorway of awareness.
For example, you might open to:
- “Drive all blames into one”
- “Be grateful to everyone”
- “Don’t be swayed by external circumstances”
- “Always maintain a joyful mind”
Each slogan is followed by 2–4 pages of commentary in which Fischer reflects, often drawing from Zen stories, daily life scenarios, and psychological insights.
The result is a book that reads almost like a spiritual companion — not a manual to master, but a series of intimate conversations with the reader’s deeper self.
☸️ Core Teachings in the Book
1. Training the Mind Through Adversity
One of the central themes of lojong is that adversity is not an obstacle to practice — it is the practice. Fischer emphasizes that difficult people, painful situations, and inner struggles are precisely the raw material for transformation.
“Lojong practice is radical,” Fischer writes. “It asks us to look at our selfish mind directly, and to transform it by working with our everyday life.”
The slogan “Drive all blames into one” is particularly powerful. Rather than projecting blame onto others, Fischer encourages us to turn inward — not to wallow in guilt, but to recognize that our experience of suffering always passes through the lens of self-grasping. That’s where the transformation begins.
2. Compassion as a Skill, Not a Sentiment
In line with the Mahayana tradition, lojong cultivates bodhicitta — the awakened heart of compassion. But compassion here isn’t a soft feeling or vague goodwill. It’s a discipline, a muscle that must be trained daily through thought and action.
Fischer often returns to the idea that compassion begins with clarity. If we don’t understand our own patterns of mind — especially how we grasp at identity, control, and comfort — our compassion will be shallow or self-serving.
“The purpose of lojong is not to make you feel better. It’s to help you see better, and from there, to love better.”
3. Reversing the Usual Way of Thinking
Several slogans, like “Regard all dharmas as dreams” or “Don’t expect applause,” encourage a complete reversal of the ego’s normal operating system. Fischer explains how lojong teachings are designed to undermine our habitual self-centered narratives — not with self-hatred, but with spacious awareness.
For example, the slogan “Always maintain a joyful mind” isn’t a command to be cheerful, but a reminder to find joy in letting go. Joy arises not from clinging to outcomes, but from connecting with the depth of our human experience.
“The joy here is not about happy feelings. It’s the joy of not having to be someone, not having to get it right.”
4. Seeing Others as Teachers
Another powerful practice from the lojong tradition is to treat every person — especially difficult ones — as your spiritual teacher. This turns relationships into a path of awakening rather than a source of reactivity.
Slogans like “Be grateful to everyone” and “Don’t be swayed by external circumstances” challenge us to stop blaming others for our unhappiness. Fischer gently reminds us that every person, every interaction, reveals the state of our own heart.
“Your enemy may be more helpful to your practice than your friends. That’s the genius of lojong.”
5. Dharma in the Mundane
Fischer emphasizes that mind training isn’t reserved for retreat centers or monasteries. Lojong is for the kitchen, the workplace, the subway. The slogan “Practice the five strengths, the condensed heart instructions” reminds us that ordinary life is the spiritual path.
This approach resonates deeply with readers living in the fast-paced, often chaotic modern world. The teachings don’t ask you to escape your life. They ask you to meet it more fully, with a transformed heart.
🪷 Why This Book Matters
A Modern Manual for Inner Alchemy
For those who feel overwhelmed by traditional Buddhist texts or who struggle to integrate spirituality into daily life, Training in Compassion offers a refreshing, usable approach. It doesn’t simplify the path — but it does make it livable.
This book is especially helpful for:
- Busy professionals seeking a practice that fits daily life
- People facing emotional hardship who want to turn pain into wisdom
- Spiritual practitioners from any background curious about Tibetan mind training
- Long-time meditators looking to deepen their understanding of compassion beyond mindfulness
Real-Life Applications of the Teachings
- Start the Day With a Slogan
Keep the book near your bedside. Open to a random slogan each morning and reflect on it for five minutes. Ask yourself, “How can I live this today?” - Transform Conflict Into Practice
The next time you feel wronged, pause and remember: “Drive all blames into one.” Reflect on how your reaction arises. Choose curiosity instead of defensiveness. - Keep a ‘Lojong Journal’
Write down one insight each day from living the slogans. Notice how they subtly shift your worldview over time.
A Voice That Feels Like a Friend
What makes Fischer’s version of lojong special is not just its clarity — it’s his voice. He writes not as a distant scholar, but as someone walking the path beside you. There’s no pressure to be perfect, only an invitation to be awake, real, and kind.
🔍 Strengths and Challenges of the Book
Strengths
- Accessible Language: You don’t need to be a scholar to understand the slogans or their meaning.
- Contemporary Relevance: The commentary is filled with real-life examples, including work, family, politics, and emotions.
- Non-Dogmatic Approach: Though rooted in Buddhism, the teachings are open to anyone with a sincere wish to grow.
Considerations
- Lack of Introduction to Traditional Lojong: Readers unfamiliar with Tibetan Buddhism may benefit from an introductory text or overview first.
- Repetitive Format: Since each chapter is based on a slogan, some may find the structure repetitive if read straight through. It’s best savored slowly.
🌱 Your Journey Through This Book Begins Here
Training in Compassion is more than a book — it’s an invitation. Each page offers a way to work with your mind, open your heart, and reframe your daily challenges as spiritual opportunities. Whether you read it once or return to it year after year, the lojong slogans will become quiet companions on your path.
Norman Fischer has done something rare: he’s translated ancient teachings without losing their fire — and delivered them with the tenderness of a Zen poet. If you feel ready to turn suffering into awakening, confusion into clarity, and isolation into compassion, this book may become one of your dearest guides.
“To train in compassion is to be willing to be touched by life — over and over again — and to respond with an open heart.”
If this book speaks to you, try reading one slogan a day. Let it settle into your breath, your relationships, your silence. That’s where the real training begins.
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