24. Change your attitude, but remain natural

• This is the Second Slogan/Instruction of Point Six, which consists of sixteen instructions.
• Point Six is “The Disciplines of Mind Training”

Traleg Kyabgon writes,

Lojong practice is about transforming the way we view the world, not changing the way we present ourselves to it. Changes in the way we perceive ourselves and in how we relate to our disturbing thoughts and emotions and our attitudes to other people are far more important than changes in our appearance, mannerisms, or personal attire. To believe otherwise would be like thinking we’ve become more spiritual simply as a result of donning some kind of religious habit. We are trying to transform the unwholesome, self-destructive attitudes of our self-obsession. Whether others perceive us as different or not is irrelevant; our transformation needs to be an internal one.

Traleg Kyabgon, The Practice of Lojong: Cultivating Compassion through Training the Mind

Vajrapani, 700s. India, Kashmir. Bronze with silver overlay and opaque watercolor; overall: 22 cm (8 11/16 in.); base: 12.8 cm (5 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art