Commentary on the slogan: If you can practice even when distracted, you are well trained.

The idea of this slogan is the realization that whenever situations of an ordinary nature or an extraordinary nature come up–our pot boils over, or our steak is turned to charcoal, or suddenly we slip and lose our grasp–a sudden memory of awareness should take place. Jamgon Kongtrul’s commentary on this slogan talks about a well-trained , powerful horse who loses his balance and suddenly regains it again through losing it.

The sutras talk about the bodhisattva’s actions being like those of a well-trained athlete who slips on a slippery surface and in the process of slipping regains his or her balance by using the force of the slipping process. It is similar to skiing, where you use the force that goes down and let yourself slide down through the snow–suddenly you gain attention and develop balance out of that.

From Training the Mind and Cultivating Loving-Kindness, page 86.

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