Train the mind in all forms of activity.
Gain is illusion; loss is enlightenment. Take all loss and defeat from others; give all victory and gain to them.
Whatever we do, we should always practice according to these teachings. Whether we are sleeping, eating, walking, or meditating, we can maintain the practice of giving happiness and taking on misery. No matter what else we are doing, we are always breathing, so we can always continue the meditation in conjunction with the breath.
We can recite prayers in accord with the practice of taking and sending, particularly when we are alone. The purpose of uttering such words is to saturate the mind and the heart in these thoughts for the cultivation of relative Bodhichitta.
May the suffering of all sentient beings be drawn to my own self-centeredness, that it may be vanquished.
By my joy, may all beings experience joy.
While their evil ripens in me, may all my virtue ripen in them.
I offer all gain and victory to the lords, all sentient beings. I take all loss and defeat for myself.
While all the suffering and evil of all sentient beings ripens in me, may all my happiness and virtue ripen in them.
The correct motivation for every action is essential. For instance, we should not eat merely to satisfy our hunger. Rather, by remembering that this action is also a method of helping other beings, we should feel that we are eating in order to maintain strength, prolong our life, and thereby be able to fulfill our aspiration of benefiting others. In this way eating becomes a part of practice.
In fact, all our daily activities can be worthwhile if we use them with a similar motivation. Every step is the path.
