The idea of this slogan is the realization that whenever situations of an ordinary nature or extraordinary nature come up - our pot boiled 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 talks about a well-trained, powerful horse who loses his balance and suddenly regains it again through losing it. It is similar, I suppose, to skiing, where you use the force that goes down and let yourself slide through the snow - suddenly you gain attention and develop balance out of that.

So whenever there is a sudden glimpse or sudden surprise of losing one's grip - that seeming fear of losing one's reality can be included properly. To do so there is a need for renunciation. It is not your chauvinistic trip, that you are a fantastically powerful and strong person and also have a sense of mindfulness taking place all the time. But when something hits you, which is the result of unmindfulness, then suddenly that unmindfulness creates a reminder automatically. So you get back on track, so to speak, able to handle your life.

From TRAINING THE MIND by Chgyam Trungpa, 1993 by Diana Mukpo.
Published by arrangement with Shambhala Publications, Inc., Boston.