Seven Points for Training the Mind
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Books/Seven Points for Training the Mind
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Seven Points for Training the Mind: An Oral Commentary by Geshi Sonam Rinchen
Book
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Description
Of the many mind training (lojong) texts that exist, Geshe Chekawa's Seven Points for Training the Mind is one of the most complete. The mind training tradition that developed in Tibet has its source in the words of the great Indian masters Nagarjuna and Shantideva. This particular text expands on the Tibetan master Geshe Langritangpa's Eight Verses from Training the Mind. Although it was written in the twelfth century, Geshe Chekawa's advice is as relevant today as it was then because human nature has remained much the same. The text provides us with the means to transform our attitudes, gain increased mental control, develop a deeper understanding of reality and greater love, compassion and kindness towards other. Remarkably , the commitments and precepts set out by the author act as pertinent guidelines for a less stressful and more harmonious life in today's world. (Source Accessed Jan 31, 2025)
Citation
Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, and Geshe Sonam Rinchen. Seven Points for Training the Mind: An Oral Commentary by Geshi Sonam Rinchen. Translated and edited by Ruth Sonam. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2014.
Table of contents
- Publisher's Note v
- A Tribute vii
- Introduction 1
- Prologue 9
- 1. The Preliminaries for Training the Mind 21
- Thinking about the preciousness of our human life 39
- Thinking about impermanence and the imminence of death 49
- Thinking about actions and their effects 57
- 2. Training in the Spirit of Enlightenment 69
- 3. Turning Adverse Circumstances into the Path to Enlightenment 97
- 4. The Practices of a Lifetime Subsumed 107
- 5. The Criterion of Success in Training the Mind 113
- 6. The Commitments for Training the Mind 119
- 7. The Precepts for Training the Mind 127
- Further Explanation of Selflessness 141
- Appendix 159
- The Eight Verses for Training the Mind 159
- Seven Points for Training the Mind 160
- The Root Text in Tibetan 163
- Notes 169
Interconnections
2 Full translation of
Blo sbyong don bdun ma. (Lojong Döndünma). In Tibetan, "Seven Points of Mind Training"; an influential Tibetan work in the blo sbyong ("mind training") genre. The work was composed by the Bka' gdams scholar 'Chad ka ba ye shes rdo rje, often known as Dge bshes Mchad kha ba, based on the tradition of generating bodhicitta known as "mind training" transmitted by the Bengali master Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna. It also follows the system laid out previously by Glang ri thang pa (Langri Tangpa) in his Blo sbyong tshig brgyad ma ("Eight Verses on Mind Training"). Comprised of a series of pithy instructions and meditative techniques, the Blo sbyong don bdun ma became influential in Tibet, with scholars from numerous traditions writing commentaries to it. According to the commentary of the nineteenth-century Tibetan polymath 'Jam mgon kong sprul, the seven points covered in the treatise are: (1) the preliminaries to mind training, which include the contemplations on the preciousness of human rebirth, the reality of death and impermanence, the shortcomings of saṃsāra, and the effects of karman; (2) the actual practice of training in bodhicitta; (3) transforming adverse conditions into the path of awakening; (4) utilizing the practice in one's entire life; (5) the evaluation of mind training; (6) the commitments of mind training; and (7) guidelines for mind training. (Source: "Blo sbyong don bdun ma." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 126–27. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
Composed by the Buddhist Master Langri Tangpa (1054-1123), Eight Verses for Training the Mind is a highly revered text from the Mahayana Lojong (mind training) tradition. These instructions offer essential practices for
cultivating the awakening mind of compassion, wisdom, and love. This eight-verse lojong enshrines the very heart of Dharma, revealing the true essence of the Mahayana path to liberation. Even a single line of this practice can be seen as encapsulating the entire teaching of the Buddha. For even a single statement of this mind training practice has the incredible power to help us subdue our self-oriented behavior and mental afflictions. The fundamental theme of mind training practice is the profound reorientation of our basic attitude, both toward our own self and toward our fellow human beings, as well as toward the events around us. The goal of mind training practice is the radical transformation of our thoughts, attitudes, and habits. Presently, we tend to cherish the welfare of our own self at the expense of all others. However, the mind training teaching challenges us to reverse this process. This involves a deep understanding of others as true friends, and the recognition that our
true enemy lies inside of ourselves, not outside. Source Accessed Jan 30, 2025)1 Teaching on
Blo sbyong don bdun ma. (Lojong Döndünma). In Tibetan, "Seven Points of Mind Training"; an influential Tibetan work in the blo sbyong ("mind training") genre. The work was composed by the Bka' gdams scholar 'Chad ka ba ye shes rdo rje, often known as Dge bshes Mchad kha ba, based on the tradition of generating bodhicitta known as "mind training" transmitted by the Bengali master Atiśa Dīpaṃkaraśrījñāna. It also follows the system laid out previously by Glang ri thang pa (Langri Tangpa) in his Blo sbyong tshig brgyad ma ("Eight Verses on Mind Training"). Comprised of a series of pithy instructions and meditative techniques, the Blo sbyong don bdun ma became influential in Tibet, with scholars from numerous traditions writing commentaries to it. According to the commentary of the nineteenth-century Tibetan polymath 'Jam mgon kong sprul, the seven points covered in the treatise are: (1) the preliminaries to mind training, which include the contemplations on the preciousness of human rebirth, the reality of death and impermanence, the shortcomings of saṃsāra, and the effects of karman; (2) the actual practice of training in bodhicitta; (3) transforming adverse conditions into the path of awakening; (4) utilizing the practice in one's entire life; (5) the evaluation of mind training; (6) the commitments of mind training; and (7) guidelines for mind training. (Source: "Blo sbyong don bdun ma." In The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, 126–27. Princeton University Press, 2014. http://www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt46n41q.27.)
