Part 1: About the Text
Titles of the Text
The text examined in this study is known in Tibetan as Blo sbyong don bdun ma, which translates as "Mind Training in Seven Points" or "Seven-Point Mind Training." The Tibetan term blo sbyong (lojong) combines blo (mind, thought, attitudes) with sbyong (training, habituation, purification, cleansing), carrying four interrelated but distinct semantic dimensions. The suffix don bdun ma literally means "seven points" or "seven topics," referring to the systematic organization Chekawa Yeshe Dorje imposed upon previously scattered oral instructions. Chekawa arranged the root lines into seven categories, which became the standard presentation of Lojong, thus establishing the term "seven points" as synonymous with this particular formulation of mind training. The work is classified as a didactic manual written in seven-syllable verse, noted for its mnemonic structure and use of colloquial language, including Tibetan proverbs.
The term lojong itself has sparked philological discussion regarding its most appropriate English rendering. Some scholars argue that "mental purification" more accurately reflects the etymological sense of sbyong, while others prefer "mind training" as better capturing the genre's functional character in Tibetan Buddhist pedagogy. This debate extends to whether lojong should be understood prescriptively through its classical etymology or descriptively as a recognized genre name in the Tibetan literary tradition. The seven-point formulation by Chekawa became so influential that The Seven Points functions almost as a proper name for this particular branch of the lojong literature, distinguishing it from other mind training texts such as Langri Thangpa's Eight Verses on Mind Training (Blo sbyong tshig brgyad ma).
Table 1: Language Forms and Canonical Identifiers
| Language |
Form |
BDRC ID |
Notes
|
| Tibetan
|
Blo sbyong don bdun ma
|
WA15433 (BDRC Work ID)
|
Standard title; Wylie transliteration
|
| Tibetan
|
Blo sbyong don bdun ma'i rtsa tshig sogs
|
MW1NLM668 (Mongolia MS)
|
"Root verses . . . and others"
|
| Tibetan
|
Sngags chen lam rim dang blo sbyong don bdun ma'i 'grel pa
|
MW1AC25 (Lhasa print, series 348)
|
Includes Lamrim material
|
| Tibetan
|
Blo sbyong don bdun ma'i snyan brgyud kyi tshig rnams
|
MW1PD89084 (Bka' gdams gsung 'bum)
|
Tokme Zangpo commentary witness
|
| English
|
Seven-Point Mind Training
|
—
|
Most common translation
|
| English
|
Mind Training in Seven Points
|
—
|
Alternative translation
|
| English
|
Seven-Topic Mental Purification
|
—
|
Sweet 1996 translation (prescriptive)
|
Content and Structure
While Chekawa is credited with the seven-point systematization, the root lines themselves are understood to derive from the scattered oral instructions (upadeśa, man ngag) of the Indian master Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna (982–1054). These instructions were initially transmitted as restricted teachings (lkog chos), given orally to select disciples. Chekawa's innovation lay not in authoring entirely original verses but in compiling, organizing, and publicly disseminating what had previously been esoteric transmission material. The biographical literature consistently credits Chekawa as "the great systematizer" of the lojong teachings, a title that captures his historical role more precisely than "author" in the modern compositional sense.
His Seven Points organizes bodhicitta cultivation into a systematic, progressive framework consisting of seven main topics. This structure begins with foundational preliminary practices, proceeds through the core training in ultimate and conventional awakening mind, addresses the transformation of adversities, integrates practice into one's entire life, establishes measures of proficiency, delineates specific commitments, and concludes with practical precepts.
Point 1: Presentation of the Preliminaries
The first point establishes the foundational practices necessary for mind training. Commentarial literature identifies these as contemplating the rarity and preciousness of human birth, meditating on impermanence and death's certainty, and recognizing samsara's pervasive faults. These four contemplations generate the urgency and appropriate motivation required for the main practice.
Point 2: Training in the Awakening Mind
The second point constitutes the core of The Seven-Point Mind Training, divided into training in ultimate awakening mind (don dam byang chub kyi sems) and conventional awakening mind (kun rdzob byang chub kyi sems). This dual structure reflects the Mahāyāna understanding that complete enlightenment requires both wisdom realizing emptiness and compassionate engagement with suffering beings.
Ultimate bodhicitta training centers on emptiness meditation using approaches like viewing all phenomena as dreamlike or examining the nature of unborn awareness. Conventional bodhicitta training centers on tonglen (gtong len), "giving and taking," coordinated with breathing. Practitioners alternate between giving their happiness to others (on exhalation) and taking upon themselves others' suffering (on inhalation). Post-meditation instruction teaches the practitioner to work with "three objects, three poisons, and three roots of virtue," to maintain mindfulness by recognizing types of experiential objects and noting which afflictions they evoke, and to immediately transform afflictive responses into virtuous opposites.
Point 3: Taking Adverse Conditions onto the Path
The third point teaches the distinctive lojong approach to difficulties and obstacles. Rather than viewing hardships as impediments, mind training transforms them into catalysts for awakening. Key instructions include identifying self-cherishing as the sole cause of suffering and recognizing even harmful beings as teachers providing opportunities to practice patience.
Point 4: Condensing Practice into One Lifetime
The fourth point addresses how to integrate the entire path into one's actual life circumstances through the five powers: repeatedly renewing one's commitment to bodhicitta, consistent practice, accumulating merit, rejecting self-cherishing, and dedicating merit toward enlightenment.
Point 5: The Measure of Proficiency
The fifth point establishes criteria for evaluating progress. The primary measure emphasizes the practice aiming at reducing self-grasping and self-cherishing. Other measures include relying on one's own mind as principal witness rather than others' perceptions, maintaining a joyful attitude, and practicing effectively even while distracted.
Point 6: The Commitments of Mind Training
The sixth point delineates specific commitments that practitioners undertake, functioning as safeguards preventing practice from becoming merely theoretical. These address maintaining practice consistency, avoiding spiritual pride, refraining from public display, avoiding dwelling on others' faults, and working on one's own worst defects first.
Point 7: The Precepts of Mind Training
The seventh point presents practical precepts for daily application, expressed in colloquial language reflecting their oral origins. Examples include "do everything with one intention" (maintain bodhicitta in all activities), "correct all wrongs with one remedy" (use awareness and compassion), and "whichever of the two occurs, be patient."
Table 2: Thematic Structure of The Seven Points of Mind Training
| Section/Point |
Primary Theme |
Key Concepts |
Significance
|
| Point 1: Preliminaries
|
Foundational practices
|
Precious human birth, impermanence, samsaric suffering
|
Generates renunciation and urgency; establishes motivation
|
| Point 2.A: Ultimate Bodhicitta
|
Wisdom training
|
Emptiness, dream analogy, unborn awareness, basis-of-all, illusory body
|
Develops wisdom that prevents substantial grasping
|
| Point 2.B: Conventional Bodhicitta
|
Compassion training
|
Tonglen (giving-taking), breath coordination, three objects/poisons/virtues
|
Actualizes exchanging self and other; transforms motivation
|
| Point 3: Adversity as Path
|
Obstacle transformation
|
Blaming self-grasping, recognizing kindness, emptiness of harm, offerings
|
Converts difficulties into spiritual opportunities
|
| Point 4: Lifetime Integration
|
Essential practices
|
Five powers (intention, familiarization, white seed, repudiation, prayer), application to death
|
Condenses path; addresses dying process
|
| Point 5: Proficiency Measures
|
Progress evaluation
|
Reduction of self-grasping, self-witness, joyful attitude, distracted proficiency
|
Provides concrete criteria for assessing development
|
| Point 6: Commitments
|
Ethical safeguards
|
Avoiding pride, maintaining consistency, refraining from exploitation, giving up competition
|
Prevents deviation and self-deception
|
| Point 7: Precepts
|
Daily application
|
One intention, one remedy, beginning/ending practices, three difficulties, three causes
|
Translates principles into moment-by-moment behavior
|
Textual Heritage and Transmission
The Seven-Point Mind Training belongs to the Kadam (Bka' gdams) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, founded by Atiśa Dīpaṃkara Śrījñāna following his arrival in Tibet in 1042. Atiśa transmitted mind training instructions as "hidden Dharma" (lkog chos) or pith instructions (man ngag) to Dromtön Gyalwai Jungne (1005–1064), who became the primary lineage holder. These instructions remained closely guarded oral teachings, transmitted through several generations: from Atiśa through Dromtön to Potowa Rinchen Sal (1027–1105), then to Sharawa Yonten Drak (1070–1141), who became Chekawa's principal teacher. Following Sharawa's death in 1141, Chekawa succeeded him as teacher and lineage holder.
Initially, Chekawa maintained the tradition of restricted transmission, teaching the instructions to only one or two disciples at a time. However, he later made the landmark decision to teach the system openly as "public Dharma" (tshogs chos), with his composition of The Seven-Point Mind Training serving as the vehicle for this shift. This innovation marked a pivotal moment in the history of lojong literature, transforming previously esoteric oral instructions into a widely accessible written text. The biographical literature explicitly credits Chekawa with originating the public Lojong teaching tradition through this act of opening the transmission. His most important direct disciple was Se Chilbu Chökyi Gyaltsen (1121–1189), who compiled his teacher's lecture notes. Scholarly consensus recognizes Se Chilbu's compilation as the first commentary on The Seven Points, making Tokme Zangpo's fourteenth-century work the second earliest known commentary rather than the first, as some earlier scholarship suggested. Following its organization into seven key points, the text effectively became the root text of Atiśa's mind training teachings, attracting numerous commentaries from major Tibetan teachers across several centuries. As mentioned by Jinpa, at least twelve well-known commentaries exist, representing various lineages and interpretive traditions within Tibetan Buddhism.[1]
Manuscript and printed witnesses of the text exist in multiple locations and formats. The National Library of Mongolia preserves a manuscript witness containing fifteen folios of the root text along with other liturgical materials.[2] The Collected Works of the Kadampas (Bka' gdams gsung 'bum) includes multiple witnesses. The existence of at least six different redactions of the root lines suggests that Chekawa's Seven Points represents one specific—and ultimately the most famous— arrangement of a common oral tradition rather than a singular original composition.
The Tibetan author Sonam Lhai Wangpo's fifteenth-century History of the Kadam Tradition (Bka' gdams chos 'byung rin po che) classifies Atiśa's teachings into four categories: teachings on the stages of the path, scattered sayings, epistles, and pith instructions. Within this taxonomy, he lists the entire collection of mind training teachings as "scattered sayings," which explains why the root lines do not appear in the Tengyur (canonical Buddhist treatises) under Atiśa's name. These lines most probably originated as spontaneous instructions that Atiśa gave to different individuals on various occasions, later compiled by teachers into oral transmissions to prevent their loss. The brevity and vernacular style of the verses confirm their oral origins.
As explained in detail by Jinpa, the transmission lineages of The Seven Points bifurcated into northern and southern streams, each emphasizing different interpretive approaches. This division manifests most clearly in the understanding of the phrase "place your mind on the basis of all that is the path's essence" (kun gzhi). Northern-lineage proponents, following teachers like Radrengpa, identify this as emptiness (śūnyatā), emphasizing the ultimate nature of mind. Southern-lineage advocates, following masters like Tokme Zangpo, interpret it as the uncontrived natural mind, placing greater emphasis on recognizing the mind's innate luminosity. The fourteenth-century master Shönu Gyalchok's Compendium of All Well-Uttered Insights (Blo sbyong legs bshad kun btus) synthesized both approaches, creating a third interpretive tradition that sought to reconcile the divergent readings.[3]
The textual history of The Seven Points involves multiple redactions and versions, reflecting both the oral origins of the root verses and the evolution of the text through successive transmissions. At least six different arrangements of lojong root lines attributed to Atiśa's teachings existed before or contemporaneous with Chekawa's systematization. These variants suggest that different lineages preserved slightly different selections of verses or organized them according to varying pedagogical priorities.
- ↑ The major commentaries on Chekawa Yeshe Dorje's Seven-Point Mind Training include: (1) Se Chilbu's commentary compiled from Chekawa's teaching; (2) Tokme Zangpo's commentary; (3) Shönu Gyalchok (Gzhon nu rgyal mchog, 14th c.), Compendium of All Well-Uttered Insights (Legs bshad kun 'dus); (4) Konchok Gyaltsen (Dkon mchog rgyal mtshan, 1388-1469), Supplement to Oral Transmission (Zhal shes kyi lhan thabs); (5) Radrengpa (Rwa sgreng pa, 15th c.), Stream of the Awakening Mind (Byang chub sems kyi chu rgyun); (6) Horton Namkha Pal (Hor ston nam mkha' dpal, 1440–1511), Mind Training: Rays of the Sun (Blo sbyong nyi ma'i 'od zer); (7) First Dalai Lama Gendün Drup (Dge 'dun grub, 1391–1474), Lucid and Succinct Guide to Mind Training (Blo sbyong gsal bsdus); (8) Khedrup Sangye Yeshe (Mkhas grub sangs rgyas ye shes, 1525–1590), How to Integrate into One's Mind the Well-Known Seven-Point Mind Training (Blo sbyong don bdun ma grags chen ji ltar nyams su len tshul); (9) Kalden Gyatso (Skal ldan rgya mtsho, 1607–1677), Dispelling the Darkness of Mind (Blo sbyong mun sel); (10) Yongzin Yeshe Gyaltsen (Yongs 'dzin ye shes rgyal mtshan, 1713–1793), Essence of Ambrosia (Bdud rtsi snying po); (11) Ngülchu Dharmabhadra (Dngul chu dharma b+ha dra, 1772–1851), Heart Jewel of the Bodhisattvas (Byang sems snying nor); (12) Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo ('Jam dbyangs mkhyen brtse'i dbang po, 1820–1892), Seeds of Benefit and Well-Being (Phan bde'i sa bon). See Thupten Jinpa, trans. and ed., Mind Training: The Great Collection, compiled by Shönu Gyalchok (Gzhon nu rgyal mchog) and Könchok Gyaltsen (Dkon mchog rgyal mtshan). Library of Tibetan Classics 1 (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006), 11–12.
- ↑ See 'Chad kha pa ye shes rdo rje, Blo sbyong don bdun maʼi rtsa tshig sogs, 1 vol., http://purl.bdrc.io/resource/MW1NLM668.
- ↑ See Jinpa, Mind Training, 12.
