Measuring Progress in Mind Training

Review

So far in our Seven Point Mind Training discussion, we’ve covered four out of the seven points. The first point focused on the preliminaries. The second point was about developing actual bodhichitta, which involves developing deepest bodhichitta and then relative bodhichitta. The third illustrated how we can transform adverse circumstances into the path to enlightenment with our thoughts concerning our behavior and our view of reality. In terms of our view of reality, we saw that the nature of the mind consists of the four Buddha-bodies.

Before we go further, I’d like to emphasize one thing about the nature of our mind, our Buddha-nature. As we previously concluded, the mind has the same basic type of conventional nature and qualities as those of the four Buddha-bodies. We explored how the mind doesn’t have a truly findable arising, abiding and ceasing nature. As we discussed in terms of the inseparability of these three qualities and the basic mahamudra type of meditation, not only does this show us the path to enlightenment in terms of how to achieve it, but it also indicates the result, that it’s possible to achieve enlightenment on the basis of mind’s basic nature and innate qualities.

Furthermore, within the third point, we also explored how we can transform adverse circumstances into the path to enlightenment with our actions – the four actions of use. Finally, in the fourth point we discussed the condensation of the practice in this lifetime and at the time of death – through applying the five forces.

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