Mind Training

Introduction Mind training or attitude training, lojong in Tibetan, is a very broad topic that deals with how we experience our life and how we can change our attitudes about what we experience. We all know life is full of ups and downs and usually isn’t very easy. Many things...

Setting the Motivation To differentiate from the non-Buddhists, there is the taking of refuge or safe direction, and to differentiate from the Hinayana path, there is the taking of the Mahayana refuge. We look to the Buddha Shakyamuni as our main example of a source of safe...

Today I’d like to begin our discussion of an important text known as Wheel of Sharp Weapons (mTshon-cha ’khor-lo). I first studied this with one of my teachers in India, Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, and translated it under his supervision, with Sharpa Rinpoche, Khamlung Rinpoche...

Analysis of the Word Lojong The term “mind training” is the usual translation of the Tibetan term lojong. When we examine the meaning of lojong more carefully, we discover that the first syllable lo means “attitude.” This implies that what we are dealing with is not just the...

Review We’ve looked at what we’re dealing with in attitude training or mind training, which is our experience of everyday life. We live our lives, and experience each moment ourselves. Even if we broadcast everything that we do on Facebook and Twitter, still, we’re the only...

The Eight Worldly Concerns Apart from the experiences and feelings within our minds, there is also the content of our life. It’s the same thing here; we should try not to make a big deal out of it all. The Buddhist teachings emphasize a list of eight transitory things in life...

Cherishing Difficult People (4) Whenever I see beings instinctively cruel, overpowered by negativities and serious problems, may I cherish them as difficult to find as discovering a treasure of gems. This verse deals with how to transform negative circumstances into positive...

Introduction We have covered how to transform adverse conditions into a path to enlightenment with our thoughts, and now we’ll discuss it in terms of our actions, which is explained in the last line of this section: The supreme method possesses four actions of use, (so)...

(1) May I always cherish all limited beings by considering how far superior they are to wish-granting gems for actualizing the supreme aim. (2) Whenever I come into anyone’s company, may I regard myself less than everyone else and, from the depths of my heart, value others...

Seven practices to train our minds to be less preoccupied with ourselves.