A Commentary on the Seven Points of Mind Training The Seven Points of Mind Training is one of the most popular and widely practiced trainings in all traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. This practice comes from the Indian tradition of Kadampa monks. In the Kagyu lineage it was transmitted through Gampopa, who was a Kadampa monk before becoming the principal disciple of Milarepa and who then went on to found the Kagyu School in Tibet. Milarepa was a student of Marpa and is revered as one of the founding forefathers of our tradition. It is customary to refer to our lineage affiliations in Tibetan Buddhism, so that is a brief homage to the Kagyu lineage of the Lojong (Mind Training) teachings. The Seven Points of Mind Training originated in Tibet through the Kadampa luminary Geshe Chekawa Yeshe Dorje. The root text used for this commentary is by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye. It is based on notes taken by Geshe Chekawa. The Lojong practice was transmitted prior to him, but Geshe Chekawa was the first one to actually write them down point by point. These Seven Points are: 1) The Practice of the Preliminaries 2) The Main Practice: the Cultivation of Bodhicitta 3) Transforming Adverse Circumstances and Situations into the Path of Awakening 4) Maintaining the Practice for the Duration of our Lives 5) How to Measure the success of Mind Training 6) The Precepts of Mind Training 7) Guidelines for Mind Training
Benevolent Mind, Traleg Kyabgon Rinpoche, Zhi-sil Cho-kyi Gha-Tsal, Paperback, 256 pp., $21.95
The Venerable Traleg Kyabgon Riinpoche was born in 1955 in Eastern Tibet. At the age of two, he was recognised by His Holiness the sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa, head of the Kagyu lineage, as the ninth incarnation of the Traleg tulkus, which can be traced back to the time of Saltong Shogam, a contemporary of the first Karmapa. Traleg Rinpoche was enthroned as the Abbot of Tra'gu Monastery in Tibet and following the Chinese invasion of his country was taken to safety in India. There he continued the rigorous training prescribed for tulkus born with responsibilities as major lineage holders in the Tibetan tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism. This training included five years at Sanskrit University in Varanasi and several years at Rumtek Monastery, the main seat of the Karma Kagyu Lineage. Not only has Traleg Rinpoche received the complete teachings of the Karma Kagyu tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism, but he is also well acquainted with the practices and philosophy of the Drugpa Kagyu strand of the Kagyu lineage, having spent nine years studying with the Regent of the Drugpa mKagyu, the late Dungsse Rinpoche, at his monastery in Darjeeling.
Rinpoche came to Australia in 1980 in order to make the teachings and practices of the Kagyu tradition available there. He established the Kagyu E-Vam Buddhist Institute in 1982 and regulaerly conducts courses and retreats in the practice and theory of Buddhism for the Institute. Rinpoche has travelled widely, giving lectures and seminars on Buddhism and related topics in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, South-East Asia and Europe.
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Contents: The Benevolent Mind |
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Biography of Traleg Rinpoche |
9 |
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Foreword |
13 |
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The Great Path of Awakening |
16 |
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The Root Text
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19 |
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Introduction |
23 |
one |
The Practice of the Preliminaries |
25 |
two |
The Main Body of the Practice: The Cultivation
of Bodhichitta |
35 |
three |
Transforming Adverse Circumstances and Situations
into the Path of Awakening |
91 |
four |
Maintaining the Practice for the Duration of our
Lives |
129 |
five
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How to Measure the Success of Mind Training |
161 |
six |
The Precepts of Mind Training |
171 |
seven |
Guidelines for Mind Training |
193 |
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Conclusion |
215 |
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Dedication |
217 |
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Soothing the Pangs of Faith: A Prayer to the Mind
Training Lineage |
219 |
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Notes
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223 |
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Glossary of Terms |
233 |
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Index |
251 |
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