Benevolent Mind; A Manual in Mind Training

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