Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-22

Seven-Point Mind Training (Geshe Doga)

Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-22

Play Episode Pause Episode

1x

00:00 /

RSS Feed

Share

Link

Embed

<blockquote class="wp-embedded-content" data-secret="hFb9JilbuN"><a href="https://askbuddhism.com/teaching/geshe-doga-seven-point-mind-training-12-7-p-mt-1984-11-22/">Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-22</a></blockquote><iframe sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" src="https://askbuddhism.com/teaching/geshe-doga-seven-point-mind-training-12-7-p-mt-1984-11-22/embed/#?secret=hFb9JilbuN" width="500" height="350" title="&#8220;Seven-Point Mind Training — 1984-11-22&#8221; &#8212; AskBuddhism" data-secret="hFb9JilbuN" frameborder="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" scrolling="no" class="wp-embedded-content"></iframe><script> /*! This file is auto-generated */ !function(d,l){"use strict";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&"undefined"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!/[^a-zA-Z0-9]/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret="'+t.secret+'"]'),c=new RegExp("^https?:$","i"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display="none";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute("style"),"height"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):"link"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute("src")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener("message",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll("iframe.wp-embedded-content"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute("data-secret"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+="#?secret="+t,e.setAttribute("data-secret",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:"ready",secret:t},"*")},!1)))}(window,document); //# sourceURL=https://askbuddhism.com/wp-includes/js/wp-embed.min.js </script>

Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.

About this talk. Geshe Doga explores the core techniques of Seven-Point Mind Training, focusing on how to diminish self-cherishing and cultivate genuine concern for others. In this 34-minute teaching, he begins by examining our habitual self-interest through the lens of others’ kindness: without relying on countless beings for food, shelter, and survival, we could accomplish nothing. Recognising this debt, he explains how to train the mind through equalising oneself and others—understanding that just as we desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering, so do all beings. He then introduces the practice of exchanging self with others: mentally giving our happiness to others while taking on their suffering. Geshe Doga acknowledges this feels difficult at first, yet emphasises that consistent practice in thought gradually builds genuine capacity to serve others and eventually stops active harm. He concludes by situating this bodhicitta teaching among the rare opportunities to encounter and contemplate teachings of universal compassion in this lifetime. Suitable for practitioners new to Tibetan Buddhist ethics and mind training.

So this innate self-cherishing can be diminished by thinking over the, as we mentioned before, kindness of other sentient beings. Like like thinking, one has taken a life in the saṃsāra limitless. So other sentient beings have become one’s own mothers, limitless, and they showed us kindness, limitless. So by this, we would reduce that self-cherishing to some extent. So to diminish that, one has to know the the kindness for other sentient beings, how they have been kind to oneself.

Like without dependence, without relying on them, one can’t get even this, even clothes, shelter, food or anything. So without depending on other sensitive beings, one even hardly gets a cup of tea. So all this due to the I mean, the help of others, the kindness. So we are not aware, I mean, the the kindness of other, how much kindness of other sentient beings. But if we think of their kindness, like we mentioned before, so you’d find their kindness very largely.

So life without their help, even if one has enough money, one can’t do anything. One can’t get happiness from that from that money without depending on the other sentient beings. So all that, I mean, the even the temporal happiness that that we get are are from the the kindness of other sentient beings. So after knowing the great kindness shown to us by other sentient beings, then think what one has done to other sentient beings to repay their kindness. So so by this way, the one one could I mean, at least decrease that that that that strong selfishness does one has.

So after one has developed the mind to repay their kindness, then one has to think how to repay their kindness. It is easily noticeable that just as oneself, the other cherishing beings too, one’s happiness and dislike unhappiness. So what one has to do is to is to give them happiness, cause others to have more and more happiness. And the and to, I mean, how do say? And to help them to to to diminish their sufferings.

So what harms other sensitive beings? Is there the negative actions which is also within the other sentient beings, harms other sentient beings. It is that action which gives them suffering. So, one has to put effort to to to pacify those negativities of other sentient beings. We could train our mind by exchanging self with others only by knowing how to equalize oneself and others. So so only then only one one one is I mean, when only one know how to equalize one and other, then could develop that exchanging self with others.

Taking one set of examples, as one is trying to obtain happiness and trying to abandon the the suffering.

So in the same ways in the same way, one has to train our mind that that to that to obtain happiness for other sentient beings and to abandon the suffering of other sentient beings. Since one likes happiness and dislikes the unhappiness, then one is putting effort to obtain that happiness and trying to abandon suffering as much as one can. So the same same can be applied to the other sentient beings. Then, in the same way, we need some effort to to to bring happiness to others and to abandon their sufferings. So in the same way, the the other sentient being, life, happiness, and dislike, unhappiness.

So since they have such attitudes. So one has to train oneself to put effort to fulfill their wishes, their liking happiness and disliking unhappiness. We can be inspired to do this practice again by thinking over that what we have mentioned before, like remembering the the how kindness shown to on oneself by the other sentient beings. How they have tried hard to give some happiness to oneself. So in the same way, at the moment, one has to put some effort to give them happiness.

So to to train our mind with that exchanging self with others as what we said, one has to know how to equalize one with others. That means training one’s mind with knowing the fact that one and other are equal in liking happiness and disliking unhappiness. Even in, I mean, putting effort to gain some happiness. So so by I mean, realizing these facts of equalizations, one has to one can meditate on the the exchanging self with others. So through this training our mind to this process and then if we cultivate it within ourselves, cherishing others and cherishing others, having the same force of self-cherishing that one had before.

So once we develop that other-cherishing, then the exchanging self with other the is completed. But at the present situations, we may feel that that the the exchanging self with other is very hard and very difficult. So but still, if one at least aspire that attitude, At least make some prayer that may I have such mind, such attitude. This will also cause you to develop the mind quickly. And also, one have one can one also one can also move from step to step by just trying to to develop that that kind, loving heart to others from the very mean state and trying to, how do say, trying to abandon the harming of others.

So we have to start from still, we could stop this type of attitude of harming others. So while training on that training oneself on that attitude, exchanging self with others, One may think that that one can’t help others in the actual sense. One may think that in the actual sense it seems it won’t help, it won’t help other sentient beings. It won’t diminish their suffering and give happiness.

But still, if one continues that mind training, then gradually one develops some thought mind attitude and gain some energy to serve others in any circumstance. So and also, if we if by training training that attitude in this life, if if you can’t cultivate that attitude and if you can’t, I mean, obtain, if you can’t cultivate that real exchanging self with others, but still in this life we could at least Stop. I mean, harming others. Stop at least killing any sentient beings. Like, as if we think.

We know that just to survive this survive this, I mean, precious life, We don’t have to harm others without harming, without any such doing such without killing, stealing any other things, we will still survive. So to develop that mental attitude of exchanging self with others, the practice of giving and taking comes, which we would explain afterwards. So that means giving the the pleasures of oneself to others and taking the suffering of others. So today in Today, in this session and also last night, we discussed much about bodhicitta, mind of awakening, awakening mind, which concerns more about the, I mean, happiness of other sentient beings. So you must try to review the teachings that one that one have that one knows.

And then think about those and try to cultivate some transform some I mean, one’s mind. Because as you may know, dopamine, There’s very few people, I mean, hardly one could find in the world, people in the world who, I mean, think about such teachings, such understanding the such concern about all sentient beings. And also, it’s very hard even if one have I mean, heard that such teaching to think about that and to think about that. So if you meditate or think about the the teaching of the that this bodhicitta that you have received. So that is very, very I mean, lucky and fortunate.

Translation / བསྒྱུར།

This translation was generated using Gemini Pro 2.5 with a curated Buddhist terminology glossary and verified for register, glossary use, and absence of English leakage. The English transcript above remains the authoritative source.