Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 47-minute talk, Lama Lhundup introduces the Seven-Point Training of the Mind, a classical Tibetan Buddhist text on mind training that traces its lineage from Buddha through Serlingpa and Atisha to Geshe Chekawa. The teaching is divided into seven main topics: preliminary practices drawing on the three levels of spiritual capacity; generation of bodhicitta (enlightenment mind) through five methods including equalizing self and others, contemplating the faults of self-cherishing, and the practice of giving and taking; transforming adverse circumstances into the path; a lifetime’s practice; measuring genuine mental transformation; commitments of mind training; and advice for practice. Lama Lhundup walks through the first two points in detail, emphasizing how to develop proper motivation before meditation, and then explores the critical foundation of equanimity by reconsidering one’s relationships with three imagined figures—a loved one, an enemy, and a neutral person—to see that all beings have been one’s mother across countless lifetimes. Suited for practitioners familiar with Lamrim teachings.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 7FMT.mp3
UUID: d255eebd-72f7-438e-81ff-6f2518b4a389
Teacher: Lama Lhundup
Collection: Seven-fold mind training (Lama Lhundup)
Date: 1987 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 46.7 minutes
Words: ~3,086
Initially, in the beginning, we must adjust our thought, adjust our motivation, try to develop a good motivation. For those who have had teachings on the Lamrim, the Graduated Path, you will understand this. We are not trying to attain happiness not only for this life, but we are trying to find some ultimate final type of happiness. And therefore, in order to do that, we have to practice the Dharma. In order to practice the Dharma, we must understand the teachings.
In order to understand the teachings, we must listen to the teachings. And therefore, not only for ourselves but for all sentient beings, there are infinite sentient beings that we must attain Buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings and not only ourselves. Therefore, with such a motivation that for the sake of myself and for all sentient beings, I am going to listen to this teaching so that ultimately I can attain Buddhahood whereby I can benefit all sentient beings. With such a motivation, we should listen to the teaching. So, today we’re going to listen to the Dharma, and there are many different teachings in the Dharma.
And we’re going to listen to the type which is called mind training. And amongst many different teachings on mind training, the sevenfold or seven-point mind training. So these teachings that we’re going to listen to on mind training have their origin with the Buddha, who in his kindness showed us the method for training the mind. It pays homage to a great virtue. It has a lineage that began with Śākyamūni Buddha down to the master Serlingpa.
From Serlingpa, the lineage of mind training was passed on to Atisha, and from Atisha down to the lineage of the Kadampa Geshe, down to Geshe Chekawa, who, with his great kindness, took the mind training and composed the text that we’re going to study called The Seven-Point Training of the Mind. So the the the subjects set forth or the stages of practice with set forth are, as this title suggests, there are seven points. That’s why it’s called sevenfold or seven-point mind training. So it begins with the preliminary practices. That’s the first point.
The second point is the actual practice, which is the generation or the development of bodhicitta. The third training is the changing adverse circumstances into the path. The fourth point is the explanation of a lifetime’s practice. The fifth point is the measure having actually trained the mind, the measure of having trained the mind. The sixth is commitments of training of the mind.
And the seventh is the advices on training the mind. So with with respect to the first, that is the the preliminary practices. When we talk about the preliminary practice, when we talk about mind training, we’re talking about the the practices of the person of great great capacity. In order to actually engage in the practices of practitioner, or the person who is engaging in the practices of the great vehicle, there are certain preliminaries which are necessary before we can actually begin to engage in these practices. These are the preliminaries of the persons of the three levels of capacities.
Generally, our practice, perhaps when we meditate, we have the thought that I am going to engage in this practice, am going to meditate because I want to be happy. This, for someone who is actually trying to practice the great vehicle, is a fault. It’s an error because it’s not the proper motivation for engaging in the practice of Dharma or for engaging in meditation. So in the preliminary practice, first we must consider the faults of our suffering and the methods for attaining happiness. We begin with trying to gain an understanding of the coarse types of suffering.
If we do not come to an understanding of the coarse faults of suffering, then we’re never going to be able to eliminate them and get down to more subtle types of suffering and and to be able to employ methods to eliminate our subtle types of suffering. So briefly, we we must practice we must pass through the trainings of the three capacities, three levels of capacities of beings. That is, we must go beyond merely seeking the happinesses of this life, being attached to the happinesses of only this life. We must develop the motivation to the renunciation of all types of existences within cyclic existence. We must see that the very nature of cyclic existence is suffering and develop a sincere desire to pass beyond cyclic existence altogether.
Having done this, we can develop having seen our own suffering and nature of cyclic existence, we can look to others and that they are in the same position that we are in. in dependence upon our own renunciation, seeing others in the same position, we develop a heartfelt great compassion which seeks to deliver them from the same suffering that we experience. So we take as our preliminaries the trainings of the three levels of capacities of beings. Most many of you have listened to teachings on the Graduated Path, the Lam Rim, and you have thought about these preliminaries. If we engage in these preliminaries well, then the actual generation of the mind of enlightenment will come easily.
If we haven’t trained in these preliminary practices, then we’re not going to develop the actual mind of enlightenment. So the first point was the preliminary practices. The preliminary practices consist in the practices of the three levels of capacity beings. These act as a preliminary to the second point, which is the actual practice, and that is the generation of the mind of enlightenment. So with respect to the second point, the way of actually generating the mind of enlightenment has five sections.
There is the equalizing of self and others, contemplating the faults of self-cherishing. That’s the second. Third is contemplating advantages or the benefits of cherishing others. The fourth is the actual exchange of self for others. And the fifth is the practice of giving and taking.
So with respect to the first section, that is equalizing self and others. Generally, we have the attitude of when we think about others, have those for whom we have attachment, we regard as those who are close to, we feel close to, who we hold dear, toward those become our objects of attachment. Those who we have a aversion toward, those who are enemies, they become objects of hatred. And those for whom we have indifference, they are an object of ignorance. It’s a simple summary.
I’ll put that differently. By the power of our attachment, we hold some dear enclosed. By the power of our hatred, we hold others as enemies. And by the power of our delusion, we some people an indifferent feeling, having a different feeling for them. So as a practice, first we’re going to consider the three types of people.
We would imagine on our right side We should imagine three different types of people. A person who we have a great deal of attachment, a great deal of desire for, who due to this desire, by the power of this attachment, we hold very dear, very close to us, as we should put them we should imagine them on our right side. We’re going to imagine these three people in front of us, and to the right is this object of our attachment, someone who we hold very close. On our left, due to the power of our hatred, there is someone who we feel as an enemy, and we put them on the left side. And in the middle, someone due to the fault of due to the power of delusion, someone who we have a feeling that they neither benefit us nor harm us in any way, as a neutral person, someone who we feel indifferent toward, we put them in the middle.
Half my fault. Half his fault. Why only him is put down? Why? You know? So we we take the person who we who we don’t like, who we have a dislike for this enemy, and, you know, we we this person that when we when we see this person, we develop we develop anger for this person. And we think about, you know, this person looks very black to us, and we have we have this We have single single pointed single pointed dislike toward this person, you know, single pointed dislike toward this person.
Why now why is it that why is it that we that we feel this way toward this person? Perhaps he he he said something against us. He hurt us in some way. And therefore Right? But and so and based upon this, we come to the to we come to the the definite determination decision that that that this that to dislike this person.
Now but to Also I did something wrong. So but for I did something, you know, wrong with him. So, therefore, he did like this. Why I only don’t like him? Why?
One side one thing I did wrong. One thing he did wrong. Why am I thinking only he is wrong? That’s wrong. Right?
Half is his fault. Half is my fault. What is what is my fault? Because I did something wrong. You know?
So therefore, he is unhappy. He upset. Therefore, he’s angry. But if So he angry, then he shouted me, then I thought I’m angry. So my anger arises as well, my side is a fault, then his side is a fault.
So now I only don’t like I didn’t do anything wrong. No. No. Not. I I didn’t do anything wrong.
It’s all his fault. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah?
No. The no. Just this delusion, selfish mind says, I’m not fault. His fault. Really honest truth looked something for something for.
If really it’s still the new fault, not only this time. You have many lifetimes. You made mistakes and in a previous lifetime he completely beat you, killed you. Many time you did.
Many many many times you did wrong with him. Still for even though you decide you helping much help him. But always him is to you. But not only just you didn’t this time, whether you not fall, not a lot time you didn’t fall. So therefore, coming result come come back today this time.
So so thinking in this way about this enemy, we have this person who we single pointedly dislike, thinking about that of the that you really have no good reason to single-pointedly dislike to come to this firm decision that I dislike this person. That you can by thinking in this way, we begin to reverse or pacify this anger, this spite that we feel toward this person is going to become less and less, and it’s going to become pacified. Not only am I wrong in my thinking that when I developed this single-minded dislike for this person, actually, you know, that is an incorrect way of thinking, but in fact, this person is is extremely kind to me. He shows a great deal of kindness to me because it’s only through such a person that I can develop the excellent quality of patience. So, you know, generally toward the Dharma, toward the our teachers, our gurus, we show we show them a great deal of respect.
Why is it that we hold them that we show so much respect? It’s because in dependence upon the Dharma and our teachers that we we have a method to to eliminate all our faults, that we can develop all our positive qualities. And in this way, because of this understanding that we have respect for these objects. Likewise, in developing our enemy, he’s extremely kind to us because in dependence upon him, we can we can eliminate the faults of impatience, we can develop the excellent quality of patience, we can purify a great deal of negative negative karma, negative actions, and ultimately, dependent upon in this way, we will attain Buddhahood. So we should not only in these reasons that we have set forth, but also in previous lives that this very same person has been extremely kind to us as our mother, as our father, and showing us kindness again and again.
So since this person has been in previous lives, my mother and my father, therefore there’s no then we must come to a determination that there’s no reason why I should dislike this person the way I do. Likewise, we return to this person whom who we hold dear, that we feel very close to. It’s the object of our attachment, and we should think again that there’s no basis, there’s no reason that I should hold this, I should have this attitude toward this person. You know, this same this same person in a previous lifetime hurt me, they actually beat me, they killed me. They’ve related to me in this way.
Likewise likewise, due due to due to the power of my attachment toward this person who I hold close, I engage in in order that I try to please this person, I engage in many negative actions. And the the results of these negative actions are going to be the undesired the undesired sufferings. Therefore, this there’s no reason why I should hold this person in this way. Likewise, if we look to the person in the center, the neutral person, just like the other two, the enemy and the friend, this person has So there’s no reason why I should feel this indifference toward this person. Previous lives, this person has been of great benefit, has been just like a has been a great benefit to me, like the friend who I’m attached to now.
Briefly, Therefore, since this person has been just like my friend in the past life, the one I hold dear, then there’s no reason why I should feel this indifference toward this person now. So these three people, we can see that there is no difference whatsoever in the way that they’ve benefited us and harmed us, that in actual fact that all three objects are exactly the same, and therefore there’s no reason to develop attachment for one, hatred toward another, and have indifference for the third. So we have to develop the mind of equanimity. So, you know, we should develop a feeling of equality of these three different types of persons to the extent where whichever one of them would appear to us, we’d have the same feeling toward all three, that when the enemy appeared to us, that we wouldn’t develop the feeling of dislike toward this person. But in fact, we would have the attachment toward the friend that we would have the same feeling of equality for all three types of people.
So we should take this in order to seek out this this developed equanimity, we should be developing we should constantly be meditating until we gain actual experience of this feeling of equality of these three types of people. Until we get the actual experience, even though we might, in meditation, we have a feeling that while we’re meditating that we have equanimity. But in fact, when we get up from meditation and we see If we gain so we might have a feeling in our meditation that we’ve developed equanimity, but when we go outside and someone appears to us as an enemy, that our equanimity disappears and we develop a great deal of anger toward this person. So we have to keep meditating until we gain the actual experience of equanimity. Equanimity is extremely great and important.
It’s said to be the basis of all the excellent qualities. There are many different types of equanimity. Here we’re talking about an equanimity, which is the cessation of aversion or attachment and hatred. So if we don’t have equanimity, then whatever we do, we’re always going to have problems that our cyclic existence will be endless, limitless. We’re never going to attain liberation.
We’re never going to attain Buddhahood. So after we’ve developed this feeling of equanimity that we don’t have attachment for some and hatred for others, and we hold all sentient beings equally, seeing there is no difference between any sentient beings, then we should try to develop the we should reflect on the fact that all sentient beings have been our mothers. So we don’t believe that all sentient beings have been our mother. Why don’t we believe that? So if we ask the question, Well, if all sentient beings have not been your mother, do you have any mother?
Do you have any mother? Then, of course, we would say, Well, I have the mother of this life. We know this. So we know that we had a mother in this life. But if we think that in a previous life, if I was when I was born as a human, at that time, I also had a mother just like I had a mother in this life.
So this is not the only birth that we have taken. In fact, we have had numberless rebirths previous this birth and previous rebirth to that one. Why is that? We look at the fact that our conception of the ignorance which conceives of a truly existent self, such a mind beginningless, such an ignorance is beginningless. Due to the fact that the mind itself is beginningless, we can never the mind itself is beginningless, the conception of the ignorance which conceives of a truly existent self is beginningless.
Since this conception of this ignorance is beginningless, we have taken, by the power of this ignorance, beginningless rebirths. And on all of these rebirths we have had a mother. And therefore, through the course of these beginningless rebirths and the fact that we have had a mother in all these rebirths, the fact is that we have had numberless mothers. And therefore, we should come to the single-minded decision that, in fact, since I’ve had numberless mothers, because I’ve had numberless rebirths, then all sentient beings have been my mother. So we to decide, come to a single-minded firm decision that in fact all sentient beings have been my mother.