Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 40-minute talk, Kyabje Rinpoche teaches foundational lojong (mind training) by exploring what makes bodhicitta—the awakened heart and awakened mind—so transformative. Using three vivid analogies (diamond, sun, medicinal plant), he shows how even a fragment of bodhicitta can eliminate suffering and lead to liberation. He emphasizes a key point: bodhicitta is a mind-quality, not defined by robes, texts, or status—a lay practitioner or even an animal with the awakened heart practices the universal vehicle. Rinpoche then outlines the seven-point structure: preliminaries, training in both bodhicittas, transforming adversity, sustaining practice across a lifetime, measuring progress, observing commitments, and following precepts. Suitable for those new to Buddhist practice and beginning serious study of mind training.
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File: 1997-04-29 – 1B – 7pt – KR.mp3
UUID: 06885135-97b5-44d0-89c9-7b11660cc573
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Mind Training
Date: 1997-04-29
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,549
It’s it surpasses golden ornaments. We can use it to adorn ourselves. So it’s like in what is being here is the awakened heart. You know, we said that there are two types of awakened states that have not awakened states of bodhicitta, awakening consciousnesses that are conventional and ultimate. Here what is being analogized here is conventional awakening, that of the awakened heart.
So it is being likened to a diamond. So we said that diamond has the the the three properties of being able to eliminate poverty, bring about wealth, to outshines even golden ornaments. And but not just not even we don’t even need the complete diamond. Even Even a sliver, I guess we would say a fragment of a diamond has that same quality, these three abilities. And we said it’s been analogized to the awakened heart or conventional bodhicitta.
And likewise if we had the complete awakened heart, the conventional complete bodhicitta, then we would have these three qualities likewise. That we would be, that the awakened heart is able to eliminate our suffering. That by means of it we’re able to achieve happiness. And it outshines the qualities of hearers and solitary realizers. But not, you know, what to say if we had a complete awakened heart, the fully developed awakened heart, but even if we just had a partial quality of the awakened heart, it would have the same effect.
Then the quality of the text is next analogized to the sun. And here the sun is analogous to ultimate bodhicitta or the awakened mind. The sun wherever it shines is able to eliminate darkness. Where the sun’s rays darkness is unable to remain. Likewise, wherever the awakened mind arises, it is able to eliminate the darkness of obscuring ignorance, the root of our afflictions, that is to say, self grasping.
And just as even a ray of the sun is able to eliminate darkness, even a segment or a portion of the generation of the awakened mind is able to eliminate the darkness of obscuring ignorance. This means that by the development of these two, the awakened heart and the awake mind, conventional and ultimate bodhicitta, we can rid ourselves of all suffering and develop we can rid ourselves of self grasping and self centeredness that we can eliminate all thoughts even by means of a portion of these qualities. Then the third analogy which is presented in as a means to develop respect for this present text is that of a medicinal plant. And a medicinal plant is able to eliminate sickness. But, you know, the entirety of the plant is able to make us well.
But we don’t even with most medicinal plants we don’t even need the entire plant. That even a part of it, whether it be a stem or a root or a leaf or its fruit, has a medicinal quality in itself and is able to help in the curing of our illness. Likewise, with these awakening, with these two bodhicittas, the awakened heart and the awakened mind, if we have the complete qualities, then of course we’re able to eliminate all illnesses. But even a portion of these two is able to eliminate all eighty four thousand of our of our illnesses or sicknesses. Condensing all of what we are trying to express in this way and extolling the qualities of the awakened heart and the awakened mind, these two bodhicittas. What is it that we don’t want?
What is undesirable in our life? We want to be rid of suffering. We want to be rid of fear, attachment, hatred, aging, and death, and sickness, all of this. And what the point which is being made here is that these two precious bodhicittas, the awakened heart and the awakened mind, are able to bring about all of those wishes. They are able to eliminate all that is undesired in our life.
So we mentioned what we want to be rid of. What is it that we want? What is it that we wish for? Temporarily we wish for happiness. We wish for pleasure, for joy, for harmony, for health, for wealth, all various types of conditions, conducive conditions about ourselves.
Ultimately, we want to be rid of all suffering We want the bliss of liberation to achieve the states of a bodhisattva and finally that of a Buddha by means in which we not only bring about our own welfare, but we’re able to bring about the ultimate welfare of others as well. And all these desired ends can be achieved by means of these two bodhicittas, the awakened heart and the awakened mind. All of that all of the conflict in the world, all the fighting and wars will, as a means by means of the development of the awakened heart, be pacified. So this precious awakened heart and mind, these two bodhicittas can bring about all that we wish for, can eliminate all that is undesired in our life. They are likened to a jewel.
The the awakened heart is what is meant by the universal vehicle. When we when we when we it is a quality of the mind. It is a quality which wherever it’s found makes that individual a practitioner of the universal vehicle, whether it’s a human being and amongst human beings, whether it’s a lay person or an ordained person, whether even if it’s a dog or a cat, if they possess the awakened heart, then they are practitioners of the universal vehicle. They are universal vehicle. Since the universal vehicle is a quality of the mind. When we talk about the universal vehicle, we’re not talking about what clothes someone might wear or what books they they might read or the place where they are or whether they’re a monk or a nun or whatever.
These are not the marks of the universal vehicle. It is just that of the awakened heart. So the the awakened heart, bodhicitta, is a quality of the mind. And who whoever develops this quality is a practitioner of the universal vehicle. So whether you are a practitioner of the universal vehicle is dependent upon the development or the nondevelopment of the awakened heart and that’s in your hands.
So today we’ve covered two areas in the teaching. In beginning with looking at the seven the root text of the sevenfold training of the mind, we we try to trace its source. Where did the teaching actually come from? How how did it come to be in its present state as we as it’s been being presented to ourselves. And then having investigated its origin, then we try to help in developing a great respect for this text and showing its greatness in terms of by means of this text, can eliminate all that is undesired in our lives and achieve all that we wish for.
So these two represent preliminary. So then the actual body of the text is covers seven topics. That’s why it’s referred to as seven points. We could say seven points. It’s the seven point training of the mind.
So maybe you want to take notes and write down what are these seven points of training of the mind. If you don’t have a piece of paper, you can get a piece of paper from your neighbors. So we have to if we’re going to practice well, we have to be we have to hold this information for ourselves. We have to have this. So the the first of these seven points of training the mind is explaining the preliminaries as a basis for the practice.
Explaining the practice. So the preliminaries would be the means by which those of lesser and middling capacities would involve themselves in the present teaching. So, as a basis directed toward these individuals. Then the second point is the actual practice training in the two bodhicittas, the awakened heart and the awakened mind. That’s the second, isn’t it?
Then the third point is transforming adverse circumstances into the path. Transforming adverse circumstances into the path. So in the course of our practice and our training, we are going to be confronted with many difficulties with many problems and obstructions and developing the skill whereby we can transform these difficulties into part of our practice. That’s the third point. The fourth point is integrating the practice into a single lifetime. How to put this in a practice over the course of a single lifetime.
And the fifth point is the measure of having trained the mind. The measure of having trained the mind. So this is the criteria by means in which we can investigate whether our practice is going well or not. Know, having cultivated this practice, having meditated, we can then examine to ensure that we are achieving the standard by means of which we have trained the mind. So it gives us a criteria for determining whether our training is going well just as, you know, if someone were practicing training and typing and they could they got up to a certain speed with a certain number of without so many errors, that would be a standard that they could say that their training is going well. So we can examine ourselves just like in a school and make in order that we can pass through the next grade.
Then the sixth point is the the commitments of training the mind. The commitments of training the mind. So So as a support for our practice of training the mind, there are certain modes of conduct which we are to abandon and those we are to observe. Certain ways of conduct which we are to abandon and certain to observe as a support to our training of the mind. And so this lists these are listed as commitments of training of the mind.
That’s the sixth. Then the seventh are the precepts of mind training. Another word would be simply advices of mind training. That is to say advising ourselves that one should do this, one should not do this in order to ensure that the training of the mind goes well. So advices or precepts of mind training.
Okay. So the seven point training of the mind is composed of these seven points or topics. So the actual root text, that is to say, the seven point training of the mind is extremely brief. And it would be extremely beneficial if you were to be able to prepare beforehand. Look at to to know what is going to come and to each point that we’re going to cover and also to review each point that we have covered in the past that this this would this would be help you in your practice.
It would be beneficial to prepare to know what points are coming and to review and what points have been covered. There there are there are many types of mind training. One can train to be a chef. One can be trained to be a tailor or or a soldier. But this particular mind training is mind training from the point within the context of Dharma.
So what do we mean by mind training in terms or in the context of the Dharma? Essentially most it means that we are training whereby to eliminate destructive states of mind and training and on the other hand to cultivate productive states. So the elimination of negative states and the development of positive states of mind is what essentially in terms of how we’re training our mind. That which that which does the training of the mind in this manner are the two bodhicittas, the awakened heart and the awakened mind. So we said that Dharma, the training in Dharma was essentially the mind training in the context of Dharma is essentially elimination of negative states and the cultivation of healthy states of mind.
And what is it by means of these two bodhicittas the awakened heart and awakened mind that we’re seeking to eliminate what negative states they are they are self centeredness and self grasping. These it is due to these two that we have from beginning less time been bound within cyclic existence. Due to these two negative states of mind, we’re continually creating negative karma and thereby experiencing suffering and we continue to circle within cyclic existence and never achieve liberation. So these are the the two negative states that we are seeking we are most seeking to eliminate. So we are seeking to eliminate these two negative states of mind.
The two most negative states of mind, those of self grasping and self centeredness. It is by means of ultimate bodhicitta or the awakened mind that we are able to eliminate self grasping or another way to translate that is the conception of self. It is by means of the awakened heart, conventional bodhicitta, that we’re able to eliminate self centeredness. Once we develop these two states in our mind that these two bodhicittas of the awakened heart and the awakened mind, it is like as if we grew the two wings of a bird by means of which we can fly to the furthermost shores of liberation. So I remember he quoted a verse by Śāntideva where he likens the two method and wisdom to the two wings of a bird.
Method being mainly the awakened heart and wisdom mainly the awakened mind. And just as we have we can see for ourselves a huge seagoing bird with its two wings can fly across an ocean. Likewise, we ourselves as as the bird and have and feathered by the two wings of the awakened heart and the awakened mind can cross the ocean of cyclic existence to the city of liberation. So there was a line a lines from which are often quoted which was spoken by Śākyamūni Buddha where he said by making effort in the Dharma I have achieved the state of Buddhahood. By your laziness you remain in cyclic existence. If we if we make strong effort, we can achieve the state of a Buddha.
If we don’t make strong effort, we’re going to remain circling and cyclic existence. Okay. So we’re going to stop there for tonight. If we will take a few minutes if you have some questions. So next week we’re going to begin the actual body of the text.
And I would like to suggest that over the course of the teaching that you come that you attend the teachings in a regular fashion. This has with whatever we do, if we do it inconsistently, we won’t achieve very much. If sometimes we come and sometimes we don’t, sometimes we practice and sometimes we don’t, we won’t get very far. So if you come irregularly, you’re going to miss part of the teaching as well. So if you don’t have any questions, we’re going to meditate on the awakened heart for five minutes.
Then the concluding prayers. Dedications are on page five verses eight and nine. And first, the long life prayer of his holiness, the Dalai Lama which is on page 10. And then verses eight to nine.