The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method for Cultivating Mind and Heart
Product ID: 25850395
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A guide to the Tibetan Buddhist practice of lojong meditation—or mind training—as a way to pause, reflect, and discover the true meaning and value of life In this society, with its hurly-burly pace demanding of our time, it is ever so easy to let life slip by. Looking back after ten, twenty, thirty, years—we wonder what we have really accomplished. The process of simply existing is not necessarily meaningful. And yet there is an unlimited potential for meaning and value in this human existence. The Seven-Point Mind Training is one eminently practical way of tapping into that meaning. At the heart of the Seven-Point Mind Training lies the transformation of the circumstances that life brings us, however hard as the raw material from which we create our own spiritual path. The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others. This Mind Training is especially well-suited for an active life. It helps us to reexamine our relationships—to family, friends, enemies, and strangers—and gradually transform our responses to whatever life throws our way Review: An Invaluable Guide - “In our search for the meaning of life,” Wallace begins, “we may overlook the fact that life doesn’t necessarily have any meaning at all.” He had me at “In our search for the meaning of life…” Admittedly, I am a B. Alan Wallace fan and I own a host of his books, both in paper (should the Kindle fail) and Kindle (my preferred mode of reading these days). In The Seven-Point Mind Training, Wallace takes you by your spiritual hand and coaxes you all the way up from mundane human to enlightened Buddha (with some—or a lot—of practice, of course). I found the book a delight to read, and very, very clear in its exposition of this ancient teaching. Wallace is not only a great scholar, he also has a great gift: he is a wonderful writer. And it takes a great writer to clearly make point after important point—all the way making sure that you grasp and follow. The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is “to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others even more than oneself.” This summarizes (nicely) my current life and journey, and Wallace, in my book, is an invaluable guide. Review: A Thorough Roadmap To Bodhichita - Practises in Buddhism are like a rainbow. There's a color for whatever way your mind works. If you are an analytical person who is ready to embark on the Path, I would fully recommend this book. Alan Wallace goes into detail on each line of Atisha's teaching. Putting things into context for our modern day lives wonderfully. This book is deceptively short. Don't worry! You'll be reading it over again. It's like a map.
| Best Sellers Rank | #1,180,253 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #902 in Tibetan Buddhism (Books) #925 in Buddhist Rituals & Practice (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 77 Reviews |
U**F
An Invaluable Guide
“In our search for the meaning of life,” Wallace begins, “we may overlook the fact that life doesn’t necessarily have any meaning at all.” He had me at “In our search for the meaning of life…” Admittedly, I am a B. Alan Wallace fan and I own a host of his books, both in paper (should the Kindle fail) and Kindle (my preferred mode of reading these days). In The Seven-Point Mind Training, Wallace takes you by your spiritual hand and coaxes you all the way up from mundane human to enlightened Buddha (with some—or a lot—of practice, of course). I found the book a delight to read, and very, very clear in its exposition of this ancient teaching. Wallace is not only a great scholar, he also has a great gift: he is a wonderful writer. And it takes a great writer to clearly make point after important point—all the way making sure that you grasp and follow. The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is “to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others even more than oneself.” This summarizes (nicely) my current life and journey, and Wallace, in my book, is an invaluable guide.
D**R
A Thorough Roadmap To Bodhichita
Practises in Buddhism are like a rainbow. There's a color for whatever way your mind works. If you are an analytical person who is ready to embark on the Path, I would fully recommend this book. Alan Wallace goes into detail on each line of Atisha's teaching. Putting things into context for our modern day lives wonderfully. This book is deceptively short. Don't worry! You'll be reading it over again. It's like a map.
M**E
Highly recommended!
The book gives a very precise breakdown of the practice: background, benefits, practical tips and - most important - very modern and recognizable examples that really inspire to pick up this most valuable and precise method of self-reflection.
J**Y
Excellent and insightful
While our Tibetan Buddhist monk teacher is in India, he has assigned us to work with seven-point mind training. The author is perhaps the utmost American born expert on Tibetan Buddhism. This is the best book I have come across on the practice.
N**P
So you noticed Wallace wrote two books on the Mind Training . . .
Realize they are two very different books! If you are looking for something to benefit your practice then "Buddhism with an Attitude" is the way to go. Although repetitive at times, this itself is helpful, and it is written in a more instructional tone. If you feel your practice has fully matured (lucky you) and you are simply interested in a concise, more academic exposition of the seven point mind training, then "The Seven-Point Mind Training" is the one for you. Also, for being more condensed, the "The Seven-Point Mind Training", will be the book you will want to carry around once you are familiar with Lojong practice.
T**Y
Clear, concise, illuminating
B.A. Wallace knows what he is talking about and he writes in a very clear, concise way. He does a very good job of explaining the Seven-Point mind training (lojong) to Westerners and relating it to modern sciences, both physics and neurophysiology. His presentation of lojong is more in depth that Pema Chodron's "Start Where You Are," although her book is more accessible to those with very little background in Buddhism.
D**D
A very important and necessary exposition and reflection on the ...
A very important and necessary exposition and reflection on the path of transformation and how we can use all experiences as fuel for growth and transformation. Simple, clear, and practical style without diluting depth.
M**L
Five Stars
Good great awesome.
K**L
WALLECE DOES IT AGAIN
ANYTHING BY ALLAN B. WALLACE EXPLAINS THINGS FROM AN ENGLISH SPEAKERS UNDERSTANDING.. I CAN SEE DIFFERENCES IN TRANSLATIONS ACCORDING TO THE TRANSLATORS PRIME LANGUAGE. SPEAKING A LANGUAGE .I FOUND OUT RECENTLY DOES MEAN YOU UNDERSTAND IT. PARTICULARLY WHEN DEALING WITH TRANSLATING A DIFFICULT PHILOSOPHY FROM A OLD LANGUAGE.
J**N
Brilliant exposition and commentary of the high standard we have come to expect from Alan Wallace
The book accompanied me to a course on 'Dying in the best way you can' at Samye Ling Tibetan Buddhist Centre in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. I found it very helpful to read alonside the teachings and it is certainly now well highlighted for me to keep re-visiting as my understanding deepens.
A**R
Excellent book
Would highly recommend.
B**I
Five Stars
Good and helpful
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