Introduction

Within the vast body of Tibetan spiritual literature, one genre stands out for its inspirational power, universality, and down-to-earth practicality, qualities that have made these teachings dear to the Tibetan people for generations. I am referring to a collection of texts and their associated contemplative practices known simply as lojong, or “mind training,” which first appeared in the land of snows almost a millennium ago.

At its heart the Tibetan mind training teachings represent a profound celebration of the spiritual ideal of genuine altruism, a deeply felt compassion for all beings and a dedication to serve their welfare.

This is an ideal shared across many of world’s great spiritual and humanistic traditions.

By the twelfth century lojong had become a most cherished spiritual heritage on the vast Tibetan plateau, with attendant myths and legends associated with its origin and development. Today, as interest in Tibetan spiritual teaching and insights grows worldwide, often it’s the mind training teachings that are most shared with the larger world by Tibetan teachers.

I vividly remember the beautiful morning of August 15, 1999, when nearly a hundred thousand people from all walks of life gathered in New York’s Central Park to listen to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s exposition of Eight Verses on Mind Training. As on many of the Dalai Lama’s trips, on that day I had the privilege to sit beside him as his official translator, and on this occasion, the beauty and simplicity of these eight short verses brought a special power and poignancy to the event. The atmosphere was pervaded by a stillness of attention, deep spiritual presence, and a shared experience of warmth toward all things living, and those present felt—at least for an hour and a half—that they had touched something deep within themselves.

Three years later the Dalai Lama returned once again to Central Park, and that time he chose to teach Atiśa’s Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland to a gathering whose size exceeded even the previous meeting. …

In my own life, I have been fortunate to be exposed to the mind training teachings from an early age and have, for more than three decades now, recited the Tibetan teacher Langri Thangpa’s Eight Verses of Mind Training on a daily basis. The story of Langri Thangpa’s single-pointed contemplation of the suffering of all beings, even to the point of acquiring the nickname the “one with a tearful face,” and how he came to befriend the wild animals living around his retreat imprinted in me an intuitive affinity with the Kadam lineage, which is associated with the emergence of lojong teaching. …

My own personal teacher at Ganden Monastery, Kyabjé Zemé Rinpoché, at whose house I had the honor to live as a monk student, was a great embodiment and master of mind training. While I was deeply immersed in the study of intricate philosophical views that was part of our regular curriculum, every now and then, Rinpoché would remind me of the critical need to be grounded in everyday reality and the need to never be disconnected from contemplating others’ welfare. He would stress that, at the end of day, it’s the teaching of lojong that helps us make the insights and wisdom of the Buddha a reality in our own lives.

On several occasions I was also able to witness at first hand the power of mind training practice to engender courage and resilience in ordinary individuals. A neighbor of mine at the monastery, an ordinary monk, suffered a debilitating skin condition that produced thick scabs on the surface of his skin, which would harden and then crack open. In the heat of the South Indian summer, he had to avoid, as far as possible, any contact between two skin surfaces, such as around the armpits and behind the knees. Though his pain and discomfort were severe, this monk, as a mind training practitioner, always maintained a tranquil and happy state of mind. This capacity to greet life’s difficulties with calm and joy is one of the key indicators of success in training the mind.

In fact, there is a saying attributed to the Kadam lineage masters that the best measure of our spiritual development is how we relate to death when our final day arrives. Those most advanced in their spiritual development will face their mortality with joy; those of medium development will do so without fear. Even the least developed, we are told, should ensure that they approach their final day without any regrets.

Having spent the first three decades of my life in India, a major portion of that in the Tibetan monasteries, I was privileged to see this “measure” of spiritual development in operation.

The grace and calm, the note of true freedom in their ability to let go, and the genuine lack of remorse, borne of the awareness that they have done their best while alive—these are some of the characteristic qualities of the state of mind I observed in many of the senior monks, including my own personal teacher, as they approached their own mortality.

Even today, when I think of these examples of what some might call “graceful exits,” the words that come easiest to mind are serenity, dignity, and grace.

Source: Thupten Jinpa. Translated, edited, and introduced by Thupten Jinpa. Essential Mind Training: Tibetan Wisdom for Daily Life. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2011.

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