Eight Verses of Training the Mind

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Langri Tangpa

Eight Verses of Training the Mind (T. blo sbyong tshigs rkang brgyad ma བློ་སྦྱོང་ཚིགས་རྐང་བརྒྱད་མ་) — a famous text on lojong by the Kadampa master Geshe Langri Tangpa.

Translation

The following translation by Thupten Jinpa is from the text Mind Training: The Great Collection:[1]

1
With the wish to achieve the highest aim,
Which surpasses even a wish-fulfilling gem,
I will train myself to at all times
[To] cherish every sentient being as supreme.[2]

2
Whenever I interact with others,
I will view myself as inferior to all;
And I will train myself
To hold others superior from the depths of my heart.

3
During all my activities I will probe my mind,
And as soon as an affliction arises—
Since it endangers myself and others—
I will train myself to confront it directly and avert it.

4
When I encounter beings of unpleasant character
And those oppressed by intense negative karma and suffering,
As though finding a treasure of precious jewels,
I will train myself to cherish them, for they are so rarely found.

5
When others out of jealousy
Treat me wrongly with abuse and slander,
I will train to take the defeat upon myself
And offer the victory to others.

6
Even if one whom I have helped,
Or in whom I have placed great hope,
Gravely mistreats me in hurtful ways,
I will train myself to view him as my sublime teacher.

7
In brief, I will train myself to offer benefit and joy
To all my mothers, both directly and indirectly,
And respectfully take upon myself
All the hurts and pains of my mothers.

8
By ensuring that all this remains undefiled
From the stains of the eight mundane concerns,
And by understanding all things as illusions,
I will train myself to be free of the bondage of clinging.

Translations & Contemporary Commentaries

  • Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. In Dragpa, Chökyi. Uniting Wisdom and Compassion. Translated by Heidi I. Köppl (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2004)
  • Dalai Lama. The Union of Bliss and Emptiness (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 1988)
  • Dalai Lama, His Holiness. Transforming the Mind (London: Thorsons, 2000)
  • Dalai Lama, His Holiness. The Heart of Compassion: A Practical Approach to a Meaningful Life (Lotus Press, 2002), Chapter 23
  • Dalai Lama, His Holiness and Rajiv Mehrotra. In My Own Words: An Introduction to My Teachings and Philosophy (Hay House, 2008), Chapter 8
  • Dalai Lama, Lighting the Way (Ithaca: Snow Lion Publications, 2005)
  • Dalai Lama, His Holiness. Kindness, Clarity and Insight (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2006)
  • Thupten Jinpa. Mind Training: The Great Collection (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006): contains translations of the root text and Geshe Chekawa's commentary
  • Geshe Rabten, Gonsar Tenzin Khedup and Lobsang Kalden. In His Holiness the XIVth Dalai Lama, Four Essential Buddhist Commentaries (Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1982)
  • Sermey Khensur Lobsang Tharchin, The Essence of Mahayana Lojong Practice: An Oral Commentary to Geshe Langri Tangpa's Mind Training in Eight Verses. Mahayana Sutra & Tantra Pr., 1997
  • Geshe Sonam Rinchen. Eight Verses for Training the Mind. Translated by Ruth Sonam (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2001, revised 2006)
  • Geshe Tashi Tsering. The Awakening Mind: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008)
  • Thurman, Robert A. F.. Essential Tibetan Buddhism. Harper Collins. 1995
  • Geshe Tsultrim Gyaltsen. Compassion: The Key to Great Awakening (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997)
  • LotsawaHouse-tag.png Eight Verses of Training the Mind, Lotsawa House
  • Langri Tangpa's Eight Verses for Training the Mind

Notes

  1. ↑ Thupten Jinpa 2014, Chapter 29, Eight Verses of Mind Training.
  2. ↑ Thupten Jinpa fn. 411: "In many later editions of the Eight Verses, the expression “I will train myself to” has been changed to “May I,” thus transforming the contents of each stanza into an aspiration rather than a vow to practice. According to Treasury of Gems (p. 331), this change was introduced by Sangchenpa (c. twelfth century). [...] Unlike Chekawa’s Seven-Point Mind Training, there are no variant redactions of this mind training classic."

Sources

  • Thupten Jinpa (2014), Mind Training: The Great Collection, Wisdom 

External Links

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