Eight Verses of Training the Mind

[[Image:Geshe langri tangpa.jpg|frame|Geshe Langri Tangpa)]

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

Translation

By thinking of all sentient beings

As more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel

For accomplishing the highest aim,

I will always hold them dear.

Whenever I’m in the company of others,

I will regard myself as the lowest among all,

And from the depths of my heart

Cherish others as supreme.

In my every action, I will watch my mind,

And the moment destructive emotions arise,

I will confront them strongly and avert them,

Since they will hurt both me and others.

Whenever I see ill-natured people,

Or those overwhelmed by heavy misdeeds or suffering,

I will cherish them as something rare,

As though I’d found a priceless treasure.

Whenever someone out of envy

Does me wrong by attacking or belittling me,

I will take defeat upon myself,

And give the victory to others.

Even when someone I have helped,

Or in whom I have placed great hopes

Mistreats me very unjustly,

I will view that person as a true spiritual teacher.

In brief, directly or indirectly,

I will offer help and happiness to all my mothers,

And secretly take upon myself

All their hurt and suffering.

I will learn to keep all these practices

Untainted by thoughts of the eight worldly concerns.

May I recognize all things as like illusions,

And, without attachment, gain freedom from bondage.

Tibetan Commentaries

• Dge bshes 'Chad ka ba, blo sbyong tshigs rkang brgyad ma lo rgyus dang bcas pa
• Thu’u bkan Blo bzang chos kyi nyi ma, Blo sbyong tshigs brgyad ma’i khrid yig gces ‘dzin gdon ‘joms byangs sems chu rgyun

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)
• Jinpa, Thupten. 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
• Sonam Rinchen, Geshe. Eight Verses for Training the Mind. Translated by Ruth Sonam (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 2001, revised 2006)
• Tashi Tsering, Geshe. The Awakening Mind: The Foundation of Buddhist Thought (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008)
• Thurman, Robert A. F.. Essential Tibetan Buddhism. Harper Collins. 1995
• Tsultrim Gyaltsen, Geshe. Compassion: The Key to Great Awakening (Boston: Wisdom Publications, 1997)

External Links

• Eight Verses of Training the Mind
• Greater than a Wish-Fulfilling Jewel: on the translation of the first of the Eight Verses
• Teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at dalailama.com
• Commentary on the Eight Verses of Thought Transformation by His Holiness the Dalai Lama at Dharamsala, India, 1981. The Archive of the FPMT
• Translation and Commentaries at Berzin Archives

Source

RigpaWiki:Eight Verses of Training the Mind

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Eight Verses of Training the Mind ( བློ་སྦྱོང་ཚིགས་བརྒྱད་མ། ; wylie: blo sbyong tshigs brgyad ma); Lojong Tsig Gyema in Tibetan.

Composed by Bodhisattva Langri Tangpa in the eleventh century, this text reveals the essence of the Mahayana Buddhist path to enlightenment.Eight Verses of Training the Mind explains how to transform every moment of our life into a step on the path to inner peace, and in particular how to transform all of life’s difficulties into truly liberating experiences.