The Very Venerable Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

The Seven Points Of Mind Training

Birmingham Karma Ling, December 2002

Transcribers: Lama Chodrak, Jacqui Horne, Pat Pagett

Introduction

The instructions we are going to study are what is known as The 7 Points of Mind Training. Generally if we want to put all the teachings of the Buddha Dharma into a concise form we can shorten them into two, compassion and emptiness.

Emptiness is the aspect of wisdom and compassion is the aspect of skilful means. If we unify these two we can reach the level of enlightenment. For example, if a bird has two wings it can fly in the sky. If it has only one wing then it cannot fly, it needs both. So, like that, on the path we need the union of Wisdom and Skilful Means.

So what is the main point? The main point is to train in compassion. Within these teachings there is a concise explanation of emptiness and after that there is a more thorough explanation concerning compassion.

Within this teaching there are 7 Points:

• 1. The Teachings on the Preliminaries
• 2. The Main Practice of Bodhicitta Training
  • Absolute Bodhicitta - Part 1
  • Absolute Bodhicitta - Part 2
  • Relative Bodhicitta: 2
  • Relative Bodhicitta: 6-7
• 3. Transforming Negative Circumstances Into the Path
  • The General Practice
  • The Special Application: 5
  • The Special Application: 6
• 4. Practicing in This Lifetime
• 5. Evaluation of the Mind Training
• 6. The Commitments of Mind Training
  • Three General Principles
  • Questions
  • Specific Principles: 2
  • Specific Principles: 3-16
  • Questions
• 7. Guidelines of Mind Training
  • What to Eliminate: 1-3
  • What to Eliminate: 4-6
  • What to Adopt: 7-11
  • What to Adopt: 12-21
  • The Conclusion
• The Practice of Meditation
  • The Practice of Shinay
  • Shinay Without Characteristics
  • Shinay With Characteristics
  • Meditating With Thoughts

These are the 7 points. Do you understand them? If you understand them then I have finished the instructions of the 7 points. You said that you understood! I'm just joking!