Enlightened Courage: An Explanation of the Seven-Point Mind Training

by Dilgo Khyentse

A practical guide to Buddhahood and Seven-Point Mind Training, the meditation practice at the very heart of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition

Highly respected by thousands of students throughout the world, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche was one of the foremost poets, scholars, philosophers, and meditation masters of our time. Here he speaks frankly, drawing on his own life experience.

Condensing the compassionate path to Buddhahood into practical instructions that use the circumstances of everyday life, Rinpoche presents the Seven-Point Mind Training—the very core of the entire Tibetan Buddhist practice.

Genres: Buddhism, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Religion, Meditation, Philosophy, Self Help

144 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1993

About the author

His Holiness Khyabjé Dilgo Khyentsé Rinpoché (Tib.: དིལ་མགོ་མཁྱེན་བརྩེ། Wylie: dil mgo mkhyen brtse), born Tashi Peljor (བཀྲ་ཤིས་དཔལ་འབྱོར། bkra shis dpal 'byor) and ordained a monk as Jigme Rabsel Dawa Kyenrab Tenpa Dargye (འཇིགས་མེད་ རབ་གསལ་ཟླ་བ་ མཁྱེན་རབ་ བསྟན་པ་དར་རྒྱས། 'jigs med rab gsal zla ba mkhyen rab bstan pa dar rgyas) and later Gyurme Labsum Gyeltsen (འགྱུར་མེད་ ལབ་ སུམ་ རྒྱལ་མཚན། 'gyur med lab sum rgyal mtshan), was a Vajrayana lama and 2nd Supreme Head of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism from 1987 until 1991. He was held to be the "mind emanation" of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820–1892). Having escaped Tibet close behind the Dalai Lama, he settled in Bhutan in 1965, where he maintained his primary residence for the rest of his life.

Reviews

[Tatiana Friar McDermott · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s Enlightened Courage: An Explanation of the Seven-Point Mind Training to be a profound source of wisdom and inspiration. I first read this illuminating work in 1996, three years after its 1993 publication. The clarity and depth with which Rinpoche presents the Lojong teachings resonated deeply, offering practical guidance on cultivating compassion and wisdom in everyday life- but I walked away empty handed, I was 22, unable to understand its significance

In 2007, I revisited Enlightened Courage, and once again, i loved it, but this time it profoundly impacted my practice. The teachings revealed new layers of meaning, reflecting the evolving nature of my spiritual journey. Most recently, during the challenging times of the pandemic, I turned to this cherished text once more. Amidst uncertainty and upheaval, Rinpoche’s words provided solace and renewed perspective, emphasizing the timeless relevance of mind training in transforming adversity into opportunity for growth.

Each reading of Enlightened Courage has offered fresh insights and deepened my understanding of the Dharma. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche’s compassionate and eloquent exposition of the Seven-Point Mind Training continues to be an invaluable companion on my path, nurturing resilience and an open heart in the face of life’s ever-changing landscape.

[K.S.C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A different translation of the slogans than I've read before. It was interesting as some of the translations for better with how I understand the slogan - and matched Dilgo Khyentze's commentary.

Very classic presentation though. Very culturally Tibetan.

[Gcardoso · Rating 5 out of 5]

primeiro livro que li em inglês

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Instructions for living! Sweet darshan in a book.

[Rhodri.Dawe · Rating 5 out of 5]

With out a doubt the most important book I have ever read on the subject of mindfulness and awareness. A brilliant spiritual text from an old master of Tibetan Buddhism.

[Mary Overton]

"Once, in one of his previous lifetimes, the Buddha was a universal monarch whose custom it was to give away his wealth without regret. He refused nothing to those who came to beg from him and his fame spread far and wide. One day, a wicked Brahmin beggar came before the king and addressed him saying, 'Great king, I am ugly to look upon, while you are very handsome; please give me your head.' And the king agreed. Now his queens and ministers had been afraid that he might do this, and making hundreds of heads out of gold, silver and precious stones, they offered them to the beggar.
"'Take these heads,' they pleaded, 'do not ask the king for his.'
"'Heads made of jewels are of no use to me,' the beggar replied, 'I want a human head.' And he refused to take them.
"Eventually they could no longer deter him from seeing the king.
"The king said to him, 'I have sons and daughters, queens and a kingdom, but no attachment do I have for any of them. I will give you my head at the foot of the tsambaka tree in the garden. If I can give you my head today, I shall have completed the Bodhisattva [a totally compassionate and wise being] act of giving my head for the thousandth time.'
"And so, at the foot of the tree, the king took off his clothes, tied his hair to a branch and cut off his head. At that moment, darkness covered the earth and from the sky came the sound of the gods weeping and lamenting, so loudly that even human beings could hear them. The queens, princes and ministers, all fell speechless to the ground. Then Indra, the lord of the gods, appeared and said, 'O king, you are a Bodhisattva and have even given away your head, but here I have the life-restoring ambrosia of the gods. Let me anoint you with it and bring you back to life.'
"Now the king was indeed a Bodhisattva and, even though his head had been cut off and sent away, his mind was still present and he replied that he had no need of Indra's life-restoring ambrosia, for he could replace his head simply by the force of his own prayers.
"Indra begged him to do so and the king said: 'If in all those thousand acts of giving my head away beneath the tsambaka tree there was nothing but the aim of benefiting others, unstained by any trace of self seeking - if I was without resentment or regret, then may my head be once again restored. But if regrets there were, or evil thoughts, or intentions not purely for the sake of others, then may my head remain cut off.' No sooner had the king said this than there appeared on his shoulders a new head identical to the first, which had been taken by the Brahmin. Then all the queens, princes and minister rejoiced and administered the kingdom in accordance with the Dharma." pp. 30-31

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Commentary on “The Seven Point Mind Training” by Chekawa Yeshe Dorje. Good practical advice and lots of encouragement to practice Mahamudra meditation. I was surprised at references to hell, lower realms, and gods plural in addition to assuming religious practices such as making offerings to statues, circumambulation, etc. Khyentse was obviously a religious Buddhist and yet he also talked about gods and demons being projections of our own minds. Still trying to figure out the Buddhist worldview.

[Anastasia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche is just awesome

It's concise but dense, which is great because you get a lot of ideas quickly and can put it down and pick it up easily, starting at a new section or re-reading the previous.

After awhile I started to wish there were longer explanations for some of the points. Of course, DKR has many other books.

[Mason Hiatt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a condensation of Bodhisattva training, the essence of Mahayana Buddhist practice. It's probably a good idea to study it under the guidance of a qualified buddhist teacher. It is short and succinct - I plan to read it many more times to reinforce the essential points Rinpoche lays out so clearly.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from my buddhist reading. Dilgo Khyentse takes a lot of thoughts and makes them straight forward and easy to understand. If you are interested in Buddhism, than this book is neceasssery.

[Kencho Lhadeb]

This book talks about seven point mind training. This practice is very core of the entire practice of Buddhism.it condenses the compassionate path to Buddhahood into practical instructions which make use of all the circumstances of everyday life.

[Doris Wong · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent for daily life practice no matter you are a buddhist or not.

[Hollis Fishelson-holstine · Rating 1 out of 5]

While I've loved some of the other Tibetan Buddhist texts, this one is either too obscure for me or just not the right thing for me at the moment

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

the whole of dharma boiled down to seven points, accessible to all levels of students, and staying on my bedside table for frequent re-reading. thank you for teaching.

[Paul Brooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful introduction to basic mahayana practice and meditation

[Sammy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most helpful guide I've read to date about living your life in an ethical way. If you fins this precious book, hold on to it.