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The Seven-Point Mind Training: A Tibetan Method For Cultivating Mind And Heart
A guide to the Tibetan Buddhist practice of lojong meditation—or mind training—as a way to pause, reflect, and discover the true meaning and value of life In this society, with its hurly-burly pace demanding of our time, it is ever so easy to let life slip by. Looking back after ten, twenty, thirty, years—we wonder what we have really accomplished. The process of simply existing is not necessarily meaningful. And yet there is an unlimited potential for meaning and value in this human existence. The Seven-Point Mind Training is one eminently practical way of tapping into that meaning. At the heart of the Seven-Point Mind Training lies the transformation of the circumstances that life brings us, however hard as the raw material from which we create our own spiritual path. The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others. This Mind Training is especially well-suited for an active life. It helps us to reexamine our relationships—to family, friends, enemies, and strangers—and gradually transform our responses to whatever life throws our way
158 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2001
79 people are currently reading
600 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
July 25, 2011
I absolutely loved this book. In the past, books on Buddhism that I've read have fallen into two categories - they were either too shallow making me feel like I wasted my time on something I already was familiar with or too difficult. The difficult ones in general were very in depth tomes detailing the lives and teachings of the Buddha and early lamas, which while worth writing about didn't offer me anything to take away for my modern life and practice.
This book found the perfect balance, clearing showing how these methods have their roots in Buddhisms beginnings, but devoting the majority of the book to the methods themselves and how they can alleviate our modern concerns. I can see how it can be considered a difficult read (I was glad I had meditation training as it made many concepts familiar and easily built on), but if you're interested, I highly recommend taking the time to suss it out - this book is totally worth it.
This book found the perfect balance, clearing showing how these methods have their roots in Buddhisms beginnings, but devoting the majority of the book to the methods themselves and how they can alleviate our modern concerns. I can see how it can be considered a difficult read (I was glad I had meditation training as it made many concepts familiar and easily built on), but if you're interested, I highly recommend taking the time to suss it out - this book is totally worth it.
October 8, 2021
I noticed that one of the reviewers here - named Chris Carlisle - simply copied and pasted a review he took from AMAZON written 15 years earlier.
Look the book up on Amazon and the review is by Lydia Kagen.
I do wonder if GoodReads is perhaps doing this to pad out the reviews to give the appearance of legitimacy.
Look the book up on Amazon and the review is by Lydia Kagen.
I do wonder if GoodReads is perhaps doing this to pad out the reviews to give the appearance of legitimacy.
January 23, 2019
If you want to read a book about Lojong training, in clear English read, Norman Fishers book Training in Compassion. It covers the same material in a clearer more comprehensive manner.
March 9, 2025
Alan Wallace is one of the best teachers of Tibetan Buddhism today?
October 31, 2021
It really works!
February 24, 2017
“In our search for the meaning of life,” Wallace begins, “we may overlook the fact that life doesn’t necessarily have any meaning at all.”
He had me at “In our search for the meaning of life…”
Admittedly, I am a B. Alan Wallace fan and I own a host of his books, both in paper (should the Kindle fail) and Kindle (my preferred mode of reading these days). In The Seven-Point Mind Training, Wallace takes you by your spiritual hand and coaxes you all the way up from mundane human to enlightened Buddha (with some—or a lot—of practice, of course).
I found the book a delight to read, and very, very clear in its exposition of this ancient teaching. Wallace is not only a great scholar, he also has a great gift: he is a wonderful writer. And it takes a great writer to clearly make point after important point—all the way making sure that you grasp and follow.
The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is “to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others even more than oneself.” This summarizes (nicely) my current life and journey, and Wallace, in my book, is an invaluable guide.
He had me at “In our search for the meaning of life…”
Admittedly, I am a B. Alan Wallace fan and I own a host of his books, both in paper (should the Kindle fail) and Kindle (my preferred mode of reading these days). In The Seven-Point Mind Training, Wallace takes you by your spiritual hand and coaxes you all the way up from mundane human to enlightened Buddha (with some—or a lot—of practice, of course).
I found the book a delight to read, and very, very clear in its exposition of this ancient teaching. Wallace is not only a great scholar, he also has a great gift: he is a wonderful writer. And it takes a great writer to clearly make point after important point—all the way making sure that you grasp and follow.
The central theme of the Seven-Point Mind Training is “to make the liberating passage from the constricting solitude of self-centeredness to the warm kinship with others which occurs with the cultivation of cherishing others even more than oneself.” This summarizes (nicely) my current life and journey, and Wallace, in my book, is an invaluable guide.
July 27, 2016
As a book lover, I am one of those people who never, ever marks the pages of books. However, after the first few sentences, I knew this is not a book you simply read, but one to study, digest, and absorb. It is now marked on every page, highlighted and underlined, and I know I will refer to it again and again. Since I am new to the subject, I have been seeking authentic instructions in a way my Western mind can grasp, without losing the richness of its source. This is not "New Aged" Buddhism Lite, yet the author presents Lojong in a way that is completely accessible and easy to follow. This wonderful teacher is comforting, reassuring, yet challenging. He encourages an immediate, radical change of "attitude" and offers the tools to do it. We are not all fortunate enough to be able to sit at the feet of a master. Reading this book is the next best thing.
May 15, 2018
Even the first paragraph in the preface is powerful. He refers to monasteries as 'attitudinal correction facilities’.
lo means attitude, mind, intelligence, and perspective. jong means to train, purify, remedy, and clear away. Lojong could be translated as attitudinal training thus the title of the book.
Almost gave up on this book because of Alan’s seeming disdain for science and clinging to the Buddhist creation story and some of the way out cosmology. In a way, Alan’s failure to hold these Lojong Teachings in a way that is poignant to our real and current lives rather than focusing on science or cosmology shows where his biases are. I've plowed ahead anyway and found lots to practice with. 60 slogans make up the Lojong Practice and Alan's take/commentary on most gives me a bunch to chew on.
Changing my attitude towards marking up a book.
lo means attitude, mind, intelligence, and perspective. jong means to train, purify, remedy, and clear away. Lojong could be translated as attitudinal training thus the title of the book.
Almost gave up on this book because of Alan’s seeming disdain for science and clinging to the Buddhist creation story and some of the way out cosmology. In a way, Alan’s failure to hold these Lojong Teachings in a way that is poignant to our real and current lives rather than focusing on science or cosmology shows where his biases are. I've plowed ahead anyway and found lots to practice with. 60 slogans make up the Lojong Practice and Alan's take/commentary on most gives me a bunch to chew on.
Changing my attitude towards marking up a book.
January 21, 2019
Very basic, read if you are not familiar with (Tibetan) Buddhism at all. Very little of interest to someone who's already somewhat familiar with practice of Buddhist meditation and who's taken Philosophy 101.
There are better introductions out there.
There are better introductions out there.
August 12, 2020
Read this for meditation training. So practical. Formulated. Will be going back for reference often. Worth taking notes and using as a vessel for teaching others.
July 5, 2022
This one is heavier on the dogma than the training. It's too bad, considering that so many of his books are fantastic.
April 26, 2023
I loved this book and will come back to it again and again. I agree with other reviewers that Alan Wallace is able to take deep Buddhist concepts and apply them to the modern constructs we are immersed in.
This book speaks to me at this stage of my journey and I anticipate it will continue to speak to me.
This book speaks to me at this stage of my journey and I anticipate it will continue to speak to me.
October 23, 2020
This is the best book on Lojong I’ve read in a while. Appeals to my science-y side, clear relatable explanations, and a good window into Tibetan viewpoint and how westerners might get a better understanding of that.
January 17, 2023
Simplemente maravilloso.
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November 29, 2024The fact that my answer to 'at which stage are you?' wasn't 'still at absolute zero' is likely the reason I'm still at absolute zero
September 13, 2022
If you are looking for a Buddhist primer, I highly recommend looking elsewhere. While the first quarter of the book was a decent overview of may relevant practices, particularly related to meditation, the book went steeply downhill from there. The added 'attitude' was a bit out-there, even from my nontraditional western framework. From pan-human realities, to lucid dreaming and other psychic-theories that were debunked ages ago, I felt Wallace veered well beyond both Buddhism and western psychology. Also, eventually I just got frustrated with his over use of the terms 'reify', 'reification', and 'the Bardo.'
He became repetitive not in a reinforcing way, but just in a way that felt like he ran out of ideas at page 80 but promised someone a 250+ page book. At the end, he outlines his book in a summary, which again just felt like adding to the page count.
He became repetitive not in a reinforcing way, but just in a way that felt like he ran out of ideas at page 80 but promised someone a 250+ page book. At the end, he outlines his book in a summary, which again just felt like adding to the page count.
March 12, 2024
Currently reading, but pleasantly surprised to find it much better than expected. Based on the classic 12th century Tibetan Buddhist text on 'mind training' (or more descriptively, 'thought transformation'), there isn't much new or novel in this material (as it's been covered many times in many different versions by many Tibetan lamas), but what IS different is the way Wallace makes it accessible to the modern Western reader. It isn't dry, it isn't trite, it isn't even "traditional", it's just relevant and well done. Thank you Alan
February 22, 2019
A Thorough Roadmap To Bodhichita
Practises in Buddhism are like a rainbow. There's a color for whatever way your mind works. If you are an analytical person who is ready to embark on the Path, I would fully recommend this book.
Alan Wallace goes into detail on each line of Atisha's teaching. Putting things into context for our modern day lives wonderfully.
This book is deceptively short. Don't worry! You'll be reading it over again. It's like a map.
Practises in Buddhism are like a rainbow. There's a color for whatever way your mind works. If you are an analytical person who is ready to embark on the Path, I would fully recommend this book.
Alan Wallace goes into detail on each line of Atisha's teaching. Putting things into context for our modern day lives wonderfully.
This book is deceptively short. Don't worry! You'll be reading it over again. It's like a map.
September 10, 2015
(Own it)
Can't remember if I read this before or bought and then decided not to read. In any case, I enjoyed it very much this time. This is the second one I've read on the Seven-point mind training and while it's difficult to get your mind around (and even more difficult to actually practice!) I aspire to living my life this way
yet 3rd time finding its too academic aug15
Can't remember if I read this before or bought and then decided not to read. In any case, I enjoyed it very much this time. This is the second one I've read on the Seven-point mind training and while it's difficult to get your mind around (and even more difficult to actually practice!) I aspire to living my life this way
yet 3rd time finding its too academic aug15
February 20, 2009
Very hard reading for me. I read this book because a friend asked me to. I had a real hard time getting into and sticking with it. Some good information about mind training and the beliefs of Buddahism, but quite hard for me to understand.
January 27, 2019
Highly recommended!
The book gives a very precise breakdown of the practice: background, benefits, practical tips and - most important - very modern and recognizable examples that really inspire to pick up this most valuable and precise method of self-reflection.
The book gives a very precise breakdown of the practice: background, benefits, practical tips and - most important - very modern and recognizable examples that really inspire to pick up this most valuable and precise method of self-reflection.
November 19, 2022
an unpacking of intellect
unto intelligence is this pointing-out... a360 degree observation of simplistic complexity of mundane provocation to establish its likeness in substance... a wise familiarization
unto intelligence is this pointing-out... a360 degree observation of simplistic complexity of mundane provocation to establish its likeness in substance... a wise familiarization
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June 2, 2011Still reading ... "All visible objects, man, are but as pasteboard masks." Melville
June 23, 2013
I highly recommend this book for those who seek instructions for how to meditate. This is a reliable way to learn and understand some of the deepest aspects of Buddhism.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews