Mind Training: The Great Collection (1) (Library of Tibetan Classics)

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Compiled in the fifteenth century, Mind Training: The Great Collection is the earliest anthology of a special genre of Tibetan literature known as “mind training,” or lojong in Tibetan. The principal focus of these texts is the systematic cultivation of such altruistic thoughts and emotions as compassion, love, forbearance, and perseverance. The mind-training teachings are highly revered by the Tibetan people for their pragmatism and down-to-earth advice on coping with the various challenges and hardships that unavoidably characterize everyday human existence.

The volume contains forty-four individual texts, including the most important works of the mind training cycle, such as Serlingpa’s well-known Leveling Out All Preconceptions, Atisha’s Bodhisattva’s Jewel Garland, Langri Thangpa’s Eight Verses on Training the Mind, and Chekawa’s Seven-Point Mind Training together with the earliest commentaries on these seminal texts. An accurate and lyrical translation of these texts, many of which are in metered verse, marks an important contribution to the world’s literary heritage, enriching its spiritual resources.

From the Publisher

The Library of Tibetan Classics translated by Thupten JInpa from Wisdom Publications

The Library of Tibetan Classics is A Major, Exciting Effort to Support Tibetan Culture

Edited by Thupten Jinpa— renowned scholar, author, translator, and interpreter for His Holiness the Dalai Lama—the Library is making key Tibetan texts part of the global literary and intellectual heritage. The thirty-two-volume series, when complete, will span nearly a millennium and a half and will cover the entire expanse of Tibet’s classical literary heritage, from religion and folklore to art and poetry, from philosophy and psychology to medicine, and much more

In every way, the series has been designed with a broad audience in mind—while being “…of great value to scholars, the translations are accessible to nonspecialists as well, and thus should allow a wide audience to gain access to the treasures of the Tibetan tradition” (Georges Dreyfus, Williams College). The series includes the works of many great Tibetan teachers, philosophers, scholars, and practitioners, representing all major Tibetan schools and traditions. It is our privilege to play a part in the preservation and sharing of their invaluable writings, with their ability to teach, enrich, and inspire. With more than a dozen volumes published and the rest underway, we are in the midst of an extraordinary journey, and we would like to invite you to join us.

A Brilliant Endeavor Unfolds

When Thupten Jinpa approached Wisdom Publications to collaborate with him and his Institute of Tibetan Classics in Montreal on the monumental Library of Tibetan Classics, we were honored to accept. The texts in this series have been selected in close consultation with preeminent lineage holders and with senior Tibetan scholars, especially His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

“I am very happy to welcome the initiatives of the Institute of Tibetan Classics, especially its ambitious Library of Tibetan Classics. This collection will help make Tibet’s classical thought truly a world heritage, an intellectual and spiritual resource open to all.”—His Holiness the Dalai Lama

Mind Training: The Great Collection

Compiled in the fifteenth century, Mind Training: The Great Collection is the earliest anthology of a special genre of Tibetan literature known as “mind training,” or lojong in Tibetan. The principal focus of these texts is the systematic cultivation of such altruistic thoughts and emotions as compassion, love, forbearance, and perseverance. The mind-training teachings are highly revered by the Tibetan people for their pragmatism and down-to-earth advice on coping with the various challenges and hardships that unavoidably characterize everyday human existence.

Mind Training volume contains forty-four individual texts, including the most important works of the mind training cycle. An accurate and lyrical translation of these texts, many of which are in metered verse, marks an important contribution to the world’s literary heritage, enriching its spiritual resources.

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Written in exemplary Tibetan, Tsongkhapa’s work presents a wonderful marriage of rigorous Madhyamaka philosophical analysis with a detailed and subtle account of the progressively advancing mental states and spiritual maturity realized by sincere Madhyamaka practitioners.

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This anthology includes some of the best-loved classics of Tibetan literature. The final work is the intriguing Kaché Phalu’s Advice. Ostensibly written by a wise Tibetan Muslim, this versified text enjoys great popularity within Tibetan-speaking communities, such that many Tibetans are able to recite at least a few verses from memory.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Wisdom Publications; First Edition (November 28, 2005)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 720 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0861714407
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0861714407
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.4 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 2 x 9 inches