Customer Reviews

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

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For those of us who cannot grasp into deep esoteric teachings, this book is simply amazing. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche takes the Tibetan Text "The Thirty Seven Verseson the Practice of a Bodhisattva" and expounds upon it in such a way as to transform it into very personal, very practical ways for using your mind and living this life. Don't get me wrong, this isn't watered down simplistic teachings like "be nice" this is still hard core Bodhisattva practice... and Dilgo Rinpoche's teachings cut across all traditions. I am a Zen practitioner, not a Tibetan practitioner, but I simply wept when I read this book. It is so very helpful for those of us attempting to cultivate true compassion and live out of that, no matter what tradition we practice in... For people who need the teachings to be practical and clear, this book is a true gem.

The lojong--"mind transformation"--tradition in Vajrayana Buddhism constitutes a profound spiritual discipline for overcoming the root casue of suffering and cultivating real happiness. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who passed away in 1991, was one of the great Dharma lions of his generation, a teacher of teachers (including His Holiness the Dalai Lama). Here he offers a practical, uncompromising, yet always compassionate guide to applying the lojong teachings in ALL of daily life, whatever comes to knock us on the head. I would recommend studying this volume alongside the Dalai Lama's TRANSFORMING THE MIND--TEACHINGS ON GENERATING COMPASSION, which provides a wonderfully humane and practical commentary on the famous "Eight Verses on Transforming the Mind."

This book graciously presents one of the most profound teachings of all times with guidance and commentary from one of the greatest teachers of Tantric Buddhism of the Twentieth Century.
This book needs to not only be read, but seriously studied repeatedly by any serious practitioner of bodhicitta. Simple instructions for an astoundingly comprehensive state of consciousness.

Very succinct treatment of Atisha's 7 point mind training/slogans. Full poem of the slogans at the beginning is a plus. Chogyam's Trungpa's Training the Mind is a bit longer if one wants more explanation but that book those not have all the slogans in one place at the beginning. Therefore both books are useful and complementary works.

...I say this because, although clothed in the garb of Tibetan Buddhism, the essence of this books teaching is, in my opinion, that essence of all spiritual teachings.
I wish I could explain more, but one needs to read it with an open mind to do it justice. For the review that states it is incomprehensible, that is possible if one has not background, and yet, even if so, there is much to be gained from this little, but powerful book.

Highly recommended.

I ordered Enlightened Courage with considerable anticipation. The reviews were outstanding and I felt I'd made a very good decision even tho books on Tibetan Buddhism by Tibetan authors were often difficult to follow. Well, the book arrived, and I started reading it. It was virtually indecipherable. Maybe it's just the translation but the text was almost impossible for me to follow. Apparently others haven't had the same experience and I will give it another try but I read the first chapter and then put it down and started on, and hugely enjoyed, another book that I ordered with this one.