What is the Mind?

Buddhism is primarily about the mind.  Buddhists do not view the brain as the mind, nor is the mind considered an emergent property of the brain. The mind is that aspect of a being that goes from lifetime to lifetime. In other religions this aspect is often referred to as the soul, but there are differences in how mind is viewed and how soul is viewed, so we use the traditional Buddhist term, “mind.”

“Mind” in Tibetan is “lo.” In Tibetan Buddhism, lorig refers to how the mind works. Tibetan monastics study lorig in order to understand how the mind works. Why do we care how the mind works? The transformative methods of Buddhism work in accord with how the mind already works to achieve transformation rather than fighting against the natural processes of the mind. Meditation is not a single approach, but rather a suite of methods for working with the mind.

Another suite of methods for working with the mind is lojong.  Lojong means mind training – a specific type of mind training. It refers to an entire genre of teachings and methods that train the mind in compassion. The lojong teachings were brought to Tibet from India by the great Indian master, Atisha. Tibetan Buddhism is renowned for these amazing compassion teachings.  Lojong is addressed on a different page.

Please enjoy the following teachings that fall under the umbrella of lorig.

• What is a body? What is a mind? How are they connected and how do you use this connection for improved health? Rinpoche ends with a breathing exercise to balance the mind.

 Audio – January 5 , 2008: Balance your mind and body connection to create better health

Taming the Grasping Mind

• How can we overcome these internal causes of unhappiness?
• Domo Geshe Rinpoche unravels the mystery of Lorig mind training, a section of Tibetan teachings that are like an instruction book for understanding the mind and how it actually works. She talks about the grasping and clinging of the five mental factors, or aggregates. These are the gross aspects of the untrained mind. Then she speaks of diverting the mind to holy objects to stop the cycle of attraction and aversion, and to uplift the mind in virtue.

Audio: June 23, 2004  Taming the Grasping Mind

More teachings on the mind and its functions in the store.

More teachings are available in My Resources – My Learning Modules. Create a free user account to access them. (Log in /Register – upper right corner).