Training the Mind: Small Steps in Mindfulness

What do we really mean when we speak of mind training? It can sound very complicated and too much for us to handle, but we have to understand how to begin.

Buddhist Philosophy

Beginning with Small Steps

Mind training sounds a little sci-fi at times. But, what do we really mean when we speak of mind training in Buddhist terms? At first, it can sound very complicated and too much for us to handle, but we have to understand how to begin. Here, Tulku Migmar Tsering shares practical advice on how we can train our minds and develop true mindfulness in our daily lives.

First Steps

First, he reminds us to start with basics—for example, speaking kind words and watching our behavior. He explains that we do not have to go to a solitary place and be in retreat in order to train our minds. Tulku-la suggests that we start close to home, by training within our own families. Slowly, this habit of speaking kindly and behaving well will become ingrained, and we will naturally extend that behavior out to wider and wider circles.

Use Whatever Situation We Find!

Tulku-la then gives a practical and amusing personal example of dealing with a stuck door lock—an image that we can easily imagine! Tulku-la walks us through his own thought process and explains how we can use mindfulness techniques to change our reactions.

We can slowly begin to change our habitual patterns and fully integrate our practice into our daily lives. His simple story can help us to reflect on the many opportunities for practice we can find throughout our day. His advice helps us to be gentle with ourselves and appreciate the small adjustments and a slow but steady approach that brings great benefit.

Reflection Exercise

Throughout the following days, try to think about this locked door story and recall it during moments of potential difficulty in your own experience. Can you “catch yourself” as you start to react—and can you see how you can use mindfulness to change your habitual reactions?
Describe the situation, and see how you flipped the situation by changing your patterns. It may help to keep a journal for a period of time—write down these experiences, and then see how you’re making progress by changing your own habits.
Or, if you see now that you might have had an opportunity to train and didn’t—what would you do differently now? For example, if you got stuck in traffic, or waiting in a line, can you think of new alternatives to your customary behavior?
How many opportunities for mind training did you find in a single day—or during this past week?

Share This Article

About the Author

Tulku Migmar Tsering

Tulku Migmar Tsering is a master of the Chokling New Treasures lineage of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Tulu-la completed a three-year retreat under the close guidance of his root guru, Kyabje Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, and then went on to study for six years in the Ka-Nying Shedrub Ling Shedra or Monastic College. Phakchok Rinpoche has appointed him the senior lama and supporting teacher for his sangha based upon his wonderful qualities as a lama and his strong capacity and desire to help others.

All Posts

Responses

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Become a Samye Institute Patron

Create an auspicious connection and join us in our activities of spreading the Dharma and supporting the practice of Dharma students.

Related Events

About Samye Institute

Samye is a place where students from all corners of the globe explore how to work with their minds in order to lead meaningful lives. Drawing from authentic Buddhist wisdom traditions, our online platform offers live teachings, structured courses, interactive forums, and community for the digital Dharma sangha. Samye Institute aims to be to the digital world what Nalanda was to India and what Samye was to Tibet.

The Five Successive Stages of Understanding

On this Guru Rinpoche Day message, Phakchok Rinpoche shares some simple benchmarks to measure our progress in our practice. We all go through five successive stages: 1) lack of any understanding, 2) forming misunderstandings, 3) partial understanding, 4) near-complete understanding, and 5) perfect understanding. These five stages equally apply to the view, practice and conduct. Rinpoche then starts explaining each stage. Finally, Rinpoche concludes by inviting us to study these to be able to recognize them, and thereby identify our own level of progress on the path.

Overcoming Mara’s hosts

On Guru Rinpoche Day, Phakchok Rinpoche shares the key point of all the practices and teachings: overcoming the four great obstacles, the four maras, namely, the mara of the aggregates, the mara of the Lord of Death, the mara of the afflictions, and the mara of the gods. Rinpoche then explains each one and advises us to study and contemplate them. Furthermore, Rinpoche explains the root of them all and how we can overcome them. Finally, Rinpoche mentions how his root guru Kyabjé Nyoshül Khen Rinpoche used to say Dharma means only one thing: transformation.

Buddhahood Within Our Reach

On this Guru Rinpoche Day, Phakchok Rinpoche explains the famous opening verse of Omniscient Gampopa’s “Jewel Ornament of Liberation,” as well as the key points we should understand as we read the verses; mainly, that all beings have the cause of Buddhahood within their being, but it is also important that they meet with the right conditions for this seed to bear fruits. Rinpoche further explains how to cultivate the right conditions for our transformation.

Training the Mind: Small Steps in Mindfulness

Beginning with Small Steps

First Steps

Use Whatever Situation We Find!