*Mind Training for Modern Life: Transforming Adversity into Well-being*
No one likes to experience misfortune. Yet, challenge and change can seem to feature front and center in our daily lives. Our habits of mind don’t always help-we may have only a brief encounter with a difficulty and then find ourselves hours or days later still dwelling on every slight and minor inconvenience.
By ignoring the power of our own attitudes, we may focus entirely on factors outside ourselves. Soon, we may become paranoid and consumed by our efforts to erase difficult situations and people from our lives. The more we become consumed by negative attitudes such as fear and hostility, the more negative circumstances appear to us.
*There is, however, another way to deal with adversity.* _Lojong_ (mind training) teachings show us a radically empowering path by turning toward the difficulties and irritations that we have always considered misfortunes. By shifting our attitude 180 degrees, we instead transform these misfortunes into valuable parts of our spiritual journey-the energy that propels us towards greater levels of well-being, wisdom, and compassion.
In a world as difficult as ours, training in this way is not always easy, but, it is often the only option left to us. Where we cannot control what the world brings to us, we can control what we bring to the world.
As the great Dzogchen master Dodrupchen Tenpey Nyima says:
_“By training in this way, you will become gentle-minded, easy-going, and courageous; there will be no obstacles to your spiritual practice, all unfavorable circumstances will arise as splendid and auspicious; and your mind will continually be content with the joy of serenity. To follow a spiritual path in a degenerate era, such armor as this is indispensable.”_
*Additional Resources*
David also recommended a few resources for those interested in going deeper into the practice of mind training. They are listed below:
Books:
- The Art of Transforming the Mind: A Meditator’s Guide to the Tibetan Practice of Lojong - B. Alan Wallace: centerforcontemplativeresearch.org/book/the-art-of-transforming-the-mind-a-meditators-guide-to-the-tibetan-practice-of-lojong/
- The Seven Point Mind Training - translated with commentary by B. Alan Wallace: centerforcontemplativeresearch.org/book/the-seven-point-mind-training-a-tibetan-method-for-cultivating-mind-and-heart/
- A Guide to the Bodhisattva Way of Life - translated by Vesna Wallace and B. Alan Wallace: centerforcontemplativeresearch.org/book/a-guide-to-the-bodhisattva-way-of-life/
Retreat Recordings:
- Transforming Adversity into Awakening: Teachings on the 37 Practices of the Bodhisattvas - CCN Annual 6-Day Retreat, led by David Oromith: contemplative-consciousness.net/events/ccn-annual-6-day-retreat-2024/
- Transforming Felicity and Adversity into the Spiritual Path led by B. Alan Wallace (3-Day Retreat): contemplative-consciousness.net/courses/transforming-felicity/
*About David Oromith*
David Oromith is the Operations Officer for the CCN in the UK, as well as co-founder of Samadhi. He is a Buddhist contemplative and meditation guide with a background in mental health services. Having practiced meditation since the age of 18, his journey into Buddhism began through personal struggles with depression and anxiety, leading him to the Buddha’s teachings.
David has studied under various teachers, with Lama Alan as his root guru, and is influenced by Tibetan Buddhism among other traditions, recognizing the value and benefit of multiple points of view. He focuses on meditation training and core, practical Buddhist principles in his teachings. He is the author of the book A Practical Guide to Mindful Living and leads several retreats across the UK every year, as well as teaching online and in person across South Wales.
David’s engaging style is clear, practical, and relatable, hoping to make ancient practices applicable to modern life. He envisions and works towards the establishment of the Samadhi Eco Retreat Centre as a community for spiritual development.
*What is Ghatika Monthly?*
Ghatika Monthly is an in-person and virtual gathering held on the 2nd Saturday of every month, in which CCR expert teachers offer accessible guidance in foundational yet transformative contemplative practices. Ghatika is the Sanskrit term for one 24-minute meditation session, which is a recommended length for beginning meditators.
While most of the CCR's expert teachers come from a Buddhist background, these sessions are designed to be secular, informative, and welcoming to beginning and advanced practitioners alike.
At Ghatika Monthly, we hope to offer a taste of the contemplative technology that our full-time contemplatives cultivate for 8-12 hours per day at Miyo Samten Ling Hermitage in Crestone.
#guidedmeditation #buddhism #lojong #meditation