Acharya Lama Tenpa Gyaltsen provides commentary on The Eight Verses on Mind Training, a concise and profound teaching on Lojong or mind training. In five talks, Lama Tenpa repeatedly challenges our views and understanding, unpacking the genuine meaning and practice of mind training, bodhicitta, compassion, and love. He emphasizes the importance of commitment as an element of bodhicitta – what it really means to be a Bodhisattva, what it really means to be fearless and not give up, no matter how difficult the situations are that we face, how long it will take to help, or how many sentient beings need our help.

He identifies the root or source of Bodhicitta as compassion, the root of compassion as loving kindness, and the root of loving kindness as love. What is love? Lama Tenpa’s three qualities of love again challenge our views. Turning to the text itself, Lama Tenpa identifies the conducive and non-conducive conditions for genuine compassion and love. What is the necessary condition for generating love and compassion? What is it that blocks or obstructs love and compassion?

It is not possible in a short description to identity the many ways Lama Tenpa’s teaching enhances our understanding and informs our practice, whether we are new to practice or have been practicing for decades. This teaching includes advice on going into retreat and on purifying negative karma. Lama Tenpa also entertains challenging questions with clarity and insight. Five talks.