THE FIRST OF the next three texts, Sumpa Lotsāwa’s Ear-Whispered Mind Training, develops the intriguing theme of how to sustain a state of mind that is carefree yet joyful. Shönu Gyalchok identifies the root text of this work to be the following four-line stanza, which he attributes to Sumpa Lotsāwa:
If you can tolerate anything, whatever you do brings happiness;
if your mind rests where it’s placed, you can journey anywhere;
if your mind is fused with Dharma, it’s okay even if you die;
if you have recognized the mind as unborn, there is no death.
Something similar to these four lines is cited in the text.
So far I have failed to locate any significant information on the life of Sumpa Lotsāwa. In the information on the transmission of the lineage at the end of this short work, it says that Sumpa Lotsāwa himself transmitted the instruction of this practice to the famous Tibetan master Sakya Paṇḍita. Furthermore, there is a brief reference to Sumpa Lotsāwa as Dharma Yönten in The Blue Annals,150 where he is listed as having translated several important texts composed by the Indian master Jayasena, from whom the Sakya patriarch Drakpa Gyaltsen received teachings as well. This would place Sumpa Lotsāwa between late twelfth and early thirteenth century, which fits well with the time of Sakya Paṇḍita. As to the identity of the author of this mind training text based on Sumpa Lotsāwa’s instructions, the question must remain open.
Bodhisattva Samantabhadra’s Mind Training focuses on what kind of attitudes and basic outlook are essential for a successful practice of mind training. It speaks of cultivating the “expansive thought,” the “resolute thought,” and the “diamond-like thought.” Shönu Gyalchok characterizes this work as supplemental instructions to the practice of giving and taking by means of training the mind in the conventional awakening mind.
Judging by its literary style, especially the frequent use of the expression “it was taught,” we can safely conclude that this text belongs to the genre of sindri, lecture notes taken at an oral teaching. According to the colophon, that teaching was given by one Mipham Chöjé, which is the Tibetan version of Ajita (Maitreya). This would then explain the significance of the opening salutation, where the author pays homage to his teacher Maitreya. He is probably the fourteenth-century Kadam/Sakya master Tsültrim Dar, who is sometimes referred to as the second Maitreya. The lineage of instruction presented here seems to be one steming from Atiśa through to Dromtönpa and their disciple Gönpawa Wangchuk Gyaltsen (1016– 82) and onward through Master Neusurpa (1042–1118).
According to Shönu Gyalchok, the next two short texts, Mind Training Removing Obstacles and Mahayana Mind Training Eliminating Future Adversities, actually constitute a single text. Interestingly, in the colophon of this second work, there is the short statement that the instructions contained here stem from Atiśa, but no further information of the subsequent line-age of its transmission is given. Although the instructions themselves are rooted in early sources, the texts seem to point toward Shönu Gyalchok himself as being the author.
The two short texts address the theme of how to deal with life’s inevitable ups and downs and transform adversities into opportunities for spiritual growth. The specific thought processes presented in these two texts, especially the latter, echo some of the key themes from Leveling Out All Conceptions. The key concern in this text appears to be to ensure how best to prevent future circumstances from undermining our practice, and more importantly, how best to prevent the arising of afflictions before they reach a potentially destructive level. Furthermore, unlike other mind training texts, here the practice of giving and taking, tonglen, which is the heart of mind training, is presented in the concluding section of the instruction as part of the benefits. This is done on the basis of a four-line stanza, the source of which I have so far failed to identify.