The Tibetan Mind Training (Blo sbyong): An Ancient Exercitium for our Contemporary Era

The corpus of texts and practices of Lojong (blo sbyong) shows a few distinctive characteristics that make it of great interest today, not only in the framework of Buddhist teachings but also in a secular context interested in psychophysical well-being and the development of human potential. In this paper, after a brief examination of the peculiarities of Lojong, I analyse the ways and forms in which it has made its way into our contemporary societies, thanks to a few teachers and scholars engaged in its transmission, as well as contemplative programmes aimed at the development of compassion and other inner qualities. Besides that, I glimpsed at the potential of Lojong’s entry into the new academic framework of Contemplative Studies, a promising field where mind-training practices could be critically explored while also being subjectively experienced. Highlighting the importance of in-depth knowledge of mind-training tradition to broaden current research in areas such as compassion and emotional balance, I explore the crucial link between suffering and compassion and outline some directions to further explore those human qualities and promote deeper well-being, both of the individuals and the society. Moreover, I point out the difficulties and challenges that today’s Lojong practice must face in the context of the current psychologising trend in our societies. I show how, although Lojong differs from its Indian prodromes precisely because of its decisive turn towards the more psychological and concrete dimension of daily life, the ongoing psychologising tendency is excessively intense and ends up jeopardising the very dynamics of inner practice. Finally, by letting the need for a contemplative exercitium for the current era emerge, I conclude my paper by suggesting that future research should check the ‘immunological’ efficacy of the modern forms of Lojong as a potentially crucial anthropotechnic tool for protecting the homo repetitivus of the future from the upcoming individual, collective, and ecological threats.