How to Understand the Mind: The Nature and Power of the Mind [Paperback]

This book offers us deep insight into our mind, and shows how an understanding of its nature and functions can be used practically in everyday experience to improve our lives.
Part 1is a practical guide to developing and maintaining a light, positive mind - showing how to recognize and abandon states of mind that harm us, and to replace them with peaceful and beneficial ones.
Part 2describes different types of mind in detail, revealing the depth and profundity of the Buddhist understanding of the mind. It concludes with a detailed explanation of meditation, showing how by controlling and transforming our mind we can attain a lasting state of joy, independent of external conditions.

This book offers us deep insight into our mind, and shows how an understanding of its nature and functions can be used practically in everyday experience to improve our lives.

• Introduction
• What is Our Mind?
• How the Mind is Able to Move
• The Gross, Subtle and Very Subtle Minds
• Primary Minds and Mental Factors
• The Five All-accompanying Mental Factors
• The Eleven Virtuous Mental Factors
• Virtue, Non-virtue and Delusion
• The Six Root Delusions
• The Twenty Secondary Delusions
• The Four Changeable Mental Factors


• Part Two:
• Conceptual and Non-Conceptual Minds
• Sense and Mental Awarenesses
• Direct Perceivers
• Subsequent Cognizers
• Re-cognizers
• Correct Beliefs
• Non-ascertaining Perceivers
• Non-deluded Doubts
• Wrong Awarenesses
• Valid and Non-valid Cognizers
• Meditation
• Meditation of a person of initial scope
• Meditation of a person of intermediate scope
• Meditation of a person of great scope
• Conclusion
• Dedication


• Appendix I - The Condensed Meaning of the Text
• Appendix II - Sadhanas