Training the Mind

The third principle for living a good life outlined by the Dalai Lama is tame the mind, but perhaps train the mind is a good way to think of it. A recent reading shed new understanding on addictions. The thought is that addictions train the brain. Addictive substances and activities engage the pleasure center of the brain; thus training the brain to want more of the substance or activity, to have more pleasure. If our brains can be trained thusly by a substance or activity, surely we can do the same to train our brains to have thoughts that are supportive of us and others.