Tonglen is a Tibetan Buddhist technique that means, ‘giving and taking,’ or ‘sending and receiving.’ What is ‘received’ is suffering, and what gets sent out is compassion. Anyone can do it, any time.
To practice Tonglen, begin by sitting in a comfortable, meditative posture. Settle in, and take a few deep breaths. When you’re ready - when the mind has settled and concentration is possible - breathe in the suffering of the world. You can start with the pain of someone in your immediate life, or even a personal struggle. As you breathe in, feel the suffering in its entirety: the challenging emotions, the fear, and the pain. Without resistance, let all of it into your heart, accepting the pain for what it is. This cultivates great courage.
On the exhalation, breathe out love and compassion to all beings. Using the breath, send out the relief others or ourselves are in need of. In this way, we transform suffering into compassion.
At first, we start practicing Tonglen with living beings close to us in our own lives, or even with our own emotions. With time, the practice grows to encompass everything: the entire universe and all living beings. Tonglen may begin as a formal practice, yet it evolves into an inclusive way of living, an automatic technique that transforms suffering into compassion.
To practice Tonglen, begin by sitting in a comfortable, meditative posture. Settle in, and take a few deep breaths. When you’re ready - when the mind has settled and concentration is possible - breathe in the suffering of the world. You can start with the pain of someone in your immediate life, or even a personal struggle. As you breathe in, feel the suffering in its entirety: the challenging emotions, the fear, and the pain. Without resistance, let all of it into your heart, accepting the pain for what it is. This cultivates great courage.
On the exhalation, breathe out love and compassion to all beings. Using the breath, send out the relief others or ourselves are in need of. In this way, we transform suffering into compassion.
At first, we start practicing Tonglen with living beings close to us in our own lives, or even with our own emotions. With time, the practice grows to encompass everything: the entire universe and all living beings. Tonglen may begin as a formal practice, yet it evolves into an inclusive way of living, an automatic technique that transforms suffering into compassion.