Page 26 - 10-18-Issue

DON’T FUEL IT, COOL IT

HOW TO PRACTICE

TONGLEN
Photo by Liza Matthews Pema Chödrön teaches us “sending and taking,” an ancient Buddhist

practice to awaken compassion. With each in-breath, we take in
others’ pain. With each out-breath, we send them relief.
With her powerful teachings, bestselling books, and retreats attended by thousands, Pema Chödrön is today’s most popular American-born
teacher of Buddhism. In The Wisdom of No Escape, The Places that Scare You, and other important books, she has helped us discover how dif-
ficulty and uncertainty can be opportunities for awakening. She serves as resident teacher at Gampo Abbey Monastery in Nova Scotia and is a
student of Dzigar Kongtrul, Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, and the late Chögyam Trungpa. For more, visit pemachodronfoundation.org.

Tonglen awakens our compas- WHEN YOU DO TONGLEN AS A FORMAL MEDITATION
sion and introduces us to a big- PRACTICE, IT HAS FOUR STAGES:
ger view of reality.
1. Flash on Bodhichitta
It introduces us to the unlimited spa- Rest your mind for a second or two in a state of openness or stillness. This stage
ciousness of shunyata (emptiness). By is traditionally called flashing on absolute bodhichitta, awakened heart-mind, or
doing the practice, we begin to connect opening to basic spaciousness and clarity.
with the open dimension of our being.
Tonglen can be done for those who are 2. Begin the Visualization
ill, those who are dying or have died, or Work with texture. Breathe in feelings of heat, darkness, and heaviness—a sense
those who are in pain of any kind. of claustrophobia—and breathe out feelings of coolness, brightness, and light—a
sense of freshness. Breathe in completely, taking in negative energy through all
It can be done as a formal meditation the pores of your body. When you breathe out, radiate positive energy complete-
practice or right on the spot at any time. ly, through all the pores of your body. Do this until your visualization is synchro-
If we are out walking and we see some- nized with your in- and out-breaths.
one in pain, we can breathe in that per-
son’s pain and send out relief to them. 3. Focus on a Personal Situation
Focus on any painful situation that’s real to you. Traditionally you begin by doing
Breathe in for all of us and breathe tonglen for someone you care about and wish to help. However, if you are stuck,
out for all of us. Use what seems like you can do the practice for the pain you are feeling yourself, and simultaneously
poison as medicine. Usually, we look for all those who feel the same kind of suffering. For instance, if you are feeling
away when we see someone suffering. inadequate, breathe that in for yourself and all the others in the same boat and
Their pain brings up our fear or anger; it send out confidence, adequacy, and relief in any form you wish.
brings up our resistance and confusion. So
we can also do tonglen for all the people 4. Expand Your Compassion
just like ourselves—all those who wish to Finally, make the taking in and sending out bigger. If you are doing tonglen for
be compassionate but instead are afraid, someone you love, extend it out to all those who are in the same situation. If you
who wish to be brave but instead are are doing tonglen for someone you see on television or on the street, do it for all
cowardly. Rather than beating ourselves the others in the same boat. Make it bigger than just that one person. You can do
up, we can use our personal stuckness tonglen for people you consider to be your enemies—those who hurt you or hurt
as a stepping stone to understanding others. Do tonglen for them, thinking of them as having the same confusion and
what people are up against all over the stuckness as your friend or yourself. Breathe in their pain and send them relief.
world.
Tonglen can extend infinitely. As you do the practice, your compassion
Breathe in for all of us and naturally expands over time, and so does your realization that things are
breathe out for all of us. Use not as solid as you thought, which is a glimpse of emptiness. As you do
what seems like poison as this practice, gradually at your own pace, you will be surprised to find
medicine. We can use our per- yourself more and more able to be there for others, even in what used to
sonal suffering as the path to seem like impossible situations.
compassion for all beings.

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