Tonglen For Coronavirus Outbreak: Transforming Fear & Impermanence To Compassion

Today, we look briefly at Tonglen, a Tibetan Buddhist practice that revolves around giving and taking.

Celia found this to be a powerful meditation to transform fear into compassion and healing, whilst acknowledging the impermanence of all things in this time of the coronavirus pandemic. This practice is powerful and may be difficult for some. It was often, in previous times, considered wise to be kept as a secret practice. It is presented in a gentle and accommodating way.

Transcript

Welcome,

My name is Celia Roberts and I'm the founder of the Biomedical Institute of Yoga and Meditation,

BioMe.

Today I'm sitting here in the greenery surrounded by the beautiful hills of upper Brookfield,

Brisbane at our yoga studio.

We're amidst a global crisis,

Coronavirus,

To our health,

Our wellbeing and our economy.

And everything that feels stable to us right now is slowly disappearing.

We very much face one of the first primary Buddhist insights,

The nature of impermanence.

And so as everything starts to crumble around us,

We can start to meditate and perhaps feel that impermanence in our bodies,

Our minds and our hearts in a different way.

So we know that our breath is always different and always changing and our body is always different and always changing.

And in deep states of meditation,

We realise that impermanence is a reality.

Once we've realised this first stage of insight impermanence,

This can often take us into higher states or stages of realisation,

Insight and meditation.

Today we're going to focus on Tonglin,

Which is a Tibetan Buddhist meditation.

It will give you some sense of control in terms of working with what is difficult and trying to transform it.

So it can be very helpful.

However,

It is a very difficult practice and it also has been kept secretive in previous times because of its difficulty,

Because it asks us to really deal and work with fear.

So we breathe in tension,

Tightness,

Suffering and darkness from our body into our heart space and we transform it and send out compassion,

Light and loving kindness.

Now this meditation is the meditation of giving and taking or taking and giving.

And so we start to work with this with other people.

So we breathe in the suffering of the world to our body and we breathe out light.

Now this is different from other traditions because usually we just try and breathe in positivity,

Light and use this as a healing modality.

However,

We're actually starting to breathe in and transform suffering.

And as Thich Nhat Hanh would say,

No mud,

No lotus.

So this is our time.

This is our time to try and transform suffering,

To realize that everything is impermanent.

And in that impermanence,

We have the ability to take on people's pain,

Our own pain and transform it in heart and mind.

Let us begin.

So sit really deeply in your belly and feel your belly breath.

If you can,

Let the body and the belly become lovely and soft.

So you might be lying or seated,

Whichever you choose to practice.

Let the body and belly become very soft.

And observe any tension,

Tightness,

Darkness,

Angst,

Panic or fear in your own body.

Perhaps this sits in the belly,

Perhaps it sits in the heart,

Perhaps it sits in the mind,

Perhaps it's in the face or the limbs or the back body.

Wherever you feel this tension,

Tightness,

Resistance,

See if you can observe this and then very gently begin to breathe it into your heart space.

Here in the heart,

It's often we visualize a dark pearl and we use this dark pearl to transform this dark energy.

And then as we breathe out,

We send light,

Loving kindness,

Compassion.

Now if you choose not to use the dark pearl as a visualization,

I would just kinesthetically feel into the heart space and try and breathe out a sense of ease and compassion.

So again,

Breathing any tension,

Darkness,

Tightness from your body,

Emotional pain into the heart space and breathing out a sense of peace,

Ease,

Compassion,

Healing back to this space in your body.

Continue breathing any tension,

Darkness,

Tightness into your heart space and breathing out any healing,

Light,

Compassion.

Now this can be used to heal certain conditions such as a burn on the hand and people who come into contact with a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner who can do tonglin well will actually feel that absorption of energy or that sense of calm.

This was taught to me by a neuroscience lecturer,

Professor Jack Pettigrew at the University of Queensland in 2003.

Since then,

I've well researched it.

Friends in Palmo and many other Tibetan Buddhist practitioners will shed more light on the topic.

We now start to increase our awareness to bring the suffering of others around us into light.

So if you can,

Choose someone in your very immediate family or close friendships who is suffering deeply right now.

If you can,

See if you can absorb their suffering,

Their tension,

Their tightness into your heart space.

And on the out-breath and like an almost an air conditioner is what Tenzin Palmo refers you to be like when you practice.

You send light,

Loving kindness and a deep sense of peace.

Again visualize this person,

See where they're suffering in their body,

Their mind or heart.

Breathe this into your heart space and breathe out a sense of healing,

Compassion and kindness.

For your own health,

See if you can keep the breath primarily through the nostrils,

Filtering the air through the nostrils.

Again this time we're going to focus on this person and see if you can breathe in their tension,

Their tightness,

Their resistance,

Their fear into your own heart.

Transform it.

Transform it.

See to transform and send out light,

Loving kindness and awareness.

This time we're going to expand our awareness and so the idea is that we take on the suffering of the world.

We breathe this into our heart space,

We transform it and we send out light,

Loving kindness.

So at the moment as we all come to realize the nature of impermanence there's a lot of fear,

Grief and loss and this might continue for some time.

Many people are unwell and we want to see if we can take on the suffering of the world into the heart space and breathe out light and loving kindness and healing to the world at large and the beings and all the people who are affected by this at this time.

Again if the practice now feels too difficult you can either turn off or just focus on yourself.

In fact focusing on yourself can be the easiest thing.

You could even negate breathing in the darkness or the suffering and just focus on breathing out light and loving kindness.

If you're ready to practice visualize the suffering,

The heartache,

The grief and loss,

The ill health,

The impermanence of all things in the world right now that people are facing.

Breathe this into your heart space and breathe out a sense of calm,

Peace,

Understanding and healing.

Again taking the suffering of the world and the people within it into your heart space.

See if you can transform this feeling of suffering into calm,

Peace and healing.

And again breathing all the darkness,

The tension,

The tightness,

The suffering of humanity,

The sickness,

The ill health.

Breathing this into your heart space and then from all corners of the heart front,

Back and sides breathe out light,

Loving kindness,

Understanding and healing.

And the gift of impermanence will begin to shine.

No mud,

No lotus.

No mud,

No lotus.

No mud,

No lotus.

Just observing the impermanence in your own form.

Life different every time.

Body changing on a cellular level,

Moment to moment.

Nervous system calm and then perhaps not so calm and then calm again.

This too shall pass.

When we see that everything is impermanent as the whole world is experiencing in every single way right now,

We begin to be less attached.

And this as we detach slightly will help us overcome our loss,

Our grief,

Our sorrow and our suffering.

So if you can stay with the breath that's always changing.

Sit in the body that is always,

Always changing right down to the level of our DNA.

And when we feel fearful or panic or angst,

Breathe this into your heart space and know that with a strong mind you have the power to transform it.

To compassion,

Healing and insight.

May you be well,

May you be healthy,

May you be filled with deep compassion and may you be at peace.

May you be free from fears,

Worries,

Dangers and anxieties.

May you be happy,

May you be healthy,

May you realise impermanence,

May you be held in deep compassion and may you be at peace.

Thank you.

Take care.

Reviews

This is a masterpiece…I am in awe that this recording exists. I have been listening to it just about every night as I practice Tonglen for myself and for all the longhaulers suffering in the world.

My whole body relaxed. I love the image of a dark pearl. Namaste for your calming voice, your transforming wisdom

This was one of the most difficult meditations I have ever done. Felt as if I were being asked to close my eyes and walk backwards. I plan on exploring this further as I had a deep visceral response. I felt my breath becoming more shallow and a feeling of nausea as I was bringing in suffering. I had to open to allow my heart center to take it in. This is a powerful teaching; the importance of acceptance of impermanence. Many thanks.

Beautiful 🧘🏻‍♀️! I would love to be able to memorize the final mantra “May you be ...,” it is very powerful

Wonderful. Thank you🙏🏽

This practice helped me to crystallize the idea and the process of loving-kindness.
Thank You for the much needed wisdom and guidance. Namaste.

Powerful practice. Beautifully led, thank you.

Beautiful. Excellent. Will return to this frequently. Thank you. Namaste.

Beautiful. Thank you Celia.

I loved this! It made me feel like I could actually do something actively to ease the suffering. Thank you so much. Namaste 🙏

This is an amazing practice. I was actually able to use it to heal myself, as taking in the whole world was more than I could do, right now.

So healing!! All my gratitude for sharing this practice. 🙏

I felt this was more an introduction and beginning training to this powerful type of meditation and that all the words were necessary to the teaching. Thank you. I feel I might be able to help during this after all.

Beautiful! Just the connection I needed during Week 5 of shelter in place. Thank you!

Very valuable and timely. Something everyone can do to contribute to world healing.

Hit the spot. Thanks

The gift of impermanence- beautiful 🙏

So grateful to have found your teachings again Celia!🙏

Wonderful guide for transmuting energy!

Hi, The way you are explaining tonglen and guiding us through this practice is really clear and helpful. There is one word, I can't understand though. How do you spell this: '...breathing in the black p...?'. Thanks for your answer and be safe too. MC