Welcome to this practice of Tonglen,
Or taking and giving.
This meditation will strengthen your courage to be with suffering and your willingness to help relieve that suffering.
Begin by finding a comfortable,
Upright position.
You can practice in any position that allows you to feel supported and at ease,
While also staying alert and awake.
I invite you to close your eyes or gently cast your gaze downward.
Now let's take a few deep breaths.
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale through your mouth,
Releasing the breath fully.
Take a few more breaths in this way.
Inhale through your nose,
And exhale through the mouth.
Now,
Inhale and exhale through your nose only.
Let your breath settle into its own natural pace.
Feel the relaxation in your forehead,
Your eyes,
Your jaw,
And the rest of your face.
Feel the relaxation and release of your neck,
Your shoulders,
And your abdomen.
Let the body and mind settle into this peaceful experience of breathing in and breathing out.
When you notice your mind wandering,
Gently bring it back to the breath.
We will be with the breath for around 3 minutes total.
Let the body and mind settle into its own natural pace.
Let the body and mind settle into its own natural pace.
If you notice your mind has wandered,
I invite you to gently bring your mind back to the breath.
When you bring your mind back to your breath,
Do so without judgment or criticism.
This coming and going is a normal human experience.
Let the body and mind settle into its own natural pace.
Let the body and mind settle into its own natural pace.
Now create in your mind a compassionate image that represents qualities of wisdom,
Strength,
Intelligence,
And care.
It could be the image of a wise person you deeply respect,
A religious figure,
Or a symbol that represents compassion.
It could be an image from nature,
Such as an expansive and deep blue ocean,
Or an ancient and firmly rooted tree reaching into the sky,
Or the sun which shines its light and warmth on all beings without discrimination.
Now imagine yourself in the presence of this source of compassion.
Imagine yourself as a recipient of its unconditional compassion.
Feel that in the presence of this compassionate image,
You can be completely yourself.
There is no judgment,
Only total acceptance.
Allow yourself to rest in the feeling of unconditional compassion and acceptance.
Imagine that as you stay in the presence of this compassionate image,
That it awakens within you your own source of strength,
Courage,
And compassion.
Now bring your awareness to your breathing.
Notice that the air is cool as it enters your nose and warm as it exits.
Notice the transformation as it occurs.
Cool air in,
Warm air out.
Now permeate the out-breath with your own compassion.
Imagine that each out-breath carries your hope that others find peace and joy.
The warm air out is your offering to the world.
Breathe the cool air in,
Let it fill you,
And then send the warm air out,
Carrying your own compassion and care with it.
Now bring awareness to the area around your physical heart.
Notice how this area gently expands or fills when you breathe in,
And how it relaxes when you breathe out.
For a few breaths,
Imagine you could inhale directly into the center of your chest,
Expanding the chest,
Lungs,
And heart.
Imagine you could exhale directly from the center of your chest,
Inhaling into the heart,
Inhaling out from the heart.
Now imagine that as you breathe out,
You extend a warm light or a cool breeze from the center of your heart.
This light or breeze carries all your thoughts and feelings of compassion.
Imagine this warmth or breeze as an offering of peace,
Comfort,
And courage to the world.
Invite the heart and mind to expand your compassion to include all beings everywhere,
And repeat these phrases in your own mind.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings be free from sorrow.
May all beings be free from fear.
May all beings be free from anger.
May all beings know peace and joy.
Now rest for a few moments in this state of open-hearted,
Open-minded compassion,
And welcome the peace and happiness this compassionate attitude brings to your body and mind.
Now bring to mind someone you care about.
Recognize that although this person wishes to be happy,
They also experience pain,
Stress,
And suffering,
And perhaps they are going through something difficult right now.
Let a feeling or attitude of compassion naturally unfold in your heart and mind,
And imagine saying directly to this person,
May you be free from suffering.
May you know your worth.
May you know peace and joy.
Now imagine that this person's suffering is a thick smog,
And as you breathe in,
Imagine that you help relieve their suffering by taking away or clearing the smog.
Imagine that this dissolves completely into the spaciousness and strength of your own heart.
You do not have to hold onto it,
Hold it in,
Or do anything to it.
Your own willingness to breathe it in automatically transforms the thick smog into fresh,
Clean air.
As you exhale,
Imagine your breath is clear.
With each breath out,
Send an offering of peace,
Joy,
And compassion to your friend or loved one.
Imagine that your out breath reaches your friend or loved one and brings them comfort,
Strength,
Peace,
And happiness.
Now stay with this visualization for a while.
You can visualize a light at your heart that represents all of the strength and compassion in you,
And imagine breathing directly into and out of your heart from the center of your chest.
Imagine the thick smog of suffering being drawn into this light at your heart and being cleared completely by this light.
And on your out breath,
Send out that bright healing light from your heart.
Send out an offering of peace,
Joy,
And compassion,
And imagine that this light reaches your friend or loved one and brings them comfort,
Strength,
Peace,
And happiness.
Now repeat these two visualizations of taking away suffering and offering peace,
Joy,
Strength,
And compassion.
Taking suffering and exhaling compassion.
We'll be doing this for just a couple of minutes.
We'll be doing this for a couple of minutes.
If you notice your mind has wandered,
Gently bring it back to the surface.
Take away suffering and offering peace,
Joy,
Strength,
And compassion.
Inhaling suffering and exhaling compassion.
Exhaling suffering Exhaling suffering Now expand your circle of concern and include everyone in the immediate vicinity.
Breathe in,
Taking away their suffering.
And breathe out,
Offering peace,
Joy,
And strength.
Breathe in and breathe out.
Now expand your circle of concern and include all beings and silently recite the following.
May all beings be free from suffering.
May all beings be free from fear and anger.
May all beings find peace and joy.
And as you breathe in,
As before,
Imagine taking away all their suffering,
Their fear,
And their confusion,
And their anger.
And as you breathe out,
Imagine offering all beings peace,
Joy,
Strength,
And compassion.
Now let go of this imagery.
As this session draws to a close,
Begin to wiggle your fingers and toes and at your own pace,
Gently allow your eyes to open.
Let your heart be touched by your own courage and compassion as you go about the rest of your day.
