This meditation is called the Tonglen meditation or the compassion meditation that is adapted from Dr.
Kelly McOniel from the C-CARE program.
It's a really,
Really beautiful and important program for learning about compassion.
I'll be sharing this meditation with you.
Allow yourself to find a comfortable seat,
Perhaps in a chair or on the ground.
Take a few deep breaths,
Inhaling in through your nose and exhaling out through the mouth.
Almost like a sigh of relief that we've made it to our meditation practice today.
Adjust the spine so that it's nice and upright,
Alert but effortless.
When you're ready,
If you're able to,
Allow the breath to come back to its natural pace as you settle the mind and settle the breath through gentle inhales and exhales through the nose.
Feel the relaxation in your forehead,
In your eyes,
In your jaw,
In your whole face.
Feel the relaxation and release your neck,
Your shoulders,
Your belly.
Let the body and the mind settle into this peaceful experience of breathing in and breathing out.
Anytime you find your mind wandering,
Just remember to come back to the breath.
Take a few moments here just to be with the breath mindfully coming into this meditation state.
Now,
When you're ready,
You may create in your own mind a compassionate image that represents the qualities of wisdom,
Strength,
Acceptance,
Love,
Nurturing,
Or caring.
It may be the image of a wise person that you deeply respect or a religious figure or even just a symbol of compassion.
It could be an image from nature,
Vast,
Deep ocean,
And a firmly rooted tree,
Or a sun which shines its light on all beings without preference or discrimination.
Take a few moments to choose an image and create it in your mind.
Imagine yourself in the presence of this source of compassion and imagine yourself as the recipient of this compassion.
Feel that in the presence of this compassionate image,
You can be completely yourself.
There is no judgment,
Only total acceptance.
Imagine that as you stay in the presence of this compassionate image,
It awakens your own source of wisdom,
Strength,
Acceptance,
Love,
Nurturing,
Or caring.
Now once again,
Bring your awareness back to your breathing.
Notice the air,
It is cool as it enters your nostrils and warm as it exits.
Notice this transformation as it occurs,
Cool air in,
Warm air out.
Now let's imbue the out-breath with your own compassion.
Imagine that each out-breath contains the hope that others will find peace and joy.
Warm air out is your offer into the world.
Keep the cool air in and send warm air out,
Sending your compassion with it.
Now bring awareness to the area around your physical heart.
You might even place a hand on it.
Notice how this area gently expands and fills as you breathe in and how it relaxes as you breathe out.
For a few breaths,
Imagine that you could inhale directly from the center of your chest.
As you exhale,
You breathe directly from the center of your chest,
Exhaling from the heart.
Now as you imagine that you breathe out,
You extend a warm light or a cool breeze from the center of your heart.
This light or breeze carries out all of your thoughts and feelings of compassion.
Imagine that this light or breeze of your out-breath is an offering of peace,
Comfort,
And courage to the world.
Invite your heart and mind to expand 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 a state of open-minded peace and happiness and welcome the openness that this peace and happiness brings into your body and your mind.
Now bring someone to mind that you deeply care about.
Recognize that although this person wants to be happy,
This person also experiences pain,
Stress,
And suffering.
Perhaps this person is going through something difficult right now.
Let a feeling or attitude of compassion naturally unfold in your mind and imagine saying directly to this person.
May you be free from suffering.
May you know peace and joy.
Now imagine that this person is suffering.
It's a dark black cloud.
Imagine that you can help relieve their suffering by breathing in some of that darkness.
See if you can find the willingness to do this.
And if so,
Imagine breathing in the dark cloud.
As you breathe it in,
Imagine that it dissolves completely into the spaciousness and the strength of your own heart.
As you breathe in the dark cloud,
You do not have to hold on to it,
Hold it in,
Or do anything to it.
Your own willingness to breathe it in automatically transforms the dark cloud into fresh,
Clear air.
And as you exhale,
Imagine your out-breath clear.
With each out-breath,
Send an offering of compassion to your friend or loved one,
Bringing him or her comfort for them,
Strength,
Courage,
Peace,
And happiness.
Stay with this visualization of breathing in the dark cloud and breathing out compassion.
Stay with this for a little while.
And if you like,
You can imagine a white light at your heart that represents all of the strength and compassion in you.
You can breathe directly into and out of your heart and right into the center of your chest.
The cloud of suffering is drawn into the center of your heart and it is completely extinguished by the light.
And on your out-breath,
You can send out that bright light from your heart,
Sending your peace,
Joy,
And compassion,
Imagining that this light can reach your loved one and send them comfort,
Strength,
Peace,
And happiness.
Now allow yourself to let go of this imagery and simply rest your awareness back to the breath.
As the meditation comes to a close,
Allow your heart to be touched by your own courage and compassion.
Allow the ceiling to resonate through your entire being.
When you feel ready to come out of this meditation,
Feel free to open the fingers,
Slowly blink open the eyes,
Bring a gentle smile to your face,
And be gentle with yourself as you go on throughout the rest of your day.
Thank you for joining in today's compassion meditation.
Take care.
