Hello,
And thank you for joining me for this practice.
Tonglen is a Tibetan word meaning giving and receiving.
This practice supports us in developing compassion for others through seeing our interconnectedness.
Oftentimes in the midst of crisis or intensity,
We're unsure of how to show up,
Both for ourselves and for others.
A barrier to our ability to show up and be of service is often the belief that we are somehow separate from others.
But by breathing in suffering and breathing out relief from suffering,
We can see our deep ability as humans to be in resonance with the experience and suffering of other beings.
So we'll begin by finding our posture.
You can sit on a cushion or a chair.
You can lie down.
Or if you have a need to stand or walk mindfully as you listen,
You can do that as well.
Whatever it is that supports you in being able to engage in this practice.
And we'll begin by being with the natural rhythm of our breathing.
Gently breathing in and breathing out.
Following the tide of breath with no need to change or control.
So we'll begin tonglen by flashing on open space.
And I invite you to feel into the experience of space in your body,
Heart,
And mind.
Allowing that spaciousness to be illuminated like a flash of lightning.
You can imagine that you are taking an internal stance of courage,
Presence,
And complete availability to meet whatever arises with an open and tender heart.
Noticing how your body makes subtle shifts in your posture to join this open and uplifted mental and emotional posture.
This is your Bodhi stance.
Now call to mind some aspect of suffering or intensity that you're experiencing in this moment.
Or which feels readily available to you.
It could be an experience of fear,
Overwhelm,
Rage,
Shame,
Desperation,
Or grief.
Whatever it is,
Call it to mind.
Call it to body.
Notice sensations that come along with this emotion.
Where do you experience this emotion in your body?
And now notice how constriction occurs.
The way that you contract around the sensations or intensity.
And now breathe into the constriction.
And breathing in,
Allowing it to really be there.
Breathing in the tightening,
The tensing,
As if you were gently gathering it all into the palms of your body.
And on the out-breath,
Breathe out relief,
Ease,
Breathe out softening.
As if the constriction could melt like a slab of cold butter in a warming pan.
Slowly,
Gently,
Nothing to resist,
Nothing to get away from.
Pure ease,
Softening into our Bodhi stance,
Our awakened hearts.
And again on the in-breath,
Gently gathering the pain,
The tension,
The intensity.
And on the out-breath,
Releasing into softness and space,
Like a clenched hand slowly opening.
Releasing constriction,
Releasing into space.
You can continue practicing with yourself.
Or if you feel ready and able,
You can begin to extend outward and begin to include others into our practice.
So we can begin by calling to mind those that you love.
Your dearest ones,
Friends and family members.
Knowing that they also feel these same emotions,
The same fear,
Pain,
Overwhelm or grief.
Can you contact it?
Can you open to it?
Can you feel your tender heart meeting theirs?
And noticing how we feel the constriction within ourselves.
Maybe because we connect with their suffering or maybe because we resist it.
And we simply breathe in the natural reactions of tensing and contracting around or away from.
And breathe out softening.
Breathe out a felt sense of relief,
Freedom from struggle,
Wide open space.
And then we widen our circle and extend our awareness to those who are in our larger social circles or communities.
Friends and acquaintances,
Coworkers or classmates.
Practicing in the same way.
Gathering in the physical sensations and tension.
And then on the out-breath releasing that into space and allowing our bodies to gently,
Slowly soften.
And as we feel ready,
Widening again into our larger communities,
Our town or city.
Full of people we both know and don't know,
But who suffer just like we suffer.
Breathing in constriction.
Breathing out ease and openness.
The absence of suffering.
And extending to our larger region.
Including all beings in that space.
Breathing in constriction.
Releasing into softness.
And if possible,
We extend our awareness and intention to all beings on this planet.
Gathering and releasing.
And finally,
We extend to all beings across time and space.
Beings who have and will suffer just like we do.
And feeling into our deep connection to all beings and our intention that all beings be free from suffering.
Selah Thank you for your practice.
