Tonglen Practice With John P. Milton

*Please note: this is a live recording, and features the sound of heavy rain in parts.* In this practice, Rick's teacher, John P. Milton, a renowned ecologist, spiritual teacher, meditation master, vision quest leader and shaman, guides you through a Tonglen practice to expand your compassion and loving kindness to others by reducing your own painful attachments. As an ecologist, John P. Milton helped found the environmental movement in the 1960's and was one of the first staff ecologists at the White House during the Nixon Administration. Through his spiritual pull to learn more and facilitated by his global travel for the WWF, John dived into spiritual traditions of Daoism, Tibetan Buddhism, Tantra, Vedantic Hinduism and Shamanism. His work and practices led him to sacred places across the world, studying extensively with renowned spiritual masters and practitioners, including Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche and His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Transcript

Hello dear friends.

Tonglin,

Also known as sending and receiving,

Is an ancient practice that truly has sublime benefits.

Among them,

Reducing painful attachments,

Reducing dependencies,

Inner alchemy and purification,

Developing loving kindness and compassion,

Altruism,

Generosity,

And kindness.

Generosity,

Concentration,

Wisdom,

And I think,

Very importantly,

An ability to discharge the painful emotions associated with helping others and really general suffering our own and that of all sentient beings.

This meditation will be led by master teacher John P.

Milton.

I introduced John through Insight Timer and our Presence podcast,

And I want to share just a few words about him now.

John was one of the first ecologists assigned to the White House during the Nixon administration.

He was also one of the early pioneers of the environmental movement.

And beyond being a preeminent scientist,

John is a profound spiritual teacher who studied under Dilgo Kinse Rinpoche,

His Holiness the Dalai Lama,

Alan Watts,

And many others over his almost 60 year career.

I'm so honored to call John my teacher,

And I'm thrilled to share his meditation on Tong Lin with you now.

The Tong Lin practice,

Which is a wonderful way to bring healing energy through your prayers and your meditations,

Is a practice that starts out with something very similar to sitting meditation.

So I'd like you to do this by first getting yourself comfortable into a sitting meditation.

And for those of you that have mastered some of the standing meditation exercises that we shared earlier,

If you wish,

You can do this in standing meditation as well.

After you've become more skillful,

You can do this also in the lying down meditation posture we began in the very early part of our sessions with.

But I wouldn't use that right off the top because there is a tendency to fall asleep with that practice.

So better sitting or standing meditation.

So make yourself very comfortable and at ease.

Make sure that you're sitting with your spine erect.

Legs can be crossed or you can be in the Taoist chair posture.

If you're in a chair,

Then make sure that you're sitting with your back away from the back of the chair,

Sitting about halfway up forward in the chair.

So that you are supported by the natural erectness of the spine lifting off from the pelvis.

Feel that connection with the earth down through the soles of the feet.

Relax the shoulders,

Relax the arms.

The feet should be hanging straight down off the knees or if you're in a cross legged posture,

Of course,

They should be in a comfortable cross legged posture.

No strain.

Head centered well over the shoulders.

A general sense of alertness and ease of lifting from the crown of the head and sinking down into the pelvis.

Connection with the earth through either the legs and butt or through the feet,

Depending on whether you're in a chair posture or in a cross legged posture.

Hands just naturally relaxed.

I often recommend actually having the hands relaxed on the thighs with the palms up facing towards the sky in a kind of open posture,

A posture of openness and receptivity.

Eyes open,

Looking out at about a 45 degree angle down,

Relaxed and soft.

Jaw muscles relaxed and open,

Facial muscles relaxed,

Breathing deeply down into the abdomen.

The breath should be deep,

Soft,

Smooth,

Fine,

Even and slow.

And from that posture and attitude,

First let the mind just very naturally move into the dantien,

Rest in the dantien for a few seconds or maybe a minute or two.

Just let the mind very naturally rest in that lower energy center of the body.

And by doing that,

Of course,

The vital energy will naturally begin to gather in the natural center of the body.

Once you feel that natural centering has occurred,

You can very gently move your awareness now mostly to the air,

Very,

Very gently moving in and out of the nostrils.

In particular,

Pay attention to the out-breath.

You feel the air moving in through the nostrils,

Through the gates of both nostrils.

And then feeling the breath dissolve out into all of nature on the out-breath.

Feeling the air coming in from all of the trees,

The gift of oxygen from all the trees and the plants,

Coming in through the nostrils,

Offering back your gift of carbon dioxide from within,

Being breathed out through the nostrils,

Being received by all the plant people.

It's a wonderful gift of carbon dioxide,

Which they can use as food.

Just very naturally letting the breath come in and out,

In and out.

Very naturally breathing in outer nature,

All the gifts of outer nature,

Breathing out your gift back to nature,

In and out.

As you go deeper and deeper into this spontaneous flowing exchange with the wild,

Very,

Very slowly I'd like you to shift your awareness into the next stage of the Tung Min practice.

At this point,

I'd like you to shift the focus to the clear,

Pure awareness that underlies the breathing.

Shift your awareness to the witness aspect of your being.

That part of your being that's simply witnessing everything that's going on.

The breath,

The sensations,

The emotions,

The thoughts,

The breath.

Just simply resting as a witness to all of that.

Just the simple,

Pure awareness,

Witnessing everything happening.

All the forms arising,

Manifesting and dissolving.

Just resting in the pure witness state.

As you do that,

Recognize that the witness state is at the very heart of the heart of unconditional love.

That the pure heart of unconditional love is the pure witness.

The pure witness and pure source are really one and the same.

You can get a sense of breathing into the pure,

Formless,

Source witness aspect of yourself,

Which is also the pure heart of yourself.

It's the source through which all the unconditional love radiates.

That unconditional love is naturally radiating through the space of the vast,

Pure source awareness of the heart of your being.

So make a very gentle connection with that pure,

Free,

Clear,

Very fresh,

Clear awareness aspect of yourself.

And feel the natural radiance of the heart radiating through the space of that clarity.

That's the natural radiance of your unconditional love.

The natural radiance of your loving kindness and compassion in its purest form.

Having done that,

Start breathing in feelings of all those aspects in the outer world,

Particularly in the area surrounding you,

The atmosphere surrounding you.

Anything that you feel to be dark and heavy and thick.

Feel like you're breathing in all that dark,

Heavy,

Thick atmosphere.

You're breathing in into your unconditionally loving heart,

Into that free,

Vast,

Spacious,

Pure heart,

Which is capable of transforming anything,

Any negativity.

Feel it being breathed into that unconditional loving heart through all the pores of the body.

And as you breathe out,

Feel yourself breathing out this beautiful light,

Free,

Fresh,

Clear energy and beingness.

Feel yourself breathing out that very fresh,

Clear,

Free loving kindness.

It's almost as if you're a human air conditioner.

As you breathe in all that hot,

Dark and heavy,

At the same time it's being transformed,

Transmuted within,

And you're breathing out this very,

Very light,

Very fresh and free energy,

Love,

Kindness.

It happens very naturally.

You don't have to effort it because the inner quality of the heart is one of that same clear,

Fresh,

Free and liberated energy.

That natural loving kindness,

That natural pure compassion,

Which is at the very essence of yourself.

It's the quality of your natural energy itself.

So it's no problem to breathe in the dark,

Hot,

Heavy,

Thick.

When you feel complete with that and you feel that you're breathing and that process is all very synchronized and happening in a nice,

Naturally spontaneous way.

Now I'd like you to connect a little more deeply with those parts of yourselves that are having some difficulties.

I'd like you to connect with an aspect of yourself that normally you might be feeling pain or suffering around.

Maybe it's a part of you that's going through some particular difficulty or an emotional part of yourself that's in some contraction,

Going through some kind of anxiety,

Some kind of difficulty.

It might be even something from your past,

A specific kind of emotional circumstance or situation.

If you wish,

It can also be for somebody you're very close to,

A friend or someone you feel very,

Very close to,

A member of your family,

A close friend,

A lover.

But somebody that you feel a deep connection with that you know is going through something difficult.

You can also do it for that person too if you know a specific thing that they're having to go through that's a very difficult circumstance.

Feel into that quality with that very,

Very tender part of yourself,

That very tender,

Compassionate,

Loving part of yourself.

And as you feel into that very tender aspect of yourself,

Just be very gentle.

Just feel into it softly.

It's okay if it feels painful and it's okay if it feels a little hurtful or if there's some anxiety there.

And just come into it with that aspect of yourself that is able to witness it,

Is able to say,

Yes,

Yes,

I can be with this.

I can witness this.

I can be there to feel this.

And feel into that very specific aspect of yourself.

Don't try to take it all on.

Just one aspect in suffering that's having difficulty.

Or for that other person that you're very close to.

And feel into it in a way that allows you to really connect with it.

And as you connect,

Then begin to breathe that aspect of suffering into your unconditionally loving heart,

Into the source heart.

Just very softly and gently start breathing in that suffering into that unconditionally loving source essence of yourself.

Feel it naturally transform into free energy,

Liberated energy.

And then breathe out that beautiful,

Free,

Clear,

Liberated essence that totally transforms,

Brings happiness and liberation to that aspect of suffering.

In yourself or in your friend or your loved one.

But do this from a real deep connectionness with the real source of suffering,

The real aspect of suffering in them or in yourself.

Sense it.

Be very tender with yourself.

Be very honest.

Feel into it truthfully.

And very gently breathe it into that unconditionally loving source.

Feel it transform into free energy.

And the quality of free energy is total bliss and clarity in space.

And breathe that liberated quality back out,

That happiness,

That liberation,

That complete resolution,

Breathe it out.

And feel that aspect of suffering being totally transformed,

Totally transmuted.

Do this until you feel quite complete with that transformation.

And now I'd like you to shift the practice a little bit.

For just a few moments,

Do this for all the other human beings that are going through that same specific difficulty.

Don't try to take everything on.

Just work with that very specific same situation,

That same emotional quality of suffering.

For just a minute or two,

Breathe that in for all the human beings on this planet.

Breathe it into yourself.

Your heart is absolutely without conditions.

At the deepest level,

It's able to receive any kind of suffering.

It will be naturally transformed and transmuted in the heart of hearts within.

Within the vastness and spaciousness and clarity of essence,

Nothing can stick.

Nothing can harm.

Nothing can hurt you.

All forms of suffering transform.

All forms of suffering are completely transmuted into free energy,

Blissful energy.

Feel that free,

Liberated blissful energy radiating out to all those human beings going through that type of suffering for the whole planet.

Go deeper and deeper into this until you feel actual resolution for all those beings.

Until you feel that there's actually been transformation for them too,

And resolution.

Do this until you feel complete.

And when you do,

I'd like you to extend your compassion now to all the other beings that you share this planet with.

The plants,

The trees,

The animals,

The stones,

The mountains,

The rivers.

Also extend it to those places in nature and in the wild where you feel a strong connection.

But in particular,

I'd like you to extend this compassion to those beings of nature where this same emotional quality or the same kind of suffering exists.

Because all the other beings of nature,

The plants,

The animals,

All these other beings of nature,

All your relatives,

Also experience emotions,

Also experience suffering,

Also experience difficulty,

Particularly in these times when their life and their circumstances are being depleted by humans.

So extend your love and appreciation to them and feel into their suffering,

Particularly the same kind of suffering that you just felt into for all human beings.

Try to connect with that same quality in the plants and the animals.

It may be a surprise to you that many other kinds of beings experience the same kinds of emotions and difficult feelings that you do,

But they do.

So radiate your compassion out to them and feel into the same specific kind of suffering that you felt before for yourself and for other humans.

And breathe into yourself that unique quality of suffering that as you find it in all the plants and animals and all the beings that you find in the wild,

Breathe all of that suffering that you very tenderly contact in the wild,

All the difficulties and all the difficult circumstances.

Feel into that and breathe it into that unconditionally loving heart within yourself.

Feel it transform.

And in the out-breath,

Feel it radiating out through all your pores and all your cells,

Radiating out,

Bringing healing,

Transformation,

Liberation and bliss to all the beings of nature.

Feel that quality completely resolved.

And now I'd like you to feel into all forms of suffering for both humans and all species here on planet Earth.

Feel into the immense body of suffering that all plants and animals and other humans are going through,

That mountains and rivers with the pollution and the deforestation that are going through.

Feel into the wars and all the suffering around the wars around the planet and the suffering it's causing for both humans and all the other beings of nature.

So basically you're feeling into every conceivable kind of suffering here within the body of Mother Earth,

Within the body of Gaia.

Very,

Very tenderly feeling into it.

Feeling yourself move deeper and deeper and deeper into that suffering,

Connecting with it,

Contacting it,

Embracing it.

And as you do so,

Then you breathe it into yourself.

You breathe it in through all the cells and filaments of your being.

You breathe it in through all the pores.

You breathe it into that absolutely pure source aspect of your absolutely pure,

Unconditionally loving heart.

That heart that is at the heart of pure spaciousness,

Clarity,

Luminosity,

And bliss.

Feel all this suffering pouring into that absolutely stainless heart of yourself,

Filled with compassionate,

Blissful energy.

And being transformed as you breathe it in,

Being transformed into free and open,

Fresh and spacious energy.

And on the out-breath,

Feel it radiating out through all your pores,

Through all your meridians,

All your chakras,

From your unconditionally loving and compassionate heart.

Feel it radiating out.

Feel it radiating out to all forms and all beings in the wild,

To all humans.

Feel it radiating out to the entire body of Mother Earth,

To all of Gaia,

The great goddess of Mother Earth,

Gaia.

Feel it radiating out until the entire Earth itself is healed and transformed.

All the sufferings,

All the pain,

All the illness,

All the sickness,

All the destruction,

All the warfare,

All the calamity,

All the suffering,

Is totally transformed,

Liberated,

Healed,

Brought great happiness and joy,

Even bliss.

Continue breathing in and out in this way,

Until you feel completely resolved that the entire body of Mother Earth and Gaia,

The whole body of the wild and the wilderness,

Is completely healed and transformed of all the devastation that's affected it,

Until all the humans and all the human suffering has been completely healed and transformed.

Feel Mother Earth and all human beings in a state of harmony,

Natural integration,

Freedom.

And now complete the practice by extending out to the entire cosmos,

Feeling out to wherever suffering and difficulty may exist within the entire cosmos.

Connect with it very tenderly.

Feel the tendrils of compassion radiating out like billions of small hands,

Very sensitively touching wherever that suffering exists in the cosmos and the universe.

Breathe it into that unconditionally loving,

Compassionate heart.

Feel it transform.

And on the out-breath,

Feel it naturally radiating out,

Bringing healing and transformation,

Liberation and bliss.

Continue with this again until you feel complete and fully resolved,

Until you feel that the practice itself has been able to bring some resolution,

Some completion and the elimination of suffering and pain throughout the cosmos.

Pain of all sorts,

Suffering of all kinds.

All of this is nothing within the free and clear spaciousness of formless essence itself.

And the free blissful energy that radiates through the formless essence is capable of transforming any suffering,

Any pain,

Or all pain and all suffering.

So continue with this practice on the in-breath and the out-breath until you feel completely full and complete and resolved.

So now very gently,

Very,

Very gently,

Bring your awareness back to pure source.

You're now complete with the Tonglin,

Fully resolved.

All this suffering has been relieved.

Bring your mind back just to the state of pure source itself.

Rest in the pure witness.

Rest in pure awareness,

Pure formless awareness within.

Simply let awareness rest within awareness itself.

Delight in the feeling of the oxygen from all the trees flowing in through the nostrils and joining with your essence within,

The essence of the body.

Feel the free energy of all the plants flowing into you,

Merging with your own energy and vitality.

Feel in the out-breath your own gift of carbon dioxide flowing back out into all of nature as a gift and being received,

Along with your love and appreciation.

And feel again with each in-breath and out-breath this very natural exchange of love and appreciation for each other.

And just simply rest in that natural breathing,

Arising out of essence,

Out of source,

Until you feel complete.

And then just gently shift the awareness down into the Dantien again for a minute or so.

Enjoy the feeling of fullness in the Dantien,

Of natural center.

Feel the clarity and lightness of the whole body,

The fullness and steadiness of the center.

Feel a connection with Mother Earth down through your feet and body.

Feel the wonderful connection of Spirit with the sky above and the earth below.

And very gently bring yourself out of this practice.

If you've had your eyes closed,

You can open them and begin to move about a little bit.

If you've been in standing meditation,

You can walk very quietly and gently.

And carry some of the feeling of this wonderful,

Compassionate relationship with all of life as you go about the rest of your day.

It can really help to transform your relationship with all your relations,

Human and otherwise,

All the plants and animals as well.

And bring them a lot of relief from some of the difficulties they're going through.

And as you move through the day,

Allow the natural radiance of the heart to softly and gently radiate into all the relationships that unfold as you flow through the day.

Allow that beautiful,

Gentle radiance to touch every friend,

Every associate at work,

Everyone you meet,

Everyone at home,

Your friends,

Your lovers,

Your enemies.

In particular,

It's good to touch your enemies with this loving kindness.

And flow throughout the day in this way,

In a very natural,

Loving way,

Keeping the essence of this Tonglin practice in your heart.

And should you come upon any difficult circumstances during the flow of the day,

You can very simply slip into the Tonglin breathing.

And breathe into the difficult circumstances of that situation.

And in that way,

Keep the heart open and radiant.

But if you do this practice for 20 minutes or half an hour,

Or even an hour,

Out in nature,

It will help the heart to open in a way that is deep and enduring.

And it will allow you to bring that back into the city in a more skillful way.

So be sure to spend at least a part of each day with the cultivation of that loving,

Open heart in the wild.

Reviews

Wonderful.

Beautiful practice thank you 🙏

I love this meditation and have done it many many times. It seems to clear out my whole insides and bring me clarity. Thanks John P. Milton!

I went on sacred passage / vision quest with John, my shaman, in 1989 or 90. Thank you for allowing me to reconnect with his soft and deep message: transformative!

Such a beautiful meditation. On a personal level, it felt good to connect what is painful for me with all the other beings who are feeling that same pain.

Beautiful and powerful. I will return to this one often. Thank you.

This is so helpful and so healing! Thank you for sharing it❤️🙏🏻❤️

Absolutely super. It takes considerable focus and awareness to follow along but if you stay with it the journey is just excellent

A very effective and beautiful practice. Thank you

Beautiful meditation, thank you 🙏🏽

Thank you for this wonderful guidance

From where his master starts, very profound and rich in detail. Nice flow of the words. Very clear

Thank you. I found this easy to listen to 🙏🏼

Thank you. Very beautiful ❤️

A beautiful practice. 🌞

That was wonderful! Give this track a listen you won't be disappointed.
Lots of background noise but still very listenable.
Thank you🙏😁

Beautiful in breath and out breath taking in suffering and expanding into the heart center with compassion. Out breath is an illuminating kind light to whom ever wherever is needed. 💖🙏☮️🕉Om

Wonderfully LOVING practice❣️🙏🏻💕

He is an amazing teacher. I have downloaded to play again. Thanks for posting.

Simply so beautiful. Thank you for sharing. I’m very grateful to have practiced. Big hug