Guided Tonglen Meditation Practice

This is a guided tonglen meditation practice that is suitable for beginners. It focuses on healing the self, loved ones, community, country, and planet Earth. It comes from a Buddhist tradition of metta or loving-kindness. We are in a time of great need to practice compassion for course and others. Using this calming guided practice to refocus on what matters. Sending loving kindness to all, regardless of belief, bias, or boundaries is the prayer we send out during this practice of healing.

Transcript

Today I thought we might do a Tonglen meditation for healing and compassion for self and others.

So find a nice comfortable seat where you can sit back,

Relax,

And perhaps for grounding your feet are flat on the ground and start with your palms down to get a nice grounded feeling.

The idea of Tonglen is that it is a Buddhist meditation practice that helps us to learn to be fully present with ourselves and with others with the daily suffering of life so we can find ways to transform that suffering into ease.

As we breathe in we focus on the stickiness,

The negative,

The suffering,

And as we breathe out we send out that transformational healing and we take it all the way out from ourselves to the whole earth and then we bring it back around again.

Many of our contemporary teachers like Tara Brock and Pema Chodron tell us this is a chance to purify karmic energies,

To renounce darkness,

And to open our hearts,

To awaken compassion,

Empathy for those that are suffering,

Whether they are people we agree with or disagree with or have completely different world views.

That is our purpose and intent for today and I'll share with you a quote from Lao Tzu that says,

I have just three things to teach,

Simplicity,

Patience,

And compassion.

These are your greatest treasures,

Compassionate toward yourself and you reconcile all beings in the world.

So as we sit you can take your hands in a easy upward position to receive or you can use any mudra that you may like.

The lotus seal is one possibility where you take your hands together and you meet your pinkies and your thumbs and you open all of your fingers with space between like a lotus flower.

If that is uncomfortable just place your hands open on your lap.

So let us begin by focusing on our breath,

Breathing in and noticing,

Perhaps pausing at the top just briefly,

And then breathing out,

Beginning to go inward using any practice that you may have.

So we are just beginning to go inward using any practice that you prefer to quiet thoughts that come.

You could let them go into bubbles that float away or imagine they are bunnies hopping away and just saying aloud or internally,

I am breathing in,

I am breathing out to calm the thoughts of the mind.

Just breathing in and breathing out.

Noticing if maybe your breath today is feeling a little shallow,

Perhaps you could add a little pause at the top,

Feeling that fullness and then releasing and emptying all the way out.

Breathing deeply if that feels good,

Just slowing everything down.

Let us just imagine ourselves for just a moment,

Seeing yourself in your mind's eye,

Happy and smiling.

You are radiating happiness and love from your smile and your energy.

And now imagine sending those feelings of love and kindness right into your heart center right now.

Thinking about something that you love about yourself.

Maybe it is more than one thing.

Think of how these things you love about yourself are enacted onto yourself.

So if it is self-compassion,

How do you maybe regulate the voice in your head when it is trying to be so critical?

Think of the things that you do to enact self-love.

Maybe it is showing up for your meditation or yoga,

Thinking of and holding onto those things that you do to show yourself loving kindness.

And the prayer is,

May I have loving kindness,

May I have strength,

May I have peace,

May I have love,

May I have success,

May I have the strength to overcome all of my obstacles.

And just to increase that vibration,

Turn up the corners of your mouth with a smile.

Now let us repeat that for someone close to you.

So bringing into your mind someone close,

A family member,

A friend,

And let us imagine that person happy and smiling.

With your breath in,

Visualize sending love and visualize all of the things that you love about that person.

Breathing out nice and deeply,

Feeling into your heart center as you think of all that person showing loving kindness to you.

If your mind wanders,

Just remember you can go back to saying,

I am breathing in,

I am breathing out.

Let us think of an obstacle that you are facing,

Something you would like to release,

To work on or overcome.

And as you breathe in,

Breathe in a wish to take away your suffering and breathe out a wish to send yourself comfort and self-compassion.

Breathing in openness,

Healing,

Self-compassion,

And breathing out any tightness or anxiousness over this issue or any obstacle that you are feeling.

As you breathe in,

Feel that beautiful energy rising up and exhaling out and emptying,

Releasing,

Letting go of the tension and the stress.

Returning now to that person that you brought to mind,

The loved one,

The friend.

Imagine an obstacle they are facing.

Breathing in that issue or obstacle and breathing out to them ease,

Compassion,

And grace.

Picturing them smiling,

Happy,

And at ease.

Taking a few more deep breaths with them right in your mind's eye.

Sending them that loving kindness from your heart,

Feeling that healing energy and sending it out.

And with that next inhale,

Bring your awareness to a stranger.

Maybe it's someone that you recently saw facing obstacles.

And breathe in a wish to take away their suffering and breathe out a wish to send them comfort and compassion,

Peace and ease.

Breathing in and breathing out,

Feeling their suffering and sending them that transformational energy,

That wish to take away their suffering and bring them some ease.

Sending loving kindness and compassion,

Comfort,

Whatever they may need.

May they have peace.

May they have love.

May they have strength and may they have courage to overcome all their obstacles.

Taking one more deep breath and sending it out to that stranger.

Exhaling,

Releasing the suffering.

And on your next big inhale,

Let's expand that awareness to the community you live in.

Breathing in the awareness that there are others in your community facing obstacles.

Breathing in with a wish to take away their suffering.

And breathing out comfort and compassion.

Breathing in that awareness and breathing out,

Repeating the prayer,

May my community have love.

May my community have peace.

May my community have strength.

And may my community have courage.

And may my community overcome all their obstacles.

I am breathing in.

I am breathing out.

And as that energy is rising up in you and expanding,

You have shared it with yourself,

Your loved ones,

Strangers,

And your community.

And your community.

Let's expand that energy now,

That transformational energy to the country that you reside in.

Acknowledging there are many people facing obstacles.

And as you breathe in deeply,

Wishing to take away their suffering.

And as you breathe out a wish to send comfort and compassion.

I am aware that I am breathing in.

And I am aware that I am breathing out.

Breathing in that awareness of our country facing obstacles and breathing out comfort and compassion.

And repeating the prayer.

May my country have love.

May my country have peace.

May my country have strength.

And may my country have courage to overcome all obstacles.

Making any adjustments that you might need in your seat or your hands.

And on your next inhale,

Expanding your awareness to the entire beautiful planet of the earth,

To all of the continents,

All of the countries,

All of the people.

Bringing into your awareness the obstacles that the earth is facing.

The struggles of resources,

Of all living things,

Plants,

Animals.

And breathing out comfort and compassion.

Visualizing that beautiful glowing image of the earth that we often see from a distance.

With its beautiful vibrant energies and colors.

Breathing in the obstacles and struggles.

And breathing out compassion and comfort.

And repeating the prayer.

May the earth have love.

May the earth have peace.

May the earth have strength.

And may the earth have the courage to overcome all these obstacles.

Breathing out the beautiful earth energy.

Sending out compassion and loving kindness.

Breathing in all of the struggles.

And breathing out all the loving kindness and compassion for the earth,

Our mother.

Taking a few more deep breaths here and bringing awareness back to ourselves.

Remembering the obstacle we first identified.

Sending one more healing breath into ourselves as we think of that obstacle.

And breathing out,

Sending yourself comfort,

Compassion,

And ease.

May I have peace.

May I have love.

May I have strength.

And may I have courage to face all of my obstacles.

And then let's become aware that there is someone out there right now breathing in a wish to take away your suffering and they are breathing out a wish to send you comfort,

Compassion,

Love,

And courage.

And as you continue throughout your day,

Remember to connect energetically in the present moment in gratitude for any small things in your life that you can open your heart to.

Breathing in and breathing out and using this Tonglen practice in your life to heal yourself and all other beings.

I am wishing you loving kindness for yourself.

Namaste.