From Champiñada,
I'm Colleen Thomas.
This is Daily Magic for Peace.
Today we will ask for well-being to replace suffering.
Welcome to The Circle.
So welcome.
I'm so glad you're here with us today,
Here in The Circle that extends beyond space and time.
The Circle that is created whenever we come together and listen to this episode,
Even if we don't do it together,
Even if we do it separately in our own little spaces on our own little headphones or big headphones.
I'm so glad you're here.
I'm so glad you're with us in this moment that is free from space and time.
The object I would love you to have today is something that represents your sense of self,
Because the focus today will be on ourselves.
We're going to begin a series of meditations,
Beginning today,
Called Tonglen,
Which means breathing in suffering and hardship and breathing out peace and flow.
And we're going to start that process with ourselves,
Something that's very familiar to us,
Ourselves.
So if you have an object that makes you think of yourself,
Maybe a favorite memory you can call to mind,
Maybe a necklace you wear every day that just speaks to you of your strength,
Or another piece of jewelry,
Or something near you as you're listening that is important to you,
That speaks of you to you,
Maybe hold that object or focus on that object today.
To begin the meditation and get grounded,
I invite you to notice what you're sitting,
Standing or lying on,
And feel its weight supporting you from below.
Just feel into that and notice what it feels like to be supported in that way.
Maybe allow yourself to slow down a little bit and drop into this moment.
And if you notice there's anything nagging at you,
Anything that you really don't want to forget,
Or maybe something that's been bothering you that still needs some more thought and some more emotional energy,
Maybe you can set those things aside in a safe place.
You could ask a guardian or a friend on the inner to hold them for you.
You could imagine a really beautiful little basket that you can set them in just for the 10 minutes we're together,
Knowing that they'll be there when you finish.
You could also write a little note to yourself.
Whatever you need to do to be fully present in this moment,
Knowing that all the other things that are important to you are taken care of.
So feeling into this moment,
Arriving in this moment.
And now taking your object or thinking about your memory or your image,
And come to kind of a heart place.
If you want to place your hands on your heart,
If that feels good to you,
Feel free to do that.
Always notice how your body reacts to the cues and prompts that I offer,
And notice if you want to follow them or not.
You have complete freedom to follow them or not.
So if you feel like placing your hands on your heart,
Follow that impulse,
And if that doesn't feel right today,
Then don't do it.
Once you're settled,
We're going to delve into this practice of tonglen together.
And as I said before,
It's a practice of breathing in hard feelings,
And then breathing out good feelings.
And that might sound kind of counterintuitive.
Why would we want to breathe in anything bad or hard?
But the idea is,
And this is kind of a more advanced kind of meditation,
The idea is that we will transmute them inside of ourselves,
And that this is something we can offer to our own hearts when our own hearts are pained and are suffering.
It is something that we can offer to others as well.
People who practice tonglen practice it in a wide variety of situations,
For a wide variety of world issues,
People in their lives,
Wherever they see suffering.
But I want to start on a very simple level today and just begin with ourselves.
So I invite you to notice if you're feeling any.
.
.
No,
Let's back up.
Let's just take a minute here.
First,
Let's find a moment of stillness.
We've already arrived,
But let's find a moment of special stillness to begin this tonglen practice.
Imagine maybe that you're sitting by a pond or a very clear pool of water,
And just allow yourself to take on that calmness,
That reflectiveness.
Notice if you can match that energy,
Clarity,
Openness,
Flow.
Now,
From this place of calmness,
See if you can feel anything inside of you that is too warm or too cold or too sharp,
Anything that has a sensation that doesn't feel comfortable.
If there's anything in your body that your body is telling you,
Trying to give you signals through sending you sensory information,
Notice that.
And if you find something,
Go ahead and begin to breathe that in.
Become very aware of what it feels like and welcome it in through a breath in.
And then when you breathe out,
Breathe out comfort and clarity and openness.
And just continue that process.
Breathe in anything that's uncomfortable,
And then breathe out comfort.
You can let your eyes close if that's comfortable for you.
Just repeating this process,
Breathing in discomfort,
Welcoming it,
Honoring it,
And breathing out comfort.
Let's do a few more together.
Breathing in and breathing out.
Breathing in discomfort,
Then breathing out comfort.
And one more.
Breathing in and breathing out.
And take a moment and notice how you feel now that we've done just a little bit of Tonglen together.
And now let's see if there's anything inside of us,
In our hearts,
In our space,
In our body,
That doesn't feel so good,
That is hard.
A hard emotion,
Maybe a hard situation we had today.
Nothing dire,
Nothing overwhelming,
But something that doesn't feel very good.
And if you're willing,
Let's practice Tonglen with that.
Let that situation,
That feeling,
Kind of get clarity in your mind.
And when you're ready,
Begin breathing it in.
Breathing it in and breathe out.
Peace and calm.
Just begin that cycle of in-breath and out-breath.
Allow your inherent compassion for anything that is suffering,
For anyone that is suffering.
Inform how you are holding this for yourself in this moment.
Breathing it in,
Honoring it,
Transmuting it,
Transforming it,
And breathing out peace.
Breathing in,
Breathing out.
At your own pace,
Continue the breathing.
Really honoring this situation,
This challenge.
Honoring it and restoring it.
Finding peace within it.
Finding peace alongside it.
Finding peace around the edges of it.
And if you feel you're leaving your body or floating away,
You can open your eyes.
You can touch anything physical around you to remind yourself you're in this moment.
And we'll do just a couple more breaths together to finish this meditation today.
Bringing honoring,
Honoring,
Honoring to our pain in the moment.
Let's breathe in three more times together.
Breathing in,
Honoring that situation,
Those feelings,
And breathing out.
Breathing out peace and calm.
And in,
Honoring it and releasing.
And last time,
Just really honoring yourself for doing this work.
Breathing in,
And last time,
Breathing out.
And just noticing how you feel.
How does it feel in this moment to have done this work?
How does your heart feel now?
How does your body feel now?
It's so important to honor the pain that is in the world,
And I really think that that starts with us.
May we all remember that we have the strength within ourselves to hold our own pain.
May it be so.
Thank you so much for being with us today.
Your presence,
Your energy,
And your heart make all the difference in healing our world.
And remember to breathe today.
Breathe and expand.
And I hope you join us again next time.
Please consider inviting a friend.
