Intro To Tonglen

A 5-minute introduction to the practice of tonglen (giving and receiving) followed by a 20-minute led meditation. Tonglen is the radical practice of turning towards our own suffering, others' suffering, and the suffering of the world, which we habitually tend to turn away from or ignore, in order to transform it in the open space and clear light of awareness and love.

Transcript

Tonglen loosely translates as the art of giving and taking.

I've been thinking of it also as bearing witness that we,

You know,

We've got these ideals about wanting to be present to our own suffering and the suffering of others that we're practicing for our own liberation and the liberation of others and yet how quickly we turn away from suffering which is,

You know,

We don't need to blame ourselves for that or judge that it's in our nature to want to be safe and protected to not want to feel pain so this practice is,

You could say it's like we create a safe container in which to begin to habituate the mind towards this willingness to really be present to suffering to really be willing to take it in fully and then also to trust in our true nature which is completely open and luminous and that within that space as suffering sort of alchemically,

You could think of it,

Coming into that open space of awareness,

What gets sent back out to the world or to others is relief,

Ease,

Freedom from suffering so in this practice we're trusting that in the clear light of awareness even the most intense suffering can be transformed we can be liberated,

Others can be liberated through awareness and love so in the first stage we're going to,

I love this language of flashing into open awareness we're going to flash into open awareness which is always available to us and space is the element that we use to kind of hold a space for that awareness so we're going to flash into openness by feeling into the spaciousness that's always all around us and within us and then we're going to use the breath if that's comfortable for you if it's not you can just imagine taking suffering in in any way it could be through the pores of the skin or from the earth which receives everything without bias um and just taking it in,

If you want to use the breath taking it in with the breath,

First for ourselves in the second stage then for someone we know who's suffering in the third stage and then all beings in the last stage and then breathing out relief and ease a couple of tips so don't,

Please don't feel,

Don't put pressure on yourself to have to take it all in at once because that can be really overwhelming,

So you can think of it more like you're taking little sips at a time with each breath,

Just a little bit and that it'll take the time it takes so there's no sense of urgency here or a deadline on transforming the suffering of the world and if at any point you do start to feel overwhelmed or you get lost or confused you can always come back to the sensations of the ground beneath you maybe just come back to the breath as more of a soothing way of staying connected to the body,

To the rhythm,

The movement of all of life come back to the open space of awareness and then just begin again when you feel ready and able to closing the eyes when you feel ready if it's comfortable,

Maybe just taking a few deeper breaths here here you can make any sound that feels good to you on the out breath it's one of the benefits of being on zoom,

No one will hear you if you decide to let out a primal scream or maybe you just want to say ah ah so to begin with we could just take a few moments to notice what it's like to pause and to invite stillness and silence into the space of awareness feeling those sensations where the body meets the earth really allowing yourself to dwell there for a little while surrendering to that contact with the ground inviting the weight of the body to drop down through the points of contact be held by the earth and then becoming aware of the upper body rising into space,

Or if you're laying down the whole front of the body opening to space opening to sounds can help us to get a sense of the space all around us stretching infinitely in all directions totally and completely open and sensitive like a clear blue sky and if there's a Buddha or Bodhisattva or any other being that you can bring to mind to sit with you during the practice feel free to include them here perhaps imagining them sat in the sky with you supporting you gently turning towards the breath now if that's comfortable for you just getting a sense of the breathing body allowing the breath to support awareness deepening in the body and connecting through the breath with any part of you that's hurting just now could be physical pain or emotional feel free to put a tender hand anywhere that feels good,

Bring a sense of contact and personal touch and as we breathe just bearing witness to the fact that we're suffering just acknowledging this can have a sense of relief in it as we breathe out sensing into any bit of release or ease that can come bearing witness to our own suffering and breathing out a wish for peace,

Relief freedom from suffering if you're not in touch with any anything painful just now,

You can just remember how you have suffered in the past and that you will most likely suffer in the future trusting that this practice could have an effect on both past selves and future selves breathing in our own struggle,

Breathing out the liberation that can come through witnessing with love so for a few breaths we're just going to reconnect with the open space of awareness that deep blue sky that stretches forever in all directions holding everything including us and then in your own time and way bringing to mind someone in your life who you know is suffering you can imagine that they're sat with you,

Maybe even holding their hand and then with the breath or any other way that works for you just beginning to really take in their suffering,

Their pain breathing it into the open space of awareness and on the out breath offering release ease,

Anything else that you know,

This person enjoys ice cream,

Puppy dogs a trip to the beach whatever can ease suffering as we do this just noticing the effect on you,

How it is for you in the practice simply being with sitting alongside in solidarity so again for a few moments we're just going to open out again to that space of awareness that's completely clear and bright full of potential and then very gently beginning to bring to mind everyone we don't need to know the details of one another's suffering to know that we all suffer and to bear witness allowing that awareness to provide the in breath and our deep heart wish for freedom for others just like ourselves on the out breath maybe we all discover the peace and freedom that we're looking for the connection the love,

The presence and then in your own way,

Feel free to widen the circle to include others in your life,

Friends,

Family colleagues,

Other practitioners neighbors breathing in,

Bearing witness,

Breathing out ease,

Release,

Freedom and finally casting that circle even further including all beings everywhere in our awareness placing that awareness on the fact of suffering even now as we sit here so many beings suffering in ways great and small and on the out breath awareness of the potential for ease and release,

Freedom from suffering may it be so so for the last few moments here just dropping any effort you're making you might want to take a few deeper breaths if that's comfortable connecting one last time with that space all around you that's holding you here and the ground keeps you in place always connected and for a few moments just sitting in a broad awareness,

Allowing whatever is here to simply come and go as it is so in a moment I will ring the bell,

We'll listen to it together and then do feel free to move stretch,

Rub the body in any way that feels good to you,

To support you practice gently and in your own time

Reviews

Such a beautiful, gentle Tonglen practice. Thank you!