Tonglen
(From an article by
Pema Chödrön)Tonglen is a method
to connect with suffering -- our own as well as the suffering all around us. This practice reverses our
usual tendency to avoid suffering and seek pleasure, as we learn to overcome fear of suffering and to dissolve the tightness of our hearts, to awaken the
compassion inherent in all of us, to heal ourselves, and to let go of the fixations of
ego.
You can begin the practice by
taking on the pain of someone you know to be suffering, breathing in the wish to take away
their pain and fear. As you breathe out, send them relaxation or whatever you feel
would relieve their pain and bring them relief and happiness. Do this for several
breaths. When you practice tonglen, you may come face to face with your own fear,
resistance, anger, or any form of personal pain, often when you are feeling stuck. Then you can change the focus and do the practice for what you are feeling, for yourself
and all others like you who are feeling the same pain.
You can use this
practice anytime you are aware of your own suffering. You may
be able to name the pain you are feeling, but even if you cannot name it, you can feel it
in your body. Stay in contact with what you are feeling and breathe in your pain with the wish to take away your fear; breathe
out relaxation, relief, joy. Do this for several breaths. Then breathe in the
pain of others you know who suffer the same feeling; breathe out relaxation, relief,
joy. Do this for several breaths. Then breathe in the pain of everyone who has
ever suffered the same feeling; breathe out relaxation, relief, joy. Do this for
several breaths.
Tonglen can be a
formal meditation practice. You can also use it in any moment that you experience
pain in your life or see that others are experiencing pain. As you
introduce yourself to a larger view of reality and connect with
your essence, you will begin to
notice that your experience of how things are seems not so solid as it did before.
