It’s been a tough couple of weeks.
There’s a whole lotta hurt in the world, and it’s hard to understand what the hell is going on. If you feel overwhelmed and uncertain about how you can help, you aren’t alone. But it doesn’t have to be so hard.
We really don’t have to understand it in order to change it.
Here’s one place we can all start:
Tonglen.
Tonglen practice is a method for connecting with suffering-our own and that which is all around us, everywhere we go. It is a method for overcoming our fear of suffering and for dissolving the tightness of our hearts. Primarily it is a method for awakening the compassion that is inherent in all of us, no matter how cruel or cold we might seem to be.
-Pema Chödrön
It’s easy to do. This recording is only 6 and a half minutes long. A short practice that helps transform my life in a big way.
When practicing Tonglen, you can sit or stand in any position that is comfortable for you. When you’re first learning, it’s helpful to close the eyes and take a few slow breaths to relax the body.
An important note:
You are not absorbing someone else’s suffering. Been there, done that…yowza.
You are using your breath to acknowledge suffering, and visualize it transforming into love and compassion. Your intention is powerful, and even this simple practice can help create change in the world. By acknowledging that others suffer just as you do, you become connected to them, and it helps create understanding and change.
Click here to download your Tonglen Practice
How to download:
Mac: Right click and select Download Linked File As…
PC: Right click and select Save Link As…
There are many ways to practice Tonglen. I’m sharing one version of the practice, with the purpose of growing your sense of love and compassion not only for yourself, but for those you love, and the world around you.
Be the change, right?
But most of all, be gentle with you. You’re the only you we’ve got!
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