In this second post about Sacred Practices I'm going to tell you about the very special Tibetan Buddhist practice of Tonglen, how it has enhanced my life and what it can do for you, if it is a technique that you are not already using in your life :-)
Tonglen is described in 'The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying' as one of the most useful and powerful practices a person can do. This has become my opinion of it as well after experiencing its effects. In Tibetan the word 'Tonglen' means 'giving and receiving' and this is exactly what happens in the energy exchange that occurs in this simple practice that anyone can do.
The practice of Tonglen became widely popularised in Tibet by the great master Geshe Chekhawa. One day Geshe Chekhawa came across a written teaching which intrigued him and led him on his path to discovering Tonglen. The teaching was this:
"Give all profit and gain to others,
Take all loss and defeat on yourself"
After reading these words, Geshe Chekhawa set out to find the master who had written those words, but was then informed that this master had passed away. Eventually though, he found the dead master's disciple, who informed him that whether he liked it or not he would have to practise this teaching if he wished to attain Buddhahood. This is a similar concept to the Indian teachings on Karma Yoga, such as taught by Vivekananda, which state that the ultimate ideal which brings about liberation for a karma yogi is the willingness to give up one's life for another.
The disciple whom Geshe Chekhawa had found, then instructed him in the art of Tonglen, a practice that is a practical application of this teaching. The story continues that the practice proved so powerful that many lepers who applied this spiritual technique to their daily life became cured and Geshe Chekhawa's own brother underwent a character transformation to that of a spiritually compassionate man through the practice of Tonglen.
In order to practise Tonglen, it is recommended that a person develops their capacity for compassion and empathy first, for feeling what another individual must be going through, and there are exercises recommended for this purpose within The Tibetan Book of Living & Dying. Then when a person feels their heart is open enough, they can do the practice of Tonglen. It is very simple. The gist of it is to inhale and as you do so, to imagine drawing in dark smoke or energy with the breath, which can be the stagnated energy of your own mind and body, or of another person who needs help, or a specific place or area. Then as you exhale, to imagine sending out light, to the person or area, or to your own being. I like to imagine that I have an alchemical fire burning inside me and that when I breathe in the heavier and darker energy, it gets sucked into the fire and transmuted into divine sparks of light that then get sent out of me with the exhale.
The first time I ever tried this practice, I was scared of doing it, because I thought I had enough to deal with, with my own issues and especially as a sensitive person the thought of taking on even more 'stuff' from other people seemed overwhelming - I was working in student support services and having many people 'offload' their problems on to me each day.
However, it turned out to be one of the most empowering things I've ever done. I first tried it in a group meditation experience, where I felt a little disturbed by the group energy, but then it occurred to me, that instead of being bothered by the group dynamics, I could quietly practise this breathing technique and offer it as a silent gift to the group, breathing in the burdens of others and offering them back love, compassion and light. It was amazing! It completely transformed the energy of the room and I felt to be in a deep state of samadhi which stayed with me throughout my afternoon at work and it seemed that this profound sense of peace subsequently got passed on to others who came near me. It remains one of my deepest spiritual experiences.
More recently I have used this technique in situations where I have encountered anger, sometimes directly aimed at me, other times where it has been an undercurrent amongst people. Each time I have done this, a shift has been felt in my energy and the energy of the room as well as how I perceive things. It provides the opportunity to lose fear of others' reactions and also gift others with unconditional presence and compassion. Of course, where possible we should seek to understand and work through our own emotions and help others to do the same, but in situations when that is not possible, then this is something we can do to help. It is a great way of stepping outside of the narrow perspective of our limited personalities and to take on a higher universal view of empathy and pure love.
Tonglen is an empowering and highly transformative spiritual practice that anyone can have in their spiritual and energy work tool kits that can be of huge benefit to the world. If we can help by taking on others' anger, fear and lower vibration feelings and transform them, then we are serving to clear the collective consciousness and shifting global energy, whilst stepping into our power as higher level beings and oxygenating our lungs and cells at the same time! Whatever we can do to help ourselves and others has to be a good thing! Tonglen provides us with a simple way to transmute energy and act as spiritual alchemists within our daily lives. Remembering this practice when we are feeling challenged can help us to become a master rather than a victim of circumstances.
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