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unhinged
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excerpted from 'the tibetan book of living and dying' by sogyal rinpoche
THE PRELIMINARY TONGLEN PRACTICE
the best way to do this practice, and any practice of tonglen, is to begin by evoking and resting in the nature of mind. when you rest in the nature of mind and see all things directly as 'empty,' illusory, and dream-like, you are resting in the state of what is known as 'ultimate' or 'absolute Bodhicitta,' the true heart of the enlightened mind. the teachings campare absolute Bodhicitta to an inexhaustible treasury of generosity; and compassion, when understood in its profoundest sense, is known and seen as the natural radiance of the nature of mind, the skillful means that rises from the heart of wisdom.
begin by sitting and bringing the midn home. allow all your thoughts to settle, neither inviting them nor following them. close your eyes if you wish. when you feel really calm and centered, alert yourself slightly, and begin the practice.
1. environmental tonglen
we all know how the moods and atmospheres of our mind have a great hold on us. sit with your mind and feel its mood and atmosphere. if you feel your mood is uneasy, or the atmosphere is dark, then as you breathe in, mentally absorb whatever is unwholesome; and as you breathe out, mentally give out calm, clarity, and joy, so purifying and healing the atmosphere and environment of your mind. this is why i call this first stage of the practice 'environmental tonglen.'
2. self tonglen
for the purposes of this exercise, divide yourself into two aspects, a and b. a is the aspect of you that is whole, compassionate, warm, and loving, like a true friend, really willing to be there for you, responsive and open to you, without ever judging you, whatever your faults or shortcomings.
b is the aspect of you that has been hurt, that feels misunderstood and frustrated, bitter or angry, who might have been, for example, unjustly treated or abused as a child, or has suffered in relationships or been wronged by society.
now, as you breathe in, imagine that a opens his or her heart completely, and warmly and compassionately accepts and embraces all of b's suffering and negativity and pain and hurt. moved by this, b opens his or her heart and all pain and suffering melt away in this compassionate embrace.
as you breathe out, imagine a sending out to b all his or her healing love, warmth, trust, comfort, confidence, happiness, and joy.
3. tonglen in a living situation
imagine vividly a situation where you have acted badly, one about which you feel guilty, and which you wince to even think about.
then, as you breathe in, accept total responsibility for your actions in that particular situation, without in any way trying to justify your behavior. acknowledge exactly what you have done wrong, and wholeheartedly ask for forgiveness. now, as you breathe out, send out reconciliation, forgiveness, healing, and understanding.
so you breathe in blame, and breathe out the undoing of harm; you breathe in responsibility, breathe out healing, forgiveness, and reconciliation.
this exercise is particularly powerful, and may give you the courage to go see the person whome you have wronged, and the strength and willingness to talk to them directly and actually ask for forgiveness from the depths of your heart.
4. tonglen for others
imagine someone to whom you feel very close, particularly someone who is suffering and in pain. as you breathe in, imagine you take in all their suffering and pain with compassion, and as you breathe out, send your warmth, healing, love, joy, and happiness streaming out to them.
now, just as in the practice of loving kindness, gradually widen the circle of your compassion to embrace first other people whom you also feel very close to, then those whome you feel indifferent about, then those you dislike or have difficulty with, then even those whom you feel are actively monstrous and cruel. allow your compassion to become universal, and to fold in its embrace all sentient beings, all being, in fact without any exception:
sentient beings are aslimitless as the whole of space:
may they each effortlessly realize the nature of their mind,
and may every single being of all the six realms, who has each been in one life or another my father or mother,
attain all together the ground of primordial perfection.
what i have been giving in this section is a complete preliminary practice to the main tonglen, which, as you will see, involves a much richer process of visualization. this preliminary practice works with your attitude of mind and heart, and prepares, opens, and inspires you. not only does it in its own right, enable you to heal the environment of your mind, your own suffering, and the pain of the past, and to begin to help, through your compassion, all sentient beings; but it also establishes and makes you intimate and familiar with the process of giving and receiving that finds its complete expression in the main practice of tonglen.
--- sogyal rinpoche, 'the tibetan book of living and dying'
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