Turn Suffering Into Compassion -- A Tonglen Meditation

Tibetan Buddhism: The Elegant Mind

"Tonglen" is a Tibetan term that implies 'exchanging oneself with others’.

It refers to a meditation practice found in Himalayan/Mahayana Buddhism which allows the awakening of genuine compassion. "Tong" translates as 'giving or sending', and "len" as 'receiving or taking.'

Tonglen practice is experiential; it gradually wears away our habitually obsessive grasping at a false sense of self (e.g., stubborn ego fixation / relentless identification with the personality).

Through meditative visualization(s), Tonglen effectively reverses our familiar pattern of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. As this occurs, we finally liberate ourselves from the deeply rooted -- and destructive -- prison of selfishness.

(Length: 45 minutes. Included herein: Tonglen discussion followed by a guided meditation which begins at approximately 20 minutes.)

Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project ([e-mail]).