Tonglen

AA said: Danke, Sabina, das ist sehr, sehr gut!

BB said: Manchmal, liebe Sabina, ist es fast unheimlich wie gut Deine Briefe zu meinen Stimmungen oder Situationen passen!  Gestern ist das kleine Kind einer meiner besten Freundinnen schwer erkrankt liegt auf der Intensivstation. Lungenentzündung - ganz ohne Corona! Sie ist noch nicht zwei und mir war gestern den ganzen Tag kalt und ich, wir, haben versucht, gute Energie zu ihr und ihren Eltern zu senden und nun schickst Du auch noch eine Anleitung genau dafür! Danke! Dankedankedanke!

Tonglen

The essence of the practice is the willingness to share pleasure and delight and the joy of life on the out-breath and willingness to feel your pain and that of others fully in the in-breath.  
                         Pema Chödrön: The Wisdom of No Escape

The tonglen practice is a way to share the human condition. We train to awaken compassion. With each in-breath, we take in others’ pain and with each out-breath, we send them relief.

Here is how to do it: 

1. Get Centred

To begin with, go to your favourite meditation spot, sit down, and get comfortable. Take a few minutes to just relax and breathe, to settle in, to quiet your mind, and become centred and present here and now.

2. Call To Mind Someone Who Is Suffering

Think of someone you know who is hurting, or struggling in some way.

Call up a clear picture of them in your mind, see them as vividly as possible. Whatever it is they are going through – illness, depression, financial troubles, divorce or bad break up– imagine how hard it is, and what they might be feeling.

Really put yourself in their shoes, and try to understand the extent of their suffering; physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual. The point is to feel that pain like it is your own (because it is), and to let it crack open your heart with compassion.

3. Breathe In Their Pain

Now imagine that you can relieve them of their pain, by taking it upon yourself.

Buddhist tradition instructs us to envision the other person’s suffering as a dark cloud of ash or smoke, and to breathe it in. Take a deep breath, and breathe in all that pain, fear, exhaustion, sadness, loneliness and suffering; all of the negative energy. Welcome it and accept it as your own.

As you breathe in, you may say silently, “May you be free from suffering.”

4. Transmute Darkness Into Light

Pause for just a moment, between the in-breath and the out-breath.

And as you do, take that energy into your heart, to your innermost self. There, all that pain and suffering is transmuted, cleansed and purified — it becomes fuel for the fire of awakening. See how that cloud of misery is consumed by the pure light of awareness.

But that’s not all that is consumed. As you take on the suffering of others, and transmute it, your own fear and ignorance, your pettiness, selfishness, your clinging ego, is burned up along with it.

The poison becomes the medicine. The problem becomes the solution. What you instinctively fear and avoid becomes the vehicle of your liberation.

5. Send Them Peace

Now as you breathe out, send that suffering person good vibrations – a pure white light, the energy of life, peace, happiness, well-being, relaxation, safety and freedom.

Visualize that light and energy going into their mind and body, healing and rejuvenating them. See it going into their heart, the very core of their being, bringing them relief and peace, giving them new courage and strength.

6. Repeat

Repeat steps 3 – 5 for a few minutes, or as long as you wish.

Each time you breathe in, you take in the other’s dark energy, their pain and suffering. You take it into your heart, where it is transmuted, transformed into pure light, compassionate awareness. Then you breathe out, and send them that pure, life-giving energy.

With each cycle, see them becoming more calm and at peace, more healthy and happy and strong. Until finally, in your mind’s eye, they are totally free from suffering, radiant with light and life and energy.

7. Expand your compassion

Finally, make the taking in and sending out bigger. If you are doing tonglen for someone you love, extend it out to all those who are in the same situation. If you are doing tonglen for someone you see on television or on the street, do it for all the others in the same boat. 

It’s worth noting that tonglen can be practiced for entire groups of people like a community in grief, a nation ravaged by war, all people who are hungry or homeless – or all the people suffering from the physical, psychological or economical effects of the Corona virus.

Return to Your Body

AA said: Message parfait par les temps qui courent 

BB said: Genau so, danke Sabina! Und dann ein Lächeln in die Welt schicken.

CC said: Oui ! Bons conseils et n’oublions pas de respirer profondément...

Return to Your Body

In daily life, return to the experience of your body as often as possible. You can readily arrive in our body by relaxing and softening through your shoulders, hands and belly.

                                                 Tara Brach: Radical acceptance

These are times of general fear and anxiousness, and it is easy to give in to those feelings. When you’re worried or anxious you tend to tense your body and a tense body is more likely feel unwell or even fall ill.

It is essential to try to relax and soften your body - physical awareness is a good way to cure anxiousness.

Every time you hear scary news or start worrying about you or your loved ones falling ill, return to your body. Relax and soften your shoulders. Relax and soften your belly, and relax and soften your hands. Smile to your body and move on, with faith and confidence.

Happiness Is…

AA said: Je suis tout à fait d'accord avec toi. Et s'il faut parfois chercher profondément le bonheur, selon les difficultés à surmonter dans certaines périodes de la vie.

Happiness Is…

Happiness is not making others happy; it’s making yourself happy and offer that happiness to others.
                                                                     Anonymous

It all starts within YOU. How could you possibly make anybody happy if you are not happy yourself? Once you are, it’s like a snowball effect!

What can be more important than spreading your joy of living to others? Needless to say that it is essential to do good work for the society, for the physical and economical wellbeing of people, but if they are not happy they cannot really enjoy life, can they?

The good news is that when you go about spreading happiness and joy, it does not only affect people next to you. Happiness is contagious and it affects the whole wide world! Like a giant snowball of happiness that grows with every encounter it makes.

Be There for Your Breakfast

AA said: Hello Sabina! J’ai lu ton message du lundi matin après avoir bu mon thé et ce matin, j’avais allumé une bougie…! Comme quoi…

BB said: Harika start of a week! You are a source of inspiration and lucky moi having you in my life 💜

CC said: J'aime beaucoup et j’essaie de le pratiquer comme  «carême »

Be There for Your Breakfast

When you eat your breakfast, even if it is just a small bite early in the morning, eat in such a way that freedom is possible. While eating breakfast, don’t think of the future, of what you are going to do. Your practice is to simply eat breakfast. Your breakfast is there for you; you have to be there for your breakfast.

                                 Thich Nhat Hanh: Keeping the Peace

Mindful eating is an art. I’ve been learning it for years, but I don’t always succeed. 

Breakfast is the meal where it works best for me, especially when I eat it alone. All in all my mindfulness level is highest in the morning, since I wake up with all good resolutions fresh in mind. 

For breakfast I light some candles - especially in winter - arrange my teapot, cup and oryoki bowl nicely, and sit down in full awareness. Before taking the first bite I say Thank You to the Universe and all living beings that have brought the food to my table. Then I eat my food and drink my tea with as much attention as I am capable of. 

Of course, there are days when my thoughts flutter off. However, the mere sight of my bowl and my cup, which I always use in the morning, tend to bring me back to what I am eating and to enjoy it fully.

Eating is often a social occasion and then it is hard to eat mindfully, but with practice you can even succeed at such times. Why not start practicing tomorrow morning? Send thoughts gratefulness to the Earth, plants, insects, animals and people who made your breakfast possible and take the first sip or bite with full awareness. It will fulfill you in a whole new way.

Stand Straight

AA said: Thank you, for reminding me, dear Sabina!

BB said: Hahaha!  Mine did but still I could not manage! By the way I always admired how straight you sit and stand. 👍🏻 Bravo to your parents.

Stand Straight

Stand up! Keep your backs straight! Remember that this is where the wings grow.

Martha Graham

Today, parents don’t tell their children to stand straight, like our parents always did. I used to find that quite annoying, but they were right: a good posture is SO important.

There are several physical benefits of standing straight, like strengthening muscles around the core and reducing back pain. It also opens up the airways in the lungs and helps to ensure proper breathing. A well oxygenated body works much better!

There are also several psychological benefits of a good posture. You look and feel more confident and everything seems more positive when you stand straight. A happy smile is sure to follow!

I love Martha Graham’s quote, it always reminds me that a straight back is where the wings grow….!