The human heart is powerful. If you are out and about—let's say at a grocery store—and find yourself feeling anxiety, fear, overwhelm, or distress, you might try Tonglen, an energy practice from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Breathe in whatever you are feeling. These feelings may or may not be yours. Breathe in past any constriction, if that feels right. There is nowhere for it to go but your heart, and your heart is a miraculous warrior, an organ of transmutation.
Breathe out love. Breathe out love to the world. Breathe out love to those known to you, and those unknown to you. Breathe out softheartedness, and compassion, and lovingkindness.
This practice is radical: it disrupts the ego's self-centeredness, and connects us to each other in breath, suffering, and compassion. It breaks us out of our isolation and powerlessness, into expanded awareness.
Breathe in whatever you are feeling. These feelings may or may not be yours. Breathe in past any constriction, if that feels right. There is nowhere for it to go but your heart, and your heart is a miraculous warrior, an organ of transmutation.
Breathe out love. Breathe out love to the world. Breathe out love to those known to you, and those unknown to you. Breathe out softheartedness, and compassion, and lovingkindness.
This practice is radical: it disrupts the ego's self-centeredness, and connects us to each other in breath, suffering, and compassion. It breaks us out of our isolation and powerlessness, into expanded awareness.
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