Tonglen practice: WOW!

When I was studying Buddhism a few years ago, I regularly used the practice called "Tonglen." This practice/meditation involves breathing in all the "bad stuff" in the world and breathing out more positive energy.  I did this for a while, but stopped because it seemed antithetical to what I wanted to do; I didn't like the idea of breathing in all that 'bad energy" so I decided to just focus on breathing out my "bad stuff," and sending healing energy to all or just send out healing thoughts/energy.

However, in meditation the other day, as I was contemplating some specific irritations I have, I felt led to use the Tonglen practice on myself.  I questioned this, but then was shown that by "breathing in" or accepting and embracing that which I am trying to "get rid" of in myself, I can heal it/transmute it. and that it can't be healed until it is accepted. So, I began this practice then and there. I have to share this! This was incredibly healing. I will describe what I did since it is not exactly how I learned it, and I will share my experience. I imagined breathing in gray and black energy, that was all my irritations and then breathed out compassion which I see as pink. I continued to do this for a few minutes and all the bad feelings that I was having seemed to melt away, and THEN it morphed into me breathing in the irritabilities and pain of the world.  This just totally opened my heart and made me cry. I continued to breathe that in and breathe out the compassionate thoughts and energy and watched it turn to pink.  I continued to do that until it felt like that energy had dissipated. As I discussed in my previous blog, and as many know, our energy, thoughts, words and prayers do impact ourselves and others and we are connected! I don't know how this practice will help the world but I believe that it will.  Importantly however it helped me!! And as Gandhi said,  “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” I used this practice again this morning, to help with a grief-related issue for myself which was then applied to humanity's grief at large. Again this was so powerful!!   

I am sharing this practice, and my experience with it because of the impact it is having on me!  I don't know if it is because I am starting with working myself and then focusing on the "world" that it feels more powerful.   Anyways... maybe you want to give it a try. I'd love to hear your experiences with it!