I love the idea that we can change negative states into neutral states or even positive states through the use of yoga and mindfulness practices. Looking at practices such as chanting and Kirtan, or Kundalini yoga which I love for their ability to raise positive energy. Kirtan is so uplifting and builds a positive vibration around you the more you practice it, like a positivity shield. Or Kundalini yoga with its flowing movements of the spine works wonders for heavy sensations, depression, lethargy, fogginess and general lack of lust for life. However it was Tonglen that really captured my heart. The practice of Tonglen is a Tibetian Buddhist practice where you visualise breathing in negative feelings and breathing out light and loving-kindness. From Pema Chodron in Lion's Roar (2018);
Tonglen practice, also known as “taking and sending,” reverses our usual logic of avoiding suffering and seeking pleasure. In Tonglen practice, we visualize taking in the pain of others with every in-breath and sending out whatever will benefit them on the out-breath. In the process, we become liberated from age- old patterns of selfishness. We begin to feel love for both ourselves and others; we begin to take care of ourselves and others.
Traditionally Tonglen is taught from a Boddhichitta perspective of practicing for the benefit of all beings.
Pema Chodron (2015) explains; 'There are two aspects of working with boddhicitta, both of equal importance: one is connecting with the flow of boddhicitta we already feel, and the other is being awake to where that flow is blocked. So you can do this practice not only thinking of people you care about, but also visualizing people you don’t like. It’s important to have an unbiased, compassionate attitude toward whatever is arising.'
Tonglen uses the negativity and suffering of the world as the negative state to breathe in. And then breathe out love, peace and compassion. I sometimes practice this way when I'm really in an angst about the global environmental destruction that is going on, or a catastrophe in the world somewhere.
However Tonglen can be used on our own negativity. You can breathe in the negative feelings you may have towards a family member, partner, child or work colleague, and breathe out love, peace and compassion. You don't have to close your eyes, you can look at a picture of the person you are having negative feelings about and send the picture loving kindness, this helps enormously when you see the person again. Or you can focus on a pebble, a flower, a candle anything that is stationary.
At first, Tonglen seems to reverse something within, our natural response of avoiding pain and seeking pleasure which is deeply ingrained. What I realised by practicing for a period of time is that Tonglen makes us transformers of darkness. That within myself there is the ability to turn the things that hurt me into neutral feelings, and then into positive feelings of love and compassion. Tonglen taught me that it was possible for me to be a peaceful and loving person, not matter about the past. That the things that had hurt me were not permanent scars, I could change them. Not from the outside, but from within. This was a profound experience especially after a bout of mental illness.
The environment and climate change really bothers me, hatred against refugees, guns really bother me, corruption, sexism, rape, abuse of power....I could list so many things that disturb my peace. Through Tonglen I acknowledge that my power in the outside world is quite limited, but within the mindbodyspirit it is abundant. I don't need to forget about the suffering of the world, or my own suffering while I'm practicing on mountain tops. Our own suffering can be used as a way of building our inner transformation of turning negative to neutral, and even to positive feelings love, peace and joy.
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