My dear friends,

The tenth through twelfth precept in Point 2 of Geshe Chekawa's Mind Training in Seven Points outline the practice of tonglen. This practice is usually translated as "Giving and Taking" or "Sending and Receiving", although as we shall see, the actual meditation begins with the "Taking" step.

This is a profound practice that extends the meditation on the breath described in the Anapanasati Sutta. This practice not only cultivates Bodhicitta, the mind of love and compassion, but also helps us to develop equanimity and selflessness, essential qualities on the Bodhisattva path.

Detailed Instructions for Tonglen Meditation

1. Stabilize your mind (and body) to a state of calm abiding by following the instructions for meditation on the breath.
2. Commence Taking from Your Own Side
   • Visualize Your Suffering: Begin by reflecting on your own suffering, pain, and negative emotions. Visualize them as dark, heavy clouds or smoke.
   • Inhale the Suffering: As you inhale, imagine drawing in these dark clouds or smoke, absorbing your own suffering into your heart. Allow it to dissolve into a vast space of compassion within you.
3. Practice Giving to Yourself
   • Visualize Light and Joy: Now, visualize bright, luminous light or a feeling of warmth and joy. This represents your own well-being, love, and happiness.
   • Exhale the Light: As you exhale, imagine sending out this light or warmth, filling your entire being with peace, healing, and comfort.
4. Extend Taking and Giving to Others
   • Expand to Loved Ones: After a few cycles of taking and giving with yourself, extend the practice to loved ones. Inhale their suffering and exhale peace and joy to them.
   • Include All Sentient Beings: Gradually expand this to include all sentient beings. Inhale the suffering of others, visualizing it as dark clouds or smoke, and exhale light, joy, and love, offering them peace and relief.
5. Place These Two Astride the Breath: Combine the practice of taking and giving with the rhythm of your breath. With each inhalation, take in suffering and with each exhalation, give out joy and love. Let this cycle continue smoothly, integrated with your natural breathing pattern.
6. Conclusion
   • Dedication: At the end of your meditation, dedicate the merit of your practice to the benefit of all sentient beings. Wish that they may be free from suffering and attain happiness and enlightenment.
   • Slow Transition: Gradually bring your awareness back to your surroundings. Open your eyes slowly and take a moment to rest in the sense of compassion and peace you have cultivated.

Tonglen and the Bodhisattva Path

• Cultivating Compassion: Tonglen directly engages and enhances compassion. By taking on the suffering of others and giving out happiness, we train ourselves to develop a deep, heartfelt empathy for all sentient beings, which is fundamental to the Bodhisattva path.
• Overcoming Self-Cherishing: This practice helps to diminish self-cherishing and ego-centered thinking. By willingly accepting the pain of others and offering them joy, we shift our focus from self-interest to the well-being of all, aligning with the Bodhisattva ideal of selfless service.
• Developing Equanimity: Tonglen encourages the practitioner to view all beings with equal concern and love. This balanced view is crucial for developing equanimity, a key quality for a Bodhisattva, who must remain impartial and open-hearted towards all.
• Training in Bodhicitta: Bodhicitta, the awakened mind that seeks enlightenment for the sake of all beings, is the essence of the Bodhisattva path. Tonglen practice directly nurtures bodhicitta by combining compassionate action (taking and giving) with the wisdom of interdependence and emptiness.

By integrating Tonglen with the foundational practice of mindful breathing, as taught in the Anapanasati Sutta, we create a powerful, transformative meditation that not only stabilizes our mind but also opens our heart to the vast, boundless compassion required to walk the Bodhisattva path.