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glen comes into play.
Tonglen, a meditation practice
found in Tibetan Buddhism, is a
method of focused “taking and
sending” on the breath. It is a
practice for generating compas-
sion for the suffering of others.
It then uses that awareness of
suffering to both remove the
suffering and purify selfishness
from your own mind stream.
This purification is powerful! It
is a purification that heals. The
Practicing compassion,
breath and the mind are used to take
on the suffering of others and send
out joy. In the taking, the selfish ego
purifying selfishness
is destroyed. The heart then creates a
and
transcendent marvel of purification. In

relieving suffering
the giving, self and others are healed.
through the breath
Tonglen can be practiced by any-
one. It teaches a way of looking at the
tHe praCtiCe oF tonglen
world with acceptance and joy. Al-
though it came to us from Buddhism, it
is not bound by religion. It is a practice
By Ngawang Thekchen appropriate for all who suffer or who
work with suffering individuals – which
S
uffering. The world is filled with tend to see it as the other person’s
it. The world has always been self-cherishing that provoked the
means all of us. Tonglen is a practice for
filled with it —from poverty to conflict and ourselves as pure carriers
all who wish to relieve suffering in the
wars, hunger to disease, hurricanes of liberty. Most people have the same
world around them, and in themselves.
and destruction to death. Oddly view. No matter what side we are on,
It is adaptable to any spiritual path.
enough, as Americans we seem to it is usually the other one that needs
It is told that the monk, Chekawa,
experience less suffering than poorer to be brought down a notch or two, or
saw a fellow monk’s book lying open
countries. Still, I have a friend who ten. This is typical behavior whether it
with the words “gain and victory for
characterizes his life as an alligator in- is the Little League team or the New
others, loss and defeat for oneself”
fested swamp. What a graphic descrip- Mexico Lobos we support. In addition
which caught his attention. He sought
tion of suffering. Personal experiences to the competitive side of self cherish-
out a teacher from the lineage of this
of irritability, depression, desperation, ing, we limit our pursuit of happiness
teaching and studied for 12 years to
road rage—all are indications of inter- and devote our attention and care to
master it. Chekawa lived with lepers,
nal and external suffering. ourselves or only certain people like
to whom he taught Tonglen. Although
Buddhists consider self-cherishing family and friends. We are not truly
they were suffering greatly, they partic-
to be a major link in the chain that concerned about others that are not in
ipated in Tonglen to remove the suffer-
holds us securely to suffering. Self- our immediate circles.
ings of others. In the process of doing
cherishing, as understood by Bud- If self-cherishing is a poison
so, they purified their own minds to
dhists, is not the same as healthy self- that ultimately chains us to suffering,
the extent that their leprosy was cured.
esteem, or caring gently for oneself. compassion is its antidote. However,
In purifying ourselves, we heal others.
Self-cherishing is egocentric grasping. sometimes it is not so easy to gener-
In healing others, we heal ourselves. a
It is selfishness. It is an attitude of ate compassion. If I see myself as an
wanting to get one up, and it happens innocent victim, how can I generate
Venerable Dom Geshe Rinpoche will
lead a one-day workshop September
at the expense of others. We all have compassion for others? I am focusing
19th in Santa Fe, NM. This class will
self-cherishing. If we didn’t, we’d be on the injustices that I am suffering and
introduce the beginning practice of Ton-
enlightened already. may be blinded to the sufferings of oth-
glen, as part of her September teaching
Self-cherishing causes suffering. ers. How do I break the victim mental-
series. To register or for more informa-
We can easily identify self-cherishing ity long enough to purify myself? tion contact the White Conch Dharma
as the cause of war. However, we This is where the practice of Ton- Center in Santa Fe at 505-820-6086.
14 Northern & Central New Mexico
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