From Ringu Tulku Rinpoche’s Berlin teachings, August 2006

Purpose

The purpose of tonglen is to work on attachment and aversion, to bring lasting peace and happiness to all, to train ourselves to feel love, and to be purified, healed and transformed. This is very important.

Normally we have problems with giving things to others. Our usual mentality doesn’t allow others good, even if nothing is taken from us! So, this is something that needs to be exercised.

Meditation

Relax your mind and body.

Then think, “What is the most important thing that I wish for?” We wish to have lasting peace and happiness and to be free from suffering; and that is what everybody wants.

Be very clear about this motivation: The most important thing is that we could contribute to that lasting peace and happiness which is free from suffering.

We make a strong wish for that to happen and invoke the blessings of all great beings to grant us the power and blessings for this to happen, “I must make this happen, because it is the most important thing.”

Whatever I do, I’ll dedicate all the positive things which arise from that motivation to that end.

I breathe in deeply and inhale all the pain and suffering of all beings of every kind, throughout space. I feel that all negative things and their causes, come in the form of a fog or pollution.

I feel that all my negative karma and emotions, habits and illnesses, and problems and pain is in my heart in the form of a dark crust which encases my true essential Buddha nature, my essence; my true nature is encaged in these defilements. When I bring in the negative things, they eat my own negativity like acid, like poison eating poison - all in one moment.

And then my Buddha nature, healing power, shines out like the rays of the sun. Everything I breathe in is, in one moment, dissolved, like darkness is dispelled by light. Like a clay pot being broken.

I feel totally purified, healed and transformed; and that very bright light radiates through all the pores of my body and the bodies of all beings, radiating in all ten directions. Whoever is touched by the light feels blissful and warm. The light is cleansing and immediately dissolves all pain and illnesses, and purifies all negative emotions, habits, and karma, in all beings. Every being is completely purified, healed, transformed, feeling joyful, blissful, enlightened, and transformed.

Whenever a thought comes, we begin again. We do it any number of times, as often as we like.

There are different methods of doing this meditation – it doesn’t matter too much! Do it as you feel most convenient.  Even if you do it your own personal way, it’s okay.

How to bring the practice into our daily life

Our daily life is conducted with body, speech, and mind. The mind controls our body and speech. The mind consists of our thinking mind and emotions, as well as our way of seeing things and conscious mind habits. We need to work on our reactions, emotions, and habits, slowly – but not too slowly, patiently, step-by-step. It is like breaking in a horse, first with a long rope, and then pulling it in closer and closer.