Tonglen is a type of meditation and practice that encourages a feeling of interconnectedness and compassion for all living creatures. It can be a formal practice or something more applicable to daily life. Recently I've been improving my ability to do Tonglen on the spot in every day life. It's a great way to share love and joy or to help feel less alone in times of suffering or pain.
I went to the American consulate yesterday and for maybe the first time in my life had a true appreciation of how fortunate I am to be born an American. I think it's something I've taken for granted most of my life and it is easy to do so until you have the chance to see things from the other side. I sent out the amazing sense of security and gratitude that I felt recognizing how lucky I am just based on where I was born.
Later, I similarly took a moment to send out the delight of an ice cold glass of water on a hot, sweaty day, and wished that all humans world wide could enjoy that.
It's humbling to realize that simple things like a clean, safe, cold glass of water are not universally available. It puts things in perspective and can't help but grow compassion for all the people who so often due without.
If we could teach the idea of Tonglen, compassion, and interconnectedness to our children, how could that not change the world for the better in a very significant way? Just the deep knowledge that we, as humans, are all on this same crazy journey and share the same emotions, pains, and joys is enough to drastically alter the way we interact with the world. How have we become so disconnected with this very basic fact and how would the world change if we could all rediscover it?
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