Essential Points for Working with the Mind (25 March 2014)

0:00 And because of that, I feel like there is lack of self-compassion. And when you have a lack of self-compassion, then you can't have compassion for others. This has been said by the masters throughout the centuries, that you begin with self-compassion. And then if you're having difficulty extending the compassion, you begin with self-compassion. Report an error in the passage at 0:00 Highlight the passage at 0:00

0:25 And so I think a lot of it was also taken for granted. Report an error in the passage at 0:25 Highlight the passage at 0:25

0:33 cultures. I think in this culture we really do, we have like a, compare ourselves and beat ourselves up and have a, know, have a high standard for perfection. Report an error in the passage at 0:33 Highlight the passage at 0:33

0:44 I think it's more endemic and more needed. it's unfortunate that it's... it's in a way not embraced more explicitly. Like I said, I think people, hear it. Yeah, yeah, yeah, self-compassion, it goes in one ear and out the other. For some reason, it's not really taken in because when you need it, when you're suffering, that's when you practice it. Report an error in the passage at 0:44 Highlight the passage at 0:44

1:21 Sounds like the bells of Notre Dame. Report an error in the passage at 1:21 Highlight the passage at 1:21

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2:49 As in, so like kind of a dichotomy between like if you're psychopathologizing someone, then you're not. same. Report an error in the passage at 2:49 Highlight the passage at 2:49

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3:02 kind of genuine struggle with something. Report an error in the passage at 3:02 Highlight the passage at 3:02

3:25 Right, that's such a good question, yeah. How do you know you're having a breakthrough or breakdown? Report an error in the passage at 3:25 Highlight the passage at 3:25

3:38 think that's why you need a teacher. Report an error in the passage at 3:38 Highlight the passage at 3:38

3:45 what you said too? Because the teacher, one of the, I find in my experience with my teachers, one of the things they do is they whether, you know, My teacher, he makes the analogy of being cooked or getting cooked. Retreat is a place where you get cooked. Not to mention life in general, but this idea that when there's a genuine process happening, it's like you're cooking something in the oven. Report an error in the passage at 3:45 Highlight the passage at 3:45

4:18 And then if you are not really engaging the process or if you're sort of deciding to make a lot of detours, tours with distractions or or just whatever, acting out, just not wanting to feel that process, he likened it to opening the oven door. whatever's being cooked a lot longer to cook. Report an error in the passage at 4:18 Highlight the passage at 4:18

4:44 Eman Fallah, Shantideva, Shantideva Report an error in the passage at 4:44 Highlight the passage at 4:44

5:10 know because there's so much trust there so if you're you're on this edge and you don't know if it's a breakdown or a breakthrough and you're trusting someone to you on that tremendous amount of trust Report an error in the passage at 5:10 Highlight the passage at 5:10

5:28 so I think... I kind of understand a little bit more why the word guru in this culture is a little bit more alienating to some people because there have been people who've been hurt. Report an error in the passage at 5:28 Highlight the passage at 5:28

5:42 But that doesn't change the fact that in the process of going along in the journey that we need help. It doesn't have to be a guru. I mean, it could be a person who you trust, who is invested in your, your growth. And it's, and, and that's why we, we, we. Report an error in the passage at 5:42 Highlight the passage at 5:42

6:10 psychologist, we put such a large stock on an individual support system mentors and friends and family and guides because again, these people are an outside perspective they may not necessarily be experts, but sometimes an outside perspective is really there because they have the they have the good motivation Report an error in the passage at 6:10 Highlight the passage at 6:10

6:48 thank you for bringing that up. It's a really good point. Report an error in the passage at 6:48 Highlight the passage at 6:48

7:01 One last point in regards to that piece of the teacher. I'd like to talk about it in terms of someone who represents or embodies wakefulness, wakeful compassion. Report an error in the passage at 7:01 Highlight the passage at 7:01

7:27 because you you have been a relationship with the self compassion so you can and especially I think it's really unique in a setting like this we have emanations wakeful compassion so if you have a connection with a deity or a a figure like Christ? or who you feel, can almost feel like their energy you bring them up in your mind. Report an error in the passage at 7:27 Highlight the passage at 7:27

8:08 you can actually invoke the quality of wakeful compassion doing Tonglen for you. You understand what I'm saying? If you have a connection with Tara and you're kind of really down in the dumps and you're not going to be able to rest your mind, you can invoke that energy, a quality of enlightenment and you can imagine them doing Tonglen for you. Report an error in the passage at 8:08 Highlight the passage at 8:08

8:46 It's just an extended, it's more of a filling out of... The first piece of mettā. So we begin with connecting with the part of ourselves that wants to be happy, wants to not suffer. And you can just simply practice the mettā prayer. May I have happiness. May I have peace. Just really stay with that. Breathe with that. Report an error in the passage at 8:46 Highlight the passage at 8:46

9:09 You can extend it with just self-tongue len and just connect it with the part of you. Or you can really kind of embellish it with the quality of a... Report an error in the passage at 9:09 Highlight the passage at 9:09

9:21 connect with and that Deity is doing for you. understand what I mean? these are all very powerful, skillful means in terms of working with the piece that you mentioned around the suffering and you're not able to manage it. Report an error in the passage at 9:21 Highlight the passage at 9:21

9:43 actually close to mindfulness practice because you are going to be generating love and compassion for a being, namely yourself, occurs in the moment. So when we really love someone or we love something like the act of invocation of love, it's in the present moment. It's a real time engagement with something. And a future tripping about it is like fantasy and memory is memory. Report an error in the passage at 9:43 Highlight the passage at 9:43

10:16 So there's a spontaneous dynamic presence to love and compassion that is very much in the present moment. So you actually are practicing present moment awareness. It's just with form. And the form is the actual intention, attitude of love and compassion. Report an error in the passage at 10:16 Highlight the passage at 10:16

10:49 So in guiding the meditation, I'm just sort of curious, is that sort of something that people can connect with, with what I'm saying in regards to invoking an image or a deity for yourself? Okay, so that's all I have to say and you can pick whatever figure you feel a good connection with. One Report an error in the passage at 10:49 Highlight the passage at 10:49

11:25 of the pieces around suffering is, this was by a 19th century meditation master, he was a Kadampa master, and he wrote an amazing text. text called turning suffering and happiness into enlightenment the text uh jigme tenpa nima he said The first thing to really look at is your aversion to it and realize that your aversion to it is the problem. Report an error in the passage at 11:25 Highlight the passage at 11:25

12:07 First and foremost, that the aversion is creating so much more suffering. We know that with anxiety and a lot of issues where the avoidance is actually one of the main problems with the whole thing. So he first really advises to look at the aversion and that knee-jerk response and the amazing point around that I think is that he says it doesn't have to be a knee-jerk response. Report an error in the passage at 12:07 Highlight the passage at 12:07

12:38 You can train your mind to not have... In the text, in turning suffering and happiness into enlightenment, he says that this is an essentialization of the way of the bodhisattva by Shantideva. So he's essentializing the text, which he was teaching through assemblies of, in my memory, it said like more than a thousand monks at the age of nine. Report an error in the passage at 12:38 Highlight the passage at 12:38

13:21 So he was one of those like reincarnates who had like those savant abilities. But as a little kid, he was teaching this text, the way of the bodhisattva. Some of you may have heard it. So he writes a very small text that essentializes the way of the bodhisattva. And he says, First thing, if you can do something about a problem, there's nothing to worry about. If there's nothing you can do about a problem, there's nothing to worry about. So he directly quotes Shantideva. Report an error in the passage at 13:21 Highlight the passage at 13:21

13:49 Then he says that also when you have suffering, you are reminded of how your control strategies, he doesn't use the term control strategies, how saṃsāra is unworkable. I'm using control strategies. We're trying to control our happiness, our strategizing, and it just doesn't work. Report an error in the passage at 13:49 Highlight the passage at 13:49

14:15 he says, you're reminded of the limitations of your relationship to this at securing happiness. You have renunciation. then says also it is a real strong invitation and it really compels you. Eman Fallah says, Refuge. Like this isn't a refuge. This is causing me suffering. And when you're suffering, you want refuge. So it makes you think, what is my refuge? Report an error in the passage at 14:15 Highlight the passage at 14:15

14:47 And am I having a false refuge in something? And is there a way for me to have a more secure refuge? It makes you begin thinking about refuge. Report an error in the passage at 14:47 Highlight the passage at 14:47

14:57 If you're like me, you can go through a day and not even remember refuge. So the suffering refuge. And then he says it. It also humbles you. It kind of cuts down your arrogance. So you're just basically given a reality check. And he says that it also really motivates you to want to make good karma. It's like suffering is like a broom. It acts like a broom to your bad karma. As you suffer, it's like your bad karma is being swept up. Report an error in the passage at 14:57 Highlight the passage at 14:57

15:35 So you can actually relate to it in that way. And then he says... It also, it really compels you to like, okay, how did I get in this mess, self-cherishing? So how can I get out of it by being able to like get out of the self-cherishing? So he says, so suffering, so he's giving these reasons of like, hey, when you get suffering, look at all the good stuff that starts happening. Report an error in the passage at 15:35 Highlight the passage at 15:35

16:04 And he's, like I said, he's a Kadampa. So he's like, you know, keep doing this practice until you start putting offerings. On your shrine for more suffering. And I'm like, whoa. That's punk rock, you know. That's Tibetan punk rock right there. Report an error in the passage at 16:04 Highlight the passage at 16:04

16:21 Powerful. Talk about the guts that that takes. But the point being that he actually makes a very logical argument. If you agree with some of the assumptions. Some of the assumptions you don't have to agree to. They're obvious. But some like, he's like karma. Report an error in the passage at 16:21 Highlight the passage at 16:21

17:17 So I find just that part of the teaching that he gives, the part of just developing not having as much aversion, just reducing the aversion, is a Report an error in the passage at 17:17 Highlight the passage at 17:17

17:38 real doorway to then connecting to being able to have genuine compassion for what really is going on. Report an error in the passage at 17:38 Highlight the passage at 17:38

18:05 And then he gives similar advice for happiness. Report an error in the passage at 18:05 Highlight the passage at 18:05

18:11 The idea is that when you're happy, then you also use that for working on your spiritual path. Report an error in the passage at 18:11 Highlight the passage at 18:11

18:26 why don't we then go ahead and do this guided meditation. Report an error in the passage at 18:26 Highlight the passage at 18:26

18:34 self-compassion. Report an error in the passage at 18:34 Highlight the passage at 18:34

18:39 like you to kind of note how it feels just to first begin with yourself then we can extend it to others. idea again is when you're practicing meditation and you're feeling a really difficult time meditating, you can do this loving-kindness practice. Report an error in the passage at 18:39 Highlight the passage at 18:39

18:57 try to connect with your breath and always good also when you're having any kind of suffering to breathe in more deeply. Just the deep breathing itself is very helpful. Report an error in the passage at 18:57 Highlight the passage at 18:57

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19:47 you may want to... Report an error in the passage at 19:47 Highlight the passage at 19:47

19:52 inside your body. www.muslimcentral.com Anything going on for you could be an issue that you are currently struggling with. Report an error in the passage at 19:52 Highlight the passage at 19:52

20:06 If you don't have any particular issue or you'd like to maybe inquire, you can ask yourself, like we did last week, the question or say to yourself, everything in my life is perfect and feel where in your body there's a protest. So Report an error in the passage at 20:06 Highlight the passage at 20:06

20:31 just scanning in and picking a thing up. A struggle where Report an error in the passage at 20:31 Highlight the passage at 20:31

20:43 you are maybe hurting or where the wounds haven't been fully healed. Then Report an error in the passage at 20:43 Highlight the passage at 20:43

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21:24 invoke within you or in front of you an object of refuge. It could be a saint, a deity, your teacher, an embodiment of compassionate wakefulness. Allow Report an error in the passage at 21:24 Highlight the passage at 21:24

21:48 the visualization to just naturally come together in a soft way. Report an error in the passage at 21:48 Highlight the passage at 21:48

22:17 as you breathe, just bring your attention to your breath and the... refuge, breathing in your suffering and breathing out, Report an error in the passage at 22:17 Highlight the passage at 22:17

22:33 light energy. Report an error in the passage at 22:33 Highlight the passage at 22:33

22:37 the part of your body that you're feeling the tightness. Report an error in the passage at 22:37 Highlight the passage at 22:37

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23:31 out-breath allow the relaxation to melt throughout your body Report an error in the passage at 23:31 Highlight the passage at 23:31

23:42 quality of healing white energy, white light enters the body. With each out-breath, you're... Report an error in the passage at 23:42 Highlight the passage at 23:42

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25:33 and wisdom embodiment of you may want to on the actual feeling of the breath. Report an error in the passage at 25:33 Highlight the passage at 25:33

25:49 soup being breathed in and healing light energy that's being breathed out. Report an error in the passage at 25:49 Highlight the passage at 25:49

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27:41 another minute or so, really have confidence in. the practice of tournament, believing that the... suffering is being breathed in object of compassion. Report an error in the passage at 27:41 Highlight the passage at 27:41

27:57 quality of healing energy in light is being breathed out and you are receiving it. Report an error in the passage at 27:57 Highlight the passage at 27:57

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29:09 we're going to direct that Tonglen practice to others. Report an error in the passage at 29:09 Highlight the passage at 29:09

29:19 might be to you that you want to extend. Report an error in the passage at 29:19 Highlight the passage at 29:19

29:47 of refuge. Report an error in the passage at 29:47 Highlight the passage at 29:47

29:58 compassionate energy. Report an error in the passage at 29:58 Highlight the passage at 29:58

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30:32 you breathe in the dark energy, making sure it transforms into white light and then breathing it out. Report an error in the passage at 30:32 Highlight the passage at 30:32

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31:48 think about how you have suffered uniquely, how each going through different challenges in life, all suffered in different ways. can think about others you probably haven't met, who you can extend this particular to. Report an error in the passage at 31:48 Highlight the passage at 31:48

32:09 may know very how someone is feeling based on how they're suffering. have a unique perspective into their kind of pain. you can extend the Tonglen practice to others. Report an error in the passage at 32:09 Highlight the passage at 32:09

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33:55 allow your mind to come back to the letting go. Report an error in the passage at 33:55 Highlight the passage at 33:55

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34:45 happiness, the causes of happiness, may all beings be free of suffering and the causes of suffering. Report an error in the passage at 34:45 Highlight the passage at 34:45

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36:18 yourself to see if you can just relax in of openness. The Report an error in the passage at 36:18 Highlight the passage at 36:18

36:37 teacher calls it a state of being undefended, not defending against. You're just open, undefended. Report an error in the passage at 36:37 Highlight the passage at 36:37

36:59 It's very difficult to relax in a state of undefended openness when you're suffering, when you're going through turmoil, when you're overstressed. So the skillful means practice is a way of working with that. and then will occur is a lot of times when you're working on yourself in that way Report an error in the passage at 36:59 Highlight the passage at 36:59

37:25 to really soften around the difficulties and the self-compassion, then these moments of relaxed openness can occur very spontaneously. Report an error in the passage at 37:25 Highlight the passage at 37:25

37:49 When you're going through a difficult time, let yourself just abide in it as it comes up. Sometimes it occurs at very powerful moments. You could be going through a very difficult time, and especially the more difficult the time, reality can feel surreal when you're going through a really severe loss, a really big turmoil. Report an error in the passage at 37:49 Highlight the passage at 37:49

38:18 There's a feeling of surreality sometimes. And actually those are great times, you suddenly are just open. You could just be walking somewhere in the park, you know, and just relax your mind. Your mind's kind of in the state of, this Report an error in the passage at 38:18 Highlight the passage at 38:18

38:37 is happening. In Tibetan the term is Heda Wa, which is kind of a term which is like, your mind stops, you're like, whoa, and you just like, and that sort of state is a very powerful state, you can actually relax into it. In the Lojong teachings they say like a child walking into a temple, kind of looking at all the colors and images but not really having an idea or concept of it, just sort of like a more of an amazement. Report an error in the passage at 38:37 Highlight the passage at 38:37

39:11 Is that the term, like a child walking, a child in the slogans, being a child of illusion? Report an error in the passage at 39:11 Highlight the passage at 39:11

39:25 a child of a vision. It's in the, it's in the, I teach us, I mean, Geshe Cheka was 59 slogans of So Report an error in the passage at 39:25 Highlight the passage at 39:25

39:43 some people came late, so this is our last session. So basically my intention was to do the foundations of the mindfulness practice and that was working with the three noble principles. Report an error in the passage at 39:43 Highlight the passage at 39:43

40:02 Good in the beginning, which is motivation. Good in the middle, which is the resting the mind in meditation. meditation go to the end of his dedication Report an error in the passage at 40:02 Highlight the passage at 40:02

40:11 actual practice of good in the middle, which is the meditation, Report an error in the passage at 40:11 Highlight the passage at 40:11

40:18 relaxing with your body. the quality of mindfulness of the breath working with that then relaxing and openness these are three you can say three gears of meditation So the first gear is just getting into the body, deep breathing. Report an error in the passage at 40:18 Highlight the passage at 40:18

40:58 connecting with a witness, you are the whole thing. So rather than connecting with, I have awareness, or I'm watching my awareness, you are awareness. Report an error in the passage at 40:58 Highlight the passage at 40:58

41:13 very unaltered, natural stage in which I was suggesting you actually engage in when you're done with meditation. that's the third gear, Report an error in the passage at 41:13 Highlight the passage at 41:13

41:25 I present the building blocks of mindfulness meditation. then today we talked about working when you can't do mindfulness meditation. Report an error in the passage at 41:25 Highlight the passage at 41:25

41:39 important. important. -compassion. doesn't matter what you've done, there's a part of you that wants to be happy, to not suffer, and that part can be given a bigger and louder voice when you need it. Report an error in the passage at 41:39 Highlight the passage at 41:39

41:58 I see a lot of people in therapy, in practice, in the emergency room, so many people. This is such a challenge. a good question. Report an error in the passage at 41:58 Highlight the passage at 41:58

42:14 So any last questions or comments or thoughts? Report an error in the passage at 42:14 Highlight the passage at 42:14

42:33 Right, right. Report an error in the passage at 42:33 Highlight the passage at 42:33

42:43 I'm glad you liked it. I found that too. When I was doing, when I first learned self-tongue, I was taught that there's two parts. There's A and then there's B. And A is breathing in and I'm like, and it was a little bit difficult to visualize. Report an error in the passage at 42:43 Highlight the passage at 42:43

43:01 Sure, yeah. Right, right. It happened kind of organically for me in the night. mm-hmm, It's very hard to picture yourself, know? Right. Report an error in the passage at 43:01 Highlight the passage at 43:01

43:12 told my teacher, and he really liked it. Report an error in the passage at 43:12 Highlight the passage at 43:12

43:17 they could be sitting in front of you they could just it could be a holographic kind of just they're on you you know whatever however you feel Report an error in the passage at 43:17 Highlight the passage at 43:17

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44:04 There's a brilliant chapter in the Tibetan book of living and dying called the Essential Poa. And it's basically, Sogyal Rinpoche gives the most beautiful description of someone's dying, how you can invoke the Buddha or Padmasambhava or an object of refuge and how just kind of that. Report an error in the passage at 44:04 Highlight the passage at 44:04

44:45 evocative and beautifully written, I think you can do that for any suffering. Report an error in the passage at 44:45 Highlight the passage at 44:45

44:59 um... Report an error in the passage at 44:59 Highlight the passage at 44:59

45:05 we see is a projection of our karma. so when we experience... Report an error in the passage at 45:05 Highlight the passage at 45:05

45:13 similar phenomenon it's like like if you if experiencing a lot of violence in your life Report an error in the passage at 45:13 Highlight the passage at 45:13

45:29 with a phenomenon that is related to your karma your own seeds and so when they say like if a it's like if you are seeing a Report an error in the passage at 45:29 Highlight the passage at 45:29

45:46 object as like a chewy toy it's like you're you're dealing with karma that's like a dog seat you know karmic that a dog will want to chew on something you're a person you might want to write with Report an error in the passage at 45:46 Highlight the passage at 45:46

46:06 experiencing a certain, if you're a certain kind of person, if you're violent, if you're an angry person, you'll tend to gravitate towards those people. you tend to be a very, so your environment will look like what... Report an error in the passage at 46:06 Highlight the passage at 46:06

46:23 experiencing a connection with Buddha a Buddha image, guess what? Your karma is very close. You're connecting with it. You're resonating with a quality of wakefulness. so being connected to people who have good hearts, being drawn to them, being drawn to people who have genuine compassion and wisdom, it actually reflection is a reflection. Report an error in the passage at 46:23 Highlight the passage at 46:23

46:50 of your power, how your compassionate wisdom is very close. like one of the explanations of why don't we see miracles. Report an error in the passage at 46:50 Highlight the passage at 46:50

47:04 It's like if you don't have the karma to be close to doing the miracle, it's like a perception. You perceive what's karmically close to you. Report an error in the passage at 47:04 Highlight the passage at 47:04

47:14 having a devotion to, you know, these things, you know, there are tankas, but having a devotion to what they represent, a real reflection of the power of our own Report an error in the passage at 47:14 Highlight the passage at 47:14

47:28 don't know why I brought that up, but question. Report an error in the passage at 47:28 Highlight the passage at 47:28

48:00 Traditionally, the instruction is that it is transformed in the heart and this is kind of where they say the chakra of ego. It's really tight here. Report an error in the passage at 48:00 Highlight the passage at 48:00

48:25 like very activating for the ego the ego doesn't like it and so again the idea that of like where that energetically that sense of me is it's here so it's drawn into that energetic you could say traffic jam and it's sort of like it up It's like you're kind of it's transformed so it's like very powerful practice tongue because you're actually doing something on a very inner level to your subtle body energy so it's very powerful so you breathe it in and it transforms in your heart and in that transformation it then is like a white healing light. Report an error in the passage at 48:25 Highlight the passage at 48:25

49:08 When I received I received an amazing all like for the whole day I received teachings from Chodan Rinpoche in Tonglen. He gave instructions that from, in Tsongkhapa's tradition, that that sort of centers like a little rock and it kind of, you breathe in and it's a sort of, and then you breathe out. So it all represents that kind of self-grasping that's being undermined. Very much so. And psychologically it's very powerful. Report an error in the passage at 49:08 Highlight the passage at 49:08

49:47 everyone's miserable, last thought in your mind is just to start breathing in their suffering. And so psychologically, it creates what we call cognitive dissonance. It's just like it shakes things up. It shakes up your perception. on an inner level, it shakes up that self-grasping. practice embodies a lot of the principles of Temponema that I mentioned. Report an error in the passage at 49:47 Highlight the passage at 49:47

50:11 So you're invoking refuge. That's huge. Report an error in the passage at 50:11 Highlight the passage at 50:11

50:17 exchanging, kind of humbled, you're kind of breathing in, you're exchanging the suffering, you're working with the karma. It embodies a lot of the mind training that mentioned. Report an error in the passage at 50:17 Highlight the passage at 50:17

50:41 It's easy to do because, especially the self-tonguing, because if your mind's distracted it won't be very long because you'll be reminded over why you're miserable. And then when you're reminded of why you're suffering, then you can just, oh, I'm supposed to be doing self-tolerance. So you don't need actually that stronger reminder in your own experiences. Report an error in the passage at 50:41 Highlight the passage at 50:41

51:04 If someone else irritates you, that could be a reminder to do something for them. Report an error in the passage at 51:04 Highlight the passage at 51:04

51:14 So suffering is, it's not, you don't have to go looking for it too long. It's some kind of agitation or aversion. It could be an invitation for someone else. Report an error in the passage at 51:14 Highlight the passage at 51:14

51:33 it also, I think, really reduces helplessness because when someone's suffering, you feel helpless in helping them. can just do this practice. Report an error in the passage at 51:33 Highlight the passage at 51:33

52:26 think it would be amazing to do that. I think it would be amazing to do Tonglen all day. It would be amazing. Report an error in the passage at 52:26 Highlight the passage at 52:26

52:36 For me, I'm actually really struck over how little I do it because the more I learn about it, the longer that I practice, the more I'm amazed by its power. And so I think one of the reasons I don't do it as much is because, again, it goes against the habitual tendencies so well that it's an indicator. Report an error in the passage at 52:36 Highlight the passage at 52:36

53:24 wanting to secure your own seat on the bus, you know, just like on your headphones and just, don't want to deal with it. Report an error in the passage at 53:24 Highlight the passage at 53:24

53:33 that add it and it's like sort of the Tonglen practice is the opposite. It's very, very counterintuitive. But yeah, to do it, I'll try it. Try to do it as like all day. Report an error in the passage at 53:33 Highlight the passage at 53:33

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54:17 It goes back to like, again, the reference point of self and working with reducing self-grasping. I think it's a great skillful means because people don't see you doing it. You don't have to kind of actually sit down and close your eyes to do it. And so it's something that you can do anywhere. It's a beautiful, amazing skillful means. Report an error in the passage at 54:17 Highlight the passage at 54:17

54:36 I don't see it anywhere either. All those New Age books, no one talks about breathing in someone's suffering, breathing out their healing. No one talks about that. It's very subversive if you think about it. Everyone's talking about how to reduce your suffering, how to visualize your way to wealth, how to do this. Report an error in the passage at 54:36 Highlight the passage at 54:36

54:58 No one's like, hey. Here's this technique to breathe in other people's suffering and breathe out. It sounds like crazy to people, but that's the thing. It's like a way of working with the self-grasping. Report an error in the passage at 54:58 Highlight the passage at 54:58

55:16 That's the phrase, Report an error in the passage at 55:16 Highlight the passage at 55:16

55:26 clearly apparent but non-existing experience of self. It's like they say it's like a sky flower or a rabbit with horns. if there's, if there's, that's. Report an error in the passage at 55:26 Highlight the passage at 55:26

55:20 the, um... Report an error in the passage at 55:20 Highlight the passage at 55:20

55:39 It seems clearly apparent, but it's not existing. Report an error in the passage at 55:39 Highlight the passage at 55:39

55:49 So there's nothing to defend against about that. Breathe it in. Breathe in all that suffering. There's no self that's going to end up getting hurt. Report an error in the passage at 55:49 Highlight the passage at 55:49

56:02 It feels like it. We visualize the ignorance exploding. Report an error in the passage at 56:02 Highlight the passage at 56:02

56:16 And then what's beautiful about it is when you're suffering, there really does feel like I am hurt. feel that yet still when you do that self tonglen you receive healing like it feels better again you're just extending that compassion Report an error in the passage at 56:16 Highlight the passage at 56:16

56:46 Yeah. And then because when you're really in the thick of it, you are able to really with other people who are experiencing what you're suffering and even more so. can get a really strong sense of their suffering too. then it's very powerful to do it then. Report an error in the passage at 56:46 Highlight the passage at 56:46

57:13 Thank you guys very much. Thank you. Report an error in the passage at 57:13 Highlight the passage at 57:13