Modified Tonglen for happiness 6-2-2018

Modified Tonglen for happiness

Requirements:

1. Being able to breath in and out
2. Knowing the difference between feeling good and feeling not good
3. Being willing to do something to feel more good

Right now notice how you are feeling. Use a scale from 1 to 10 with 10 being feeling really good and 1 being feeling really not good. Next think about something that would be a 7 or 8 on this scale of feeling good or feeling not good. Next think about something that would be a 2 or 3. Thoughts are fine however if you can generate a body sense or emotion it is even better.

The next step is to coordinate your breath with your feeling good or not good. As you breath in think and generate a body sense of not good at a level of about 2 or three. As you breath out switch to thought or body sense of good at a level of about 7 or 8. Repeat for five or more breaths.

Gradually on the in breath you can add in some or all of the not good of the world. Some or all of the hardships of other people, animals, the earth and society. Breath is as much not good as you can in each breath. On the out breath drop all of the not good and think and feel the goodness that you have known. Add in all of the goodness of others and the abundance of the earth and life itself. Repeat both in and out breaths with good and not good for five or more breaths.

This practice is a modification of Tonglen.

Think about it this way. Trees take in carbon dioxide and generate oxygen. We take in oxygen and generate carbon dioxide. Maybe we are also generators of happiness. Maybe we can take in the unhappiness of not good and transmute it into happiness and more of good. Why not?

Anyway if you are in the middle of any activity, task or work that seems not happy try this simple shift. Breathe in the not good feeling and breathe out the good feeling. Even if it is not fully authentic at least the time of the out breath feels more good than the feeling you started with. And maybe you are generating a bit more good for the entire world.

Five breaths is all it takes. Start NOW!!