What is the purpose of tonglen meditation?

Tonglen is a Tibetan Buddhist meditation practice that is known as “giving and taking or sending and receiving.” On the inhale, you take in the pain and suffering of yourself and others and on the exhale you give space, compassion and healing to yourself and others.

How can practicing tonglen help us with reducing stress?

Practicing tonglen meditation like this in everyday life can soften your heart and gradually reduce conflicts, calming your mind to help stay connected to others around you. And as a side effect, you become happier and more peaceful yourself.

What is the meaning of tonglen?

giving and taking
Tonglen (Tibetan: གཏོང་ལེན་, Wylie: gtong len, or tonglen) is Tibetan for ‘giving and taking’ (or sending and receiving), and refers to a meditation practice found in Tibetan Buddhism. Tong means “giving or sending”, and len means “receiving or taking”.

How do you practice Maitri?

For maitri toward oneself, repeat the affirmation: “May I be happy, healthy, safe, and live with ease.” Repetition is key, as well as catching yourself when you aren’t being so friendly to yourself. You can recite aloud or silently any of those four slogans as necessary throughout your day.

What is lamrim meditation?

Lamrim (Tibetan: “stages of the path”) is a Tibetan Buddhist textual form for presenting the stages in the complete path to enlightenment as taught by Buddha. In Tibetan Buddhist history there have been many different versions of lamrim, presented by different teachers of the Nyingma, Kagyu and Gelug schools.

What is the metta Prayer?

The metta prayer of loving kindness is a prayer or mantra used as part of a loving-kindness meditation, or metta bhavana. This kind of meditation and use of a mantra is popular in the Buddhist tradition. The word, metta, comes from Pali and can be translated as “good will” or “loving kindness.”

What does the word Maitri mean?

loving-kindness
Maitrī (Sanskrit; Pali: mettā) means benevolence, loving-kindness, friendliness, amity, good will, and active interest in others.

What does Maitreya look like?

General description. Maitreya is typically pictured seated, with either both feet on the ground or crossed at the ankles, on a throne, waiting for his time. He is dressed in the clothes of either a bhikṣu (monk) or Indian royalty. As a bodhisattva, he would usually be standing and dressed in jewels.

What type of Buddhism is kadampa?

Kadampa Buddhism is a Mahayana Buddhist school founded by the great Indian Buddhist Master Atisha (AD 982–1054)… The great Kadampa Teachers are famous not only for being great scholars but also for being spiritual practitioners of immense purity and sincerity.

What is Mahamudra practice?

According to Reginald Ray, the “formless” practices, also called “Essence mahamudra,” is when “one engages directly in practices of abandoning discursive thinking and resting the mind in the clear, luminous awareness that is mahamudra.” The reason that preparatory practices and “form” practices like deity yoga and …