Just Breathe
There is a Tibetan meditation practice of compassion called Tonglen, in which you breathe in suffering and breathe out love. It is meant to offer relief to yourself and others.
From the first time I learned about it, the little I tried didn’t feel good to me. And it was many years of hearing it suggested again and again, before I gave myself permission to not worry about doing it or liking it or not liking it. The bottom line was: The practice was painful for me.
I was partially goaded on by the idea of “No pain, no gain.” Eventually I came to understand that statement as a very limited truth — so often misapplied or misrepresented as a universal truth.
Yes, pain leads to growth — sometimes — given the right context and capacity.
It’s also true that sometimes pain kills you! Sometimes it sets you way back. Sometimes it comes unbidden and slows you down for reasons you eventually understand — or not.
This diagram is a gesture of encouragement to do what resonates for your unique composition and cultural context. And to trust your inner experience of that. There is so much to learn from those that have come before, but nobody knows you better than you.
See my Hands of Zen Zenn Diagram to help you explore and find your natural path of unfolding.
ℤ∈ℕn Diagrams ⊙ 2023 by Maja Apolonia Rode
