In The Midst of Emotional Tsunamis, What Do We Do?

This piece was written by Susan Letourneau and was posted at SpritWind's blog on the 13th of Septemeber. I am reposting it here because I found it to be both timely and helpful. Again, use your own discernment... take what works and leave the rest.---Vimala

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In The Midst of Emotional Tsunamis What Do We Do?
by Susan Letourneau

As North America reels in the chaotic wake of Katrina, those of us accustomed to the comfort of American culture are reminded of the vulnerability we share with every other human on Earth. We are all, literally, in the same boat.

Just as we did when the tsunami struck, we can send money, food and prayers to New Orleans, but what do we do with the overwhelming emotions we feel as we watch the massive scope of this disaster unfold?

What do we do with our shock at the death and suffering we witness? With our grief over children’s loss of parents, and parents' loss of children? Beloved pets stranded and abandoned? Fear of more such storms in the future? Despair over the years of rebuilding ahead? What do we do with these overwhelming emotions, both our own and those of the people directly affected?

An answer to this question may lie in the Buddhist practice of “tonglen”, which is a way of using our bodies to transmute the energy of personal and global suffering through the simple act of breathing in distress and breathing out relief.

The effects of this practice are many. Buddhists believe that through this inch by inch process we can gradually reduce the level of suffering in the world while dramatically diminishing our own. The technique has the effect of penetrating the armor which imprisons the softness of our hearts. The insightful quote: “A man in armor is his armor’s slave”, reflects the dilemma we find ourselves in when we recognize that the defenses we have so carefully built up over a lifetime of unconsciousness are now holding us hostage. To the degree we are defended, we are not available to life. To the degree we are not available to life, we are deadened and numb.

The practice of tonglen can facilitate the reawakening of our childlike softness and along with it – our joy. You may wonder if this is a good thing -don’t we need all those defenses to survive in this world? A Course in Miracles would agree with the Buddhist viewpoint when it says: “My defense lies in my defenselessness.” The background to this point of view is the subject of another article, but suffice here to say that if you understand and subscribe to that viewpoint, tonglen is a way for you to begin to move into the softness of your own heart, while helping those suffering, not only in New Orleans, but everywhere in the world.

If you would like to experiment with this practice, follow these four steps:

1. Begin by intending to be in a state of openness and stillness.

2. Imagine you are breathing in dense heaviness and breathing out lightness. Imagine your whole body is breathing through all of your pores.

3. Identify a painful situation in the life of someone you care for which you would like to change. Begin to imagine breathing it into your own body, and breathing out relief in whatever form might be useful to them. Often this step will bring up feelings of fear or inadequacy in the practitioner. If this happens, breathe in these emotions for the benefit of yourself and all others who may be having similar feelings of fear. Then breathe out confidence or relief or whatever you think might help. Do this until you have a sense of balance between your in breath and out breath.

4. Expand the scope. Imagine you are doing this process for more than one person, more than for a small group - expand it to larger and larger groups. Do this practice at your own pace and as often as feels right to you. In so doing, you will feel your heart open wider and your compassion expand, and from under that compassion will begin to spring joy.

By participating in tonglen, you will give a great gift to yourself, your fellow man, and to the planet.

Susan Letourneau is a spiritual counsellor who since 1986 has been assisting others to access their inner resources.