Deepening Shamatha with the Help of a Tonglen (Taking & Sending) Variation

Lately, I’ve been devoting my practice time to deepening my experience of shamatha. I may even commit to focusing primarily on concentration practice for the entire year. I just have a hunch that my practice can only benefit from cultivating a more relaxed, vivid attention. I’m really trying to take my time with it, assuming that it trying REALLY hard and focusing too much on results are antithetical to developing balance and calm.

I tried something during practice this morning that I found very helpful, and wanted to share it with you all.

When meditating with the breath, I often find that some locations of my body feel pleasant and relaxed more quickly, while others are more difficult to influence. I also find that if I focus too intently on the pleasurable spots, the not-so pleasurable zones tend to tense up and either feel painful and dull. Sometimes frustration will arise in response, as I really want to be able to spread the rapture and happiness from some areas to others. When this doesn’t work, frustration can linger.

This was happening during practice this morning. At some point I remembered the practice of Tonglen, or “taking and sending” as Ken McLeod calls it. This is a practice where one breaths in the intention to take-in the suffering of others, and breaths out as an offering of compassion and peace to others. I decided to practice a variation of taking and sending in response to what I was dealing with, regarding my body. Breathing in, I cultivated happiness in calm in the areas where this was possible; breathing out, I offered it to the areas of my body that were suffering - again and again.

I didn’t do this for as long as I would have liked, because my timer let me know it was time to go to work. But, I did notice that some of the suffering/contracted areas began to open up; though, some stayed the same. What’s more significant, I think, is that my attitude in relation to the difficult body sensations began to change. I had much more equanimity, and became less invested in whether or not things changed for my benefit. Increasing a sense of equanimity was helpful in relaxing and quieting the mind, and the overall sense of calm and contentment also increased – if only incrementally.

This is one example of how I’m beginning to learn the usefulness of skillful fabrication: the art of consciously influencing body, speech, and mind to cultivate qualities that help us on the path. For me, practice is becoming less and less of a mechanical process of, “do this, than this, than this,” and more of a process of learning how to utilize creativity and intelligence to solve problems in the present moment, in terms of core Buddhist teachings like the Four Noble Truths, dependent co-arising, and the inseparability of wisdom and compassion.

Thoughts?

-Jackson

I didn’t do this for as long as I would have liked, because my timer let me know it was time to go to work. But, I did notice that some of the suffering/contracted areas began to open up; though, some stayed the same. What’s more significant, I think, is that my attitude in relation to the difficult body sensations began to change.


-awouldbehipster

A change in attitude and relationship with my own sensations are what really got me solidly interested in cultivating a persistent meditation practice. The first time I was able to understand what people meant by "raw sensation" or "raw data" really blew my hair back. I think you've accidentally pointed out to me here that sensation and attitude are more fundamentally intertwined than I may have noticed. I sort of ssumed that sensations were just sensations regardless of what "I" thought of them but maybe it's something like once the sensation and attitude see each other they both become something different. That's not very articulate but it's difficult to describe.

"I sort of [assumed] that sensations were just sensations regardless of
what 'I' thought of them but maybe it's something like once the
sensation and attitude see each other they both become something
different. That's not very articulate but it's difficult to describe." -Duane

That's an interesting, and very poetic, way of describing your experience I like it.

When I read your response, I immediately thought of this article by Thanissaro:

"De-perception"
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/deperception.html

In the first paragraph, he writes:

"Meditation teaches you the power of your perceptions. You come to see
how the labels you apply to things, the images with which you visualize
things, have a huge influence over what you see, how they can weigh you
down with suffering and stress. As the meditation develops, though, it
gives you the tools you need to gain freedom from that influence."

I think you'll like the rest of it!
-Jackson

Source:

"De-perception",
by Thanissaro Bhikkhu. Access to Insight, 5 June 2010,
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/thanissaro/deperception.html .
Retrieved on 8 January 2012.

Thanks for this Jackson.

I've only being using the technique of recognising the discomforts I feel when sitting are arising from emptiness. I find it pretty effective.

I'm going to try this “taking and sending” as an alternative. Partly because I seem to have aquired a bit of compassion fatigue and it would be good (I feel) for me to expend some compassion toward parts of myself. So, as well as healing the pains it may also help to get my compassionate part functioning again.

How has the technique worked for you since you told us about it?

I also appreciate your point about being creative and experimental with one's own practice, or as you put it so eloquently...

.....the usefulness of skillful fabrication: the art of consciously influencing body, speech, and mind to cultivate qualities that help us on the path.