Julian of Norwich and Other Tibetan Lamas

The seventh verse of Langri Thangpa’s poem reads: “In brief, I will train myself to offer benefit and joy / To all my mothers, both directly and indirectly, / And respectfully take upon myself / All the hurts and pains of my mothers.” ₁ This verse highlights the practice of tonglen or “giving and taking.” This spiritual exercise has deep connections with the Kadam school of Tibetan Buddhism, and scholar Thupten Jinpa provides this introduction to it:

‘Tonglen’ is a seemingly simple meditation practice of giving away one’s own happiness and good fortune to others and taking upon oneself their suffering and misfortune. Traditionally, the meditation is designed to enhance the cultivation of loving-kindness and compassion, two central ideals of Mahayana Buddhism. According to mind training, this practice is combined with our respiration, whereby when we breathe in, we imagine taking from all other beings the pain and misfortune, all their negative traits and behaviors. These are visualized in the form of streams of dark clouds, smoke, or even brackish water, which enter our body. Then, when we exhale, we imagine giving to others all our happiness and good fortune, as well as our virtuous traits and behaviors. These are visualized in the form of white clouds, bright lights, and streams of nectar, which enter the bodies of other beings. ₂

And the object of this meditation is “all my mothers,” all sentients beings who, in one lifetime, or in another, or in numerous lifetimes, have been my mother, my father, my friend … The practice is inscribed in one of many foundational maxims or slogans in Chekawa’s “Seven-Point Mind Training”: “Train in the two – giving and taking – alternately.” ₃ A commentary on this text of Chekawa, written by his own student, begins its teaching on this maxim with the words: “Seated on a comfortable cushion, visualize your dear mother vividly in front of you. First, to cultivate loving-kindness, reflect in this following manner: “Because she, my dear mother, first gave me this human existence …” ₄

While most certainly a meditation exercise, Chekawa points out, in his own commentary on the second half of Langri Thangpa’s seventh verse, that tonglen is also practiced with body, in actual action toward others. Reflecting on the line words, “And respectfully take upon myself / All the hurt and pains of my mothers,” Chekawa writes:

‘Respectfully,’ suggests that we take these into the depths of our hearts while contemplating the kindness of our mothers. In other words, we should practice giving and taking not merely in words but from the depths of our heart. In practice, if we give away such factors of joy as food, medicine, and so on while taking upon ourselves all the hurts and pains of sentient beings, this is a cause for achieving birth in the higher realms and attaining definitive goodness. If, however, we are not yet able to actually practice this, we should instead perform the taking mentally by engaging in the meditation of giving and taking and dedicating all the joys of this life. ₅

Tradition affirms that Chekawa dedicates himself to such practices, citing in particular his care of and charity toward lepers. ₆ Affirming what can take place in the human heart and mind through such practices, Chekawa offers the words from The Way of the Bodhisattva: “My own happiness and others’ suffering – / If I do not thoroughly exchange them, / I will not become fully enlightened; / In this cyclic existence, too, I’ll find no joy.” ₇ And he is said to have practiced this teaching unto the last moments of his earthly journey, as Sangye Gompa (1179-1250) testifies in his text, “Public Explication of Mind Training”:   

[Chekawa] embraced this as his sole heart practice such that even at the threshold of death he would say, ‘There is no more melodious sound in this world than the sound of mind training. Pray make this sound in my ears.’ And he would say, ‘From my childhood, when I first acquired language, I felt no apprehension about taking on others’ pain; rather I felt joy. Thus today I experience no discomfort. I experience only visions of the pure land.’ Thus [even at the moment of death] he entertained the thought of collecting the sufferings of all beings upon himself. ₈

Endnotes

1. Chekawa, “A Commentary on ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 287.
2. “Introduction,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, pages 3-4.
3. Sé Chilbu Chöki Gyaltsen (1121-89) “A Commentary on the ‘Seven-Point Mind Training.” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469). Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 94.
4. Sé Chilbu Chöki Gyaltsen (1121-89) “A Commentary on the ‘Seven-Point Mind Training.” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469). Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 94.
5. Chekawa, “A Commentary on ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 286. Of this verse, Geshe Rinchen Sonam writes: “The instructions tell us that we should leave out none of the countless living beings but dedicate our merit to them all with a strong wish to free them from suffering and its causes. We must do this directly, in practical ways, and also indirectly, by imagining that we are doing it. We do it from the depths of our heart with no trace of condescension but with perfect respect for those we are helping. They have all been our mothers and nurtured us, so they all equally deserve our gratitude. (Eight Verses for Training the Mind: An Oral Teaching by Geshe Sonam Rinchen. Translated and edited by Ruth Sonam. Boulder: Snow Lion, 2001, page 69.)
6. “Later, as [Chekawa] imparted this [teaching] to some lepers, some of those with perfect devotion comprehended it. One told another, and they received the teaching. Thus, it acquired the label ‘leper’s teaching.’ While at his normal residence …Chekawa would carry on his back, with assistance from younger brother … a leper woman who had lost her limbs. He gave lepers food and taught them Dharma … [H]e would cover [the leper woman] … with his cloak … He also taught methods and instructions for healing leprosy. [For all these reasons, then, mind training] became known as the ‘leper’s’ teaching.’ (Sangye Gompa (1179-1250), “Public Explication of Mind Training.” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469). Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 318.) Of the little poor man of Assisi it is written: “Then as a lover of true humility he gave himself to the service of lepers, so that while he was subjecting himself to miserable and outcast people under the yoke of servitude, he could first learn perfect contempt of himself and of the world before he could teach it to others. Surely, since he used to fear lepers more than any other group of people, grace was given to him in more abundance. He moved to the lepers and gave himself up to their service with such a humble heart that he washed their feet, bandaged their sores, drew puss from their wounds, and wiped the filth from them.” (“The Minor Legend of Saint Francis.” (1260-1263). Francis of Assisi: Early Documents. Volume Two: The Founder. Edited by Regis J Armstrong, O.F.M. Cap., J. A. Wayne Hellmann, O.F.M. Conv., and William J. Short, O.F.M. New York: New City Press, 2000, page 688.)
7. Chekawa, “A Commentary on ‘Eight Verses on Mind Training,” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok and Konchok Gyaltsen. Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 287.    
8. Sangye Gompa (1179-1250), “Public Explication of Mind Training.” Mind Training: The Great Collection. Compiled by Shonu Gyalchok (ca. fourteenth-fifteenth centuries) and Konchok Gyaltsen (1388-1469). Translated and edited by Thupten Jinpa. Somerville, MA: Wisdom Publications, 2006, page 319.