29:01

Round Robin: Shamata And Tonglen

by Lama Tsomo

Rated
4.8
Type
guided
Activity
Meditation
Suitable for
Beginners
Plays
286

Craving a longer session? During the Shamata section of this practice, Lama Tsomo uses an image of White Tara for an object of focus. White Tara image is not required. You can use any image that creates a sense of calm and has a single point you can focus on. If you don’t have an image, you can choose a spot on the floor. Once the mind is settled, you shift focusing on compassion with plenty of time to soak it in and breathe it out.

ShamataTonglenCompassionThoughtsBreathingFocusCalmUniversal CompassionPosture AlignmentSamatha MeditationThought ObservationBuddha Belly BreathingTongue TechniqueCompassion VisualizationsPosturesTara VisualizationsTechniquesVisualizations

Transcript

Your back is straight,

Relaxed,

Supple,

Like that marionette hanging from the ceiling from the back top of your head.

So your chin naturally comes down just a bit and you're breathing gently through your mouth.

Your jaw is very relaxed.

For extra credit,

You can touch the tip of your tongue to where your upper palate needs your teeth.

It sort of closes a loop,

An energetic loop.

Eyes gazing downward as you're paying attention to the process of breath.

You notice….

Let your belly hang out like a Buddha belly.

Let your belly hang out like a Buddha belly.

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Clouds.

Keeping the in-breaths and out-breaths equal.

So we aren't weighed down too much by the suffering,

Nor are we skimming over it with just breathing out the happy clouds.

And now we breathe for everyone in this room who by now we know has suffered many different things.

We imagine they've suffered a similar one to our present theme at some time or another.

And in the ever-present now we can breathe for them.

So these dark clouds are coming in from many directions into our hearts.

And by the power of our compassionate intent from in our hearts,

We can draw in through our hearts and then out to everyone here the spacious bright glowing clouds in great abundance and power to all of them.

Everyone here.

We want to take away this suffering from everyone here and we genuinely want everyone here to be happy,

Ultimately happy,

Always.

So we work with this breath and visualization which aid our intent.

And now we expand this theme.

So for example,

If it's about hunger we can imagine all different swaths of people and animals all over the world,

Including this country,

That are hungry.

So we breathe in that suffering.

We don't want them to suffer.

And we breathe out abundance,

Joy,

Happiness in their full form always to every one of them.

Or if it's about sickness it can be the various populations who are ill and we breathe for them.

Whatever the suffering,

Whatever your theme,

You can do this.

And now we breathe for all beings on the earth who have suffered an extreme version of this theme,

Whatever your theme is,

At some time or another.

We don't want them to suffer.

We don't want any of them to suffer at all.

So we breathe in all of that suffering from all directions as these dense heavy clouds right into our hearts.

And our compassionate hearts are like a doorway through which all of the suffering can pass into the great ocean of oneness.

And from that ocean,

A quality of which is ultimate happiness,

Joy.

We can exhale abundant clouds,

Bright spacious clouds in all directions to all beings.

And now we open our eyes again and switch to shamatha,

Again with the object of support being this image of white Tara.

But we'll let go of that label and just experience the image.

If you're feeling a bit dull and sleepy,

Raise your gaze a little bit to perhaps the tuktor,

The top just above her head.

There's an extra sort of part that enlightened beings have that's called a tuktor.

You're just looking at that image.

Or you may look at her third eye.

And if you're feeling more like your mind is agitated,

Then you bring your gaze down to the lower part of the image.

You you you you you you

Meet your Teacher

Lama TsomoMissoula, MT, USA

4.8 (34)

Recent Reviews

German

April 16, 2024

Thank you for sharing your love with me.

Kabir

December 31, 2022

Thank you

Melanie

June 17, 2022

Loved this! I’m new to tonglen - and this is the best guided version I’ve found at this point. Absolutely wonderful. Thank you!

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© 2026 Lama Tsomo. All rights reserved. All copyright in this work remains with the original creator. No part of this material may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner.

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