~ From a talk given by Rinpoche given at California Institute of Integral Studies on Nov. 16th , 2005 ~
There is another meditation called Tonglen, a method of working with breath and exchanging your happiness for the suffering of others.
To do this you can either visualize all beings in front of you or you can single out one person who is in great turmoil, a friend in the hospital or someone who is having difficulty or hardship, someone who is lonely or angry. You can visualize one or two people or you can visualize all of the people in Iraq or Africa.
Bodhisattva
The term bodhisattva refers to a sattva (meaning person) on a Buddhist path in pursuit of Bodhi (meaning Awakening).
In tradition of Mahayana, a bodhisattva is a person practicing the Paramita ( meaning Perfection) who aspires to be a Buddha in the future. Bodhisattva in this sense is seeking ANUTTARASAMYAKSAM BODHI (a complete and perfect awakening) through Prajna (meaning Wisdom). Perfect awakening is sought for the benefit of all sentient beings through Karuna (meaning Compassion).
A Simple Prayer For Developing Loving Kindness and Compassion
There is a saying in the Buddhist traditions:
Birds cannot fly with one wing.This means that one can never achieve the great awakening without cultivating the path of compassion as well as wisdom or emptiness.
They have two wings.
