Authors: Tulku Thondup, Daniel P. Goleman
ISBN-13: 9781570628788, ISBN-10: 1570628785
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Shambhala Publications, Inc.
Date Published: October 2001
Edition: (Non-applicable)
Tulku Thondup Rinpoche, an esteemed author and teacher, was born in East Tibet and studied at the famed Dodrupchen Monastery. In 1958 he settled in India, where he taught at Indian universities for many years. He came to the United States in 1980 as a visiting scholar at Harvard University. For the past two decades he has lived in Cambridge, Massachusetts, engaging in translation and writing on Tibetan Buddhism, particularly the Nyingma teachings, under the auspices of the Buddhayana Foundation. Among his books are The Healing Power of Mind, which has been published in seventeen languages, and Boundless Healing, in twelve languages.
This book offers simple meditation techniques to awaken healing energies in the body and mind. Using Buddhist principles as a basis, Tulku Thondup has created a universal guide that anyone can use. It will benefit those who want to preserve good health as well as those who need comfort and relief from illness or mental distress. Boundless Healing offers:
• Ways to employ the four healing powers: positive images, positive words, positive feelings, and positive belief
• Detailed healing exercises that can be done individually or as part of a twelve-stage program
• Exercises for dispelling anxiety
• Healing prayers for the dying and the deceased, plus advice for helpers and survivors
These meditations draw on our innate capacity for imagination and memory, our natural enjoyment of beauty, and our deep-seated longing for a state of quiet calm. For all those who wish to become healthier, happier, and more peaceful in everyday life.
Foreword | ix | |
Acknowledgments | xi | |
Introduction | 1 | |
Part 1 | How We Can Heal | |
1 | Healing the Mind and Body | 11 |
The Peaceful Mind | 13 | |
The Mind as a Source of Negativity | 16 | |
The Path to Peaceful Feelings | 20 | |
Awareness of the Peaceful Mind | 22 | |
Positive Perception | 24 | |
Steps toward Being Happier | 26 | |
The Interconnectedness of Mind and Body | 27 | |
Using the Body to Lead the Mind | 29 | |
A Meditative View of the Body | 29 | |
2 | A Positive Approach to Meditation | 32 |
The Four Healing Powers of Mind | 33 | |
Two Ways to Apply the Four Healing Powers | 37 | |
Sources of Healing | 38 | |
Healing the Whole Body | 39 | |
3 | Benefits of Healing Meditations | 40 |
General Benefits of Healing | 41 | |
Spiritual Benefits of Healing | 42 | |
Physical Benefits of Healing Meditation | 43 | |
Delayed and Unanticipated Benefits | 46 | |
4 | Realizing the Potential to Heal | 48 |
Three States of Health | 48 | |
Four Healing Objects | 49 | |
Two Sources of Healing Power: External Objects and Ourselves | 51 | |
Three Ways of Facing a Problem | 52 | |
The Importance of a Focal Point | 53 | |
The Importance of Recognizing Enlightenment as Our True Nature | 54 | |
5 | Encouraging Our Meditation | 57 |
Some Preparations | 57 | |
Some Tips for Meditation | 59 | |
Duration of Meditation | 59 | |
Overcoming Resistance | 60 | |
Feeling Good about Meditation | 62 | |
Making It Simple | 63 | |
Avoiding Expectations | 64 | |
Staying with It | 64 | |
Rejoicing in Progress | 65 | |
Part 2 | Healing Meditations on the Mind and Body | |
6 | The Guided Meditations | 69 |
Introduction | 69 | |
The Twelve Stages of Meditation | 72 | |
Bring Your Mind Back to Your Body | 72 | |
Scan the Anatomical Details of Your Body | 76 | |
See Your Body as Made of Infinite Individual Cells | 81 | |
See Each Cell as a Cell of Light | 84 | |
See Each Cell as Vast as the Universe | 86 | |
Feel That Each Cell Is Filled with Healing Energies | 89 | |
Heal Your Body with Waves of Light and Energy | 91 | |
Perform a Special Meditation to Heal Proliferating Sick Cells (Optional) | 95 | |
Hear the Healing Sound of AH | 98 | |
Open to Healing with the Blossoming Lotus Movement | 100 | |
Open to Healing with Other Movements to Relieve Physical Ailments and Promote General Health (Optional) | 105 | |
Share the Healing Waves with Others | 110 | |
Share the Healing Waves with the Whole Universe | 111 | |
Protect Yourself with a Healing Aura (Optional) | 112 | |
Rest in Oneness with the Healing Experience | 113 | |
How to Use the Twelve Stages If You Have Little Time | 114 | |
Some Specific Healing Remedies | 117 | |
7 | Healing Meditations for Sleeping and Waking | 121 |
Meditation for Falling Asleep | 122 | |
Meditation for Waking Up | 122 | |
Dispelling Anxieties upon Sleeping or Waking | 125 | |
A Healing Aura for Sleeping and Waking | 126 | |
Part 3 | Buddhist Meditations to Heal Mind and Body | |
8 | Meditation on the Healing Buddha | 131 |
Introduction | 131 | |
The Twelve Stages of Meditation on the Healing Buddha | 143 | |
Bring Your Mind Back to Your Body | 143 | |
Visualize the Healing Buddhas with Devotion | 145 | |
With Prayers, Invoke the Blessings of the Healing Buddhas | 147 | |
Receive the Healing Blessings | 149 | |
Transform Your Body into a Body of Blessing Light and Energy | 152 | |
See That Your Body Is Made of Infinite Cells of Light and Energy | 153 | |
Feel That Each Cell Is a Boundless Pure Land of Healing Buddhas | 154 | |
Heal with the Waves of Blessing Light and Energy | 157 | |
Sing AH, the Sound of Blessing Light and Energy Waves | 160 | |
Perform the Blossoming Lotus Movement with Blessing Waves | 162 | |
Perform Other Healing Movements That Bring Blessings (Optional) | 165 | |
Share the Blessing Waves with the Whole Universe | 167 | |
Rest in Oneness with the Healing Experience | 168 | |
Dedication, Aspiration, and Benediction | 169 | |
The Healing Buddha Meditation in Brief | 170 | |
9 | Healing Meditations for the Dying and Dead | 172 |
A Buddhist Approach to Dying | 174 | |
Meditations for the Dead or Dying | 174 | |
Instructions for the Dead or Dying | 176 | |
How Helpers and Survivors Should Behave | 177 | |
Appendix 1 | Buddhist Sources of the Healing Meditations | 179 |
Appendix 2 | Answers to Some Frequently Asked Questions | 199 |
Notes | 205 | |
Glossary | 209 | |
Bibliography | 213 |