A piece of wisdom from
February 4, 2026 · Wednesday
The quote
“Happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It does not depend on outside events, but rather, on how we interpret them.”
— Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi · Flow State
The concept
Tonglen
The Tibetan practice of breathing in suffering, and breathing out relief, and the wider mind-training that grew around it.
When somebody is suffering, most cultures answer: distance yourself. Tibetan Buddhism answers: breathe them in. Tonglen, the practice of giving and taking through breath, is the most counterintuitive meditation in any tradition, and the mos…
A practice for today
Walk one slow block today and observe the lesson of Tonglen. The Tibetan practice of breathing in suffering, and breathing out relief, and the wider mind-training that grew around it.
From the Bhagavad Gita
Verse 5.22
ये हि संस्पर्शजा भोगा दुःखयोनय एव ते। आद्यन्तवन्तः कौन्तेय न तेषु रमते बुधः॥
“The pleasures born of contact with external objects are wombs of suffering. They have a beginning and an end. The wise do not delight in them.”
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