6 Start Where You Are

T

here are two slogansthat go along with the
tonglen practice: “Sending and taking should be
practiced alternately. / These two should ride the
breath”—which is actually a description of tonglen
and how it works—and “Begin the sequence of send-
ing and taking with yourself.”

The slogan “Begin the sequence of sending and tak-
ing with yourself” is getting at the point that compas-
sion starts with making friends with ourselves, and
particularly with our poisons—the messy areas. As
we practice tonglen—taking and sending—and con-
template the lojong slogans, gradually it begins to
dawn on us how totally interconnected we all are.
Now people know that what we do to the rivers in
South America affects the whole world, and what we
do to the air in Alaska affects the whole world. Every-
thing is interrelated—including ourselves, so this is
very important, this making friends with ourselves.
It’s the key to a more sane, compassionate planet.
What you do for yourself—any gesture of kind-
ness, any gesture of gentleness, any gesture of hon-
esty and clear seeing toward yourself—will affect

44