Love on Every Breath

A powerful Tibetan Buddhist meditation, long used to transform pain into compassion, adapted for Western audiences

Today, when our human family is facing so many challenges, it is more important than ever that we find peace and sustenance in our hearts. Love on Every Breath, or Tonglen, is an eight-step meditation for anyone who wants to nourish and open their heart. An ancient and profound meditation that has been practiced in isolated mountain retreats in the Himalayas for centuries, it is now available to us in the modern world. Lama Palden Drolma, a Western teacher trained by Tibetan Buddhist masters and also schooled in contemporary psychotherapy, introduces readers to the meditation in this powerful, user-friendly book. She walks readers step-by-step through the meditation, from beginning issues of sitting with awareness and focusing on the breath to taking in and extending love. Real-life challenges of sadness, anger, and overwhelm are addressed with “On-the-Spot” versions of the meditation. Love on Every Breath is a meditation that changes our experience in the moment — and changes our lives.

Section I — Preparation
Chapter One: Introduction: Love and Compassion
Chapter Two: Why Love on Every Breath Is So User Friendly
Chapter Three: Breath and the Energy Body

Section II — The Meditation Step by Step
Chapter Four: Resting in Open Awareness
Chapter Five: Refuge
Chapter Six: Cultivating and Uncovering Awakened Mind
Chapter Seven: Stepping into Love
Chapter Eight: Taking and Sending
Chapter Nine: Extending Love
Chapter Ten: Dissolution and Dedication

Section III — Love on Every Breath for Everyone
Chapter Eleven: Challenging Situations
Chapter Twelve: Love on Every Breath for Christians, Other Faiths and Secular Humanists
Chapter Thirteen: Conclusion

Appendix I: Outline of Complete Meditation Love on Every Breath
Appendix II: Outline of “On the Spot” Meditation