The Incredible Power of Meditation.

In a rapid-paced world, rampant with external stimuli, it is hard to quiet the mind. But without a peaceful mind, it is difficult to think clearly and almost impossible to attain any type of enlightenment.

A new book by the Dalai Lama and Victor Chan entitled The Wisdom Of Forgiveness describes the story of Lobsang Tenzin, a Tibetan Buddhist, and his amazing progress in meditation. Tenzin was a freedom fighter in Tibet who was caught by the Chinese in 1959, put in prison, and later escaped to India. Knowing nothing about Buddhism initially, he developed by himself the practice of inner heat—tumo.

Tenzin was meditating in a cave above Dharamsala, when he saw an intense light, the first sign of progress in his tantric practice. He closed his eyes to see if the light would disappear, but it became more intense. Then he felt an intense heat, like a fire with shooting sparks in his navel. He transferred the heat to his heart region and discovered, to his amazement, that he had become immune to the cold.

After continuing his meditation practice for a year, he discovered he could send the heat into a central psychic channel in his body. When this happened, he entered a state of bliss that was “profound and long-lasting”.

At the suggestion of the Dalai Lama, Tenzin began to focus on tumo as the key aspect of his spiritual practice. He sought out a renowned tumo master, Khyentse Lama of Manali.

As the Dalai Lama relates:

“Khyentse Lama’s disciples practiced tumo year-round, using the wet-sheet technique. Even on coldest days—nearly completely naked. Put sheet in ice water, then squeeze, then cover body and meditate. Within few minutes, steam comes. Completely dry in less than an hour. Again soak sheet in water, then put on body. In one night, ten to thirteen sheets, like that. Then Dr. Herbert Benson of Harvard became interested in tumo. They came to Dharamsala and did some test on tumo experts living in the mountains. They were very impressed by Tenzin’s ability to generate body heat. So, with my permission, they invited him to do some tests at Harvard.”

In Boston, Tenzin was put in a lab where the temperature was at meat-cooler levels. It was so cold that the doctors testing Tenzin wore down-vests under their lab coats. After Tenzin entered a deep state of meditation, his oxygen intake dropped precipitously, needing to take only 5 or 6 breaths a minute, versus the normal 13 to 14 breaths. Soon, his temperature had risen by 10 degrees.

Later, Dr. Benson wrote a book on his study of tumo practitioners entitled MindScience: An East-West Dialogue. We quote:

“What we are finding through these experiments is that meditative processes lead to rather striking physiological changes in the body. These changes have direct health implications…any disorder is caused or made worse by stress.”

Tenzin’s amazing progress in meditation most likely came from the compassion that he had for his Chinese jailers.

The Dalai Lama was asked if forgiving your enemies can help in spiritual progress. He answered as follows:

“Yes, yes, there is no doubt. It’s crucial. It’s one of most important thing. It can change one’s life. To reduce hatred and other destructive emotions, you must develop their opposites—compassion and kindness. If you have strong compassion, strong respect for others, then forgiveness much easier. Mainly for this reason: I do not want to harm another. Forgiveness allows you to be in touch with these positive emotions. This will help with spiritual development.”