"To the ancient Tibetan practitioners of the spiritual and religious discipline known as Bon, positive thinking was a skill to be learned and applied daily, in order to create a prosperous and fulfilled life. Bon teaches that the skillful use of thought energy is the key to empowerment. To understand and transform the nature of our own thought energy creates what they call a 'fire in the heart.' This fire is the transformed essence of thought energy waiting for skillful use through our emotions, intentions, and actions, and with its power we can work daily miracles in our own lives," writes Christopher Hansard, the leading Western practitioner of Tibetan Bon medicine and author of The Tibetan Art of Living. In this down-to-earth paperback, he talks about ways in which positive thinking can enhance all dimensions of life. He presents exercises that can be used in transforming eight common thought pollutions including envy, anger, arrogance, and selfishness.
Here is a thought exercise for transforming jealousy: "Though simple, this meditation is very effective. Sit by yourself in a quiet place. Out loud-very loud-ask your inner self to show you your jealousy both in your daily and inner life in every detail. Accost your jealousy by shouting at it to go away. Give thanks for this."
The thought exercise for transforming greed is as follows: "Go to a place of natural beauty near the sea or water, and close your eyes. Listen to the wind, the sea, or the sounds of running water. Focus on one of these sounds so that nothing else enters your mind. Now direct this sound to start eroding your greed and replacing it with an appreciation of the natural order of things and an understanding that all things come to fruition in their own time."
These two exercises are very practical and emphasize the power that the mind can have over bothersome emotions. In the rest of the book, Hansard gives further advice on using what he calls "skillful thought energy" to create benefits and success in work, finances, health and well-being, your sense of personal freedom, and your relationships with family friends, and partners.
