Do Your Healing Thoughts Help Others?

Do you believe that one can send healing thoughts to someone else Do you believe one can send out healing thoughts to groups of people, or even to the planet & that those healing thoughts help How, or for what reason, have you come to this conclusion

I'd very much like to hear from other PC members who believe they can send out healing thoughts (prayers? ) & those healing thoughts will make a positive contribution to the betterment of the condition of the person or persons, etc. to whom the healing thoughts were sent.

Recently I've been placing new emphasis on pursuing a Tibetan Buddhist practice called: "Tonglen". Tonglen basically means: "taking & sending". And, without going into allot of detail, it consists of taking in (breathing in) one's problems or difficulties & sending out (breathing out) healing to others who struggle with similar problems or difficulties.

Tonglen is an ancient practice dating back 2,500 years. It was brought to the west by the late Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. The practice is now taught by the Buddhist nun Ani Pema Chrodron. She advocates for it as a means of developing one's own compassion for others. However, in any of the reading I've done, she's never said anything about whether or not she (or other practitioners) believe the healing thoughts being sent out actually reach the person(s) they're being sent to & whether or not these healing thoughts actually do benefit the recipients. (Perhaps she would say it doesn't really matter. And maybe she'd be correct.)

Personally I have a pretty mechanistic view of life. I just view human beings as another species that happened to evolve on earth. So the idea that thoughts could be sent to others & that they could actually help is foreign to me. However, I get the impression there are many people who believe this is possible. And so, if you're one of those individuals, I'd very much appreciate hearing from you! THANKS!

A thought is a form of energy so it seems reasonable that a healing or positive thought would benefit a person, group, world, etc. I certainly don't believe it can hurt UNLESS I have an expectation for a specific result - that sounds more like me meddling in someone's affairs. Even when someone's circumstances seem dire, I can't know that course is right for them so I usually just meditate or pray for support to hold them up during this 'time of trial' or for 'healing' of whatever nature seems right to the Universe.

I've not heard of Tonglen until I read your post but I love the idea that my breath (another form of energy) could help someone with issues similar to mine AND help me.

Thanks for a great post that gave me pause for thought - positive thought at that!

Skeezyks, I am one of those who believe sending positive energy can help others. As Little Lulu pointed out, thoughts are a form of energy. Everything in the universe is energy. Makes sense to me that sending out energy will have an effect.

There is a kind of meidtation called "loving kindness." I once got the sense that a friend was sending me loving kindness. I only see this person every few months. I called him to ask if he was sending me loving kindness because of what I was feeling. He confirmed he was.

I don't practice any form of religion. But I do consider myself a spiritual person.I don't pray, but tell people I will send positive thoughts their way. Combine that with the fact I consider myself a skeptic. Seems kind of contidictory doesn't it? To me, whether my sending someone positive thoughts actually "does" soemthing is not important. The fact that my doing it makes me feel better because I feel I'm doing something to help another AND the fact they feel better knowing I am willing to do something for them is was is important.

I fully believe that our healing thoughts can help others. Conversely, I believe our mental energy can sometimes hold others back. Sometimes these mental/spiritual energies are conscious, sometimes subconscious.