Mingyur Rinpoche has spent his life immersed in meditation practice — beginning a three-year retreat at 13, and eventually logging more than 50,000 hours of formal training. He was also a central participant in some of the earliest research Richie conducted on advanced meditators, work that helped open the door to much of the scientific exploration of meditation that followed.
Yet despite this extraordinary background, the way he teaches is remarkably simple and down-to-earth.
In this week’s Dharma Lab conversation, we look at one of the biggest misconceptions people bring to meditation: that it should feel calm or peaceful, and that difficulty means something is going wrong.
Episode Highlights
Why early meditation often feels harder — and why that’s actually progress
The monsoon river: a powerful metaphor for understanding the mind
The “road to Lhasa”: how ups and downs both deepen practice
What science shows about the first four weeks of meditation
Why even 4–5 minutes a day meaningfully changes the brain and body
How to stop fighting distractions and use them as support
Mingyur Rinpoche’s “anywhere, anytime” approach to awareness
How difficult emotions become some of the most transformative moments
A gentler, lighter, more playful way to practice
A conversation filled with warmth
Sitting with Mingyur Rinpoche always leaves us lighter. There is a quality of ease in the way he teaches — a reminder that meditation isn’t about achieving particular states, but about recognizing the awareness that’s present in every one of them.
We’re grateful to share this conversation and hope it offers a moment of spaciousness in your week.
Warmly,
Cort + Richie
REMINDER: Join us for our next Ask Me Anything live with Cort and Richie on Tuesday, December 16 @7pm Eastern Time. Please send us your questions in advance!
Chapter List
00:00 – Learning from difficulty: Why “down moments” matter
01:22 – Introducing Mingyur Rinpoche: A lifetime of meditation
03:26 – Why Rinpoche inspires Dharma Lab
04:15 – Setting intention: A short compassion micro-practice
06:42 – “I’m bad at meditating”: The common misconception
07:33 – Rinpoche: Meditation is easier than you think
08:40 – The myth of “empty mind”
09:34 – When practice feels worse before it feels better
10:31 – The “waterfall experience” explained
11:03 – Scientific data: Why anxiety rises in week one
12:03 – How Richie measures this in studies
13:00 – Even 4–5 minutes a day changes the brain
14:09 – Biological markers & inflammation
15:07 – Cort’s early struggles with practice
15:31 – The monsoon river metaphor: clarity reveals the mind
17:05 – Using everything as support for awareness
18:25 – The road to Lhasa: Ups and downs in meditation
20:01 – Why down periods help us grow
21:20 – Two categories of meditation experience
22:25 – How emotional difficulty becomes insight
23:59 – Awareness shifts, not experience
24:58 – States vs. traits in meditation
26:03 – How awareness becomes more spontaneous over time
26:18 – Practical tips for everyday practice
27:06 – Rinpoche: How we learn from obstacles
28:08 – Connecting with the “background of mind”
29:10 – Richie: Bringing compassion into busy daily life
30:59 – Cort: Using transitions as practice cues
33:02 – Anytime, anywhere meditation
34:23 – Final thoughts from Rinpoche
34:44 – Closing gratitude
