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.
This episode moved me to tears. Mingyur Rinpoche’s analogy of the road to Lhasa --full of ups and downs, yet never off the path--landed deeply for me. For decades, my own journey toward ideals I set long ago has been marked by many highs and many lows. At times, the downs convinced me the destination was unreachable.
Hearing Mingyur’s words felt like a light turning on: the fluctuations in the experience aren’t signs of failure, they’re assurances that we’re still on the road, still progressing. Once that realization is attained, it can’t be lost.
Thank you, Cort and Richie, for bringing this fellow mystic into the space and for continually creating room for the wisdom we’re meant to encounter on our paths. May we never lose sight of our goals and dreams...and may we all arrive at our Lhasas. 🙏🏾🔥♥️
This was a great discussion on awareness and the power of presence. I didn’t know starting meditation can actually temporarily INCREASE anxiety. Great insight for those just starting out on this journey.
This episode is so helpful as much for beginners ad for more experienced meditators. I very much appreciated the way Cort explained how he is integrating awareness in every day life with moments of transition and using various entries to awareness.
Thank you for another great episode. It reminds me: if we are to grow in ‘skillful means’ in these beautiful teachings, it's so valuable to recognize the role of cultural context: there's patterned and predictable misinterpretations and missteps in viewing and practicing meditation 'round the world. Awareness of the role of cultural context and other causes of implicit understandings (modernity itself) may be key to effective teaching (of dharma, or anything else). If these patterns could be identified for each student type, we could spread the benefits of these views, practices, and ways of life more skillfully. In Western modernity, we, like any culture, gaze not exclusively at the world as it is—we gaze outwardly as we are inwardly, constructing as much as perceiving. As it is in dharma, with its encouragement to clearly see reality 'as it is', so too must it be when hoping to see the meaning and pith instructions of these practices. Extracting practices and transposing them across cultures is fraught with potential errors of misinterpretation, especially since so much of culture is implicit and taken-for-granted. What I've noticed in patterns of Western/modernity students is that we each carry layers of specific lenses that bend the light and distort the intended view and practices in patterned ways when learning dharma and meditation. Instructions on emptiness (of phenomena) bends toward "I'm supposed to empty my mind"; those on relaxation bend toward "Meditation is for relaxation, a rest stop for overworked minds"; those on Enlightenment bend toward "Working towards a sustainable high, escaping to a better place." The transmission Westward of these practices has provided illuminating misses that reveal our lenses, as well as the lenses implicit in the cultures of origin of these practices. Just as, when deciding among meditation types, dosing, and teacher characteristics for a single person, so too we do well to consider this for each culture into which these practices are introduced. Thank you for continuing to unveil so many nuances and priorities in this wonderful world of contemplative science.
This question seems odd but if you already see improvements in people who practice 5min a day for one month, then why meditate for 50 thousand hours ? Or go on retreats for two months ? Why do we switch from 5 minutes to a lot more ?
Unfortunately I live in Switzerland, so I won’t be able to participate in your QandA.
Good question, Veronique. There's really two reasons. The first is that although there are indeed benefits that happen very soon, and from a very small amount of practice, these are nowhere near the full benefits that come from deeper levels of practice. The second reason is that benefits will not be sustained without continued practice. There's a good parallel with exercise. If you start exercising, you will experience benefits right away, but they won't last if you don't continue to exercise, and there are deeper benefits from more intensive training. Does that make sense?
Thank you for responding to me. I appreciate it very much. My answer : Absolutely . Still I wish you could once explain the neuroscientific differences between 5min practitioners and long time ones. I read one of your papers long ago but what is the knowledge now ?
I had forgotten the idea that when going to Lhasa, we were approaching the final goal whether we were up or down! So, wisdom is not just in accepting these ups and downs, but to understand that we are on a path that never goes back and that we are moving towards a better understanding of ourselves and therefore, becoming more and more who we are.
Thank you so much for giving us all these great teachings.
The point of practice is to begin one breath at a time to be present and available to the truth of life…beginning in the body is a perfect place to start!!
This episode moved me to tears. Mingyur Rinpoche’s analogy of the road to Lhasa --full of ups and downs, yet never off the path--landed deeply for me. For decades, my own journey toward ideals I set long ago has been marked by many highs and many lows. At times, the downs convinced me the destination was unreachable.
Hearing Mingyur’s words felt like a light turning on: the fluctuations in the experience aren’t signs of failure, they’re assurances that we’re still on the road, still progressing. Once that realization is attained, it can’t be lost.
Thank you, Cort and Richie, for bringing this fellow mystic into the space and for continually creating room for the wisdom we’re meant to encounter on our paths. May we never lose sight of our goals and dreams...and may we all arrive at our Lhasas. 🙏🏾🔥♥️
Wonderful share, Shola
This was a great discussion on awareness and the power of presence. I didn’t know starting meditation can actually temporarily INCREASE anxiety. Great insight for those just starting out on this journey.
This episode is so helpful as much for beginners ad for more experienced meditators. I very much appreciated the way Cort explained how he is integrating awareness in every day life with moments of transition and using various entries to awareness.
Thank you
Thank you for another great episode. It reminds me: if we are to grow in ‘skillful means’ in these beautiful teachings, it's so valuable to recognize the role of cultural context: there's patterned and predictable misinterpretations and missteps in viewing and practicing meditation 'round the world. Awareness of the role of cultural context and other causes of implicit understandings (modernity itself) may be key to effective teaching (of dharma, or anything else). If these patterns could be identified for each student type, we could spread the benefits of these views, practices, and ways of life more skillfully. In Western modernity, we, like any culture, gaze not exclusively at the world as it is—we gaze outwardly as we are inwardly, constructing as much as perceiving. As it is in dharma, with its encouragement to clearly see reality 'as it is', so too must it be when hoping to see the meaning and pith instructions of these practices. Extracting practices and transposing them across cultures is fraught with potential errors of misinterpretation, especially since so much of culture is implicit and taken-for-granted. What I've noticed in patterns of Western/modernity students is that we each carry layers of specific lenses that bend the light and distort the intended view and practices in patterned ways when learning dharma and meditation. Instructions on emptiness (of phenomena) bends toward "I'm supposed to empty my mind"; those on relaxation bend toward "Meditation is for relaxation, a rest stop for overworked minds"; those on Enlightenment bend toward "Working towards a sustainable high, escaping to a better place." The transmission Westward of these practices has provided illuminating misses that reveal our lenses, as well as the lenses implicit in the cultures of origin of these practices. Just as, when deciding among meditation types, dosing, and teacher characteristics for a single person, so too we do well to consider this for each culture into which these practices are introduced. Thank you for continuing to unveil so many nuances and priorities in this wonderful world of contemplative science.
Thank you for your insight, Jim
This question seems odd but if you already see improvements in people who practice 5min a day for one month, then why meditate for 50 thousand hours ? Or go on retreats for two months ? Why do we switch from 5 minutes to a lot more ?
Unfortunately I live in Switzerland, so I won’t be able to participate in your QandA.
Please put the recording on Substack or YouTube.
Good question, Veronique. There's really two reasons. The first is that although there are indeed benefits that happen very soon, and from a very small amount of practice, these are nowhere near the full benefits that come from deeper levels of practice. The second reason is that benefits will not be sustained without continued practice. There's a good parallel with exercise. If you start exercising, you will experience benefits right away, but they won't last if you don't continue to exercise, and there are deeper benefits from more intensive training. Does that make sense?
Thank you for responding to me. I appreciate it very much. My answer : Absolutely . Still I wish you could once explain the neuroscientific differences between 5min practitioners and long time ones. I read one of your papers long ago but what is the knowledge now ?
I love the pointing out that where the friction is, there's the heat of change.
Meditate, even more if its hard.
Thank you for this great sharing.
I had forgotten the idea that when going to Lhasa, we were approaching the final goal whether we were up or down! So, wisdom is not just in accepting these ups and downs, but to understand that we are on a path that never goes back and that we are moving towards a better understanding of ourselves and therefore, becoming more and more who we are.
Thank you so much for giving us all these great teachings.
Does Rimpoche give transmissions? I am in need of a Lama who gives transmissions for Vajra practice?
I enjoyed this podcast during a walk yesterday. Very inspiring conversation and thoughts! Thanks a lot for this!
Thank you
The point of practice is to begin one breath at a time to be present and available to the truth of life…beginning in the body is a perfect place to start!!
I needed to hear this right now. Thank you!
Thank you! Great share