Defining Meditation: Awareness, Not Emptying

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” matter01:22 – Introducing Mingyur Rinpoche: A lifetime of meditation03:26 – Why Rinpoche inspires Dharma Lab04:15 – Setting intention: A short compassion micro-practice06:42 – “I’m bad at meditating”: The common misconception07:33 – Rinpoche: Meditation is easier than you think08:40 – The myth of “empty mind”09:34 – When practice feels worse before it feels better10:31 – The “waterfall experience” explained11:03 – Scientific data: Why anxiety rises in week one12:03 – How Richie measures this in studies13:00 – Even 4–5 minutes a day changes the brain14:09 – Biological markers & inflammation15:07 – Cort’s early struggles with practice15:31 – The monsoon river metaphor: clarity reveals the mind17:05 – Using everything as support for awareness18:25 – The road to Lhasa: Ups and downs in meditation20:01 – Why down periods help us grow21:20 – Two categories of meditation experience22:25 – How emotional difficulty becomes insight23:59 – Awareness shifts, not experience24:58 – States vs. traits in meditation26:03 – How awareness becomes more spontaneous over time26:18 – Practical tips for everyday practice27:06 – Rinpoche: How we learn from obstacles28:08 – Connecting with the “background of mind”29:10 – Richie: Bringing compassion into busy daily life30:59 – Cort: Using transitions as practice cues33:02 – Anytime, anywhere meditation34:23 – Final thoughts from Rinpoche34:44 – Closing gratitude

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