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38. How to Meditate

Jan 25, 2021

In this podcast, master meditation teacher Robert Beatty discusses the basics of meditation, starting a meditation practice, mindfulness principles, and healthy coping mechanisms. He also explores the paradoxes of meditation and shares personal insights gained from long-term practice. The podcast delves into the concepts of impermanence, compassion, self-hatred, and self-acceptance. The speakers emphasize the importance of living in the present moment, finding balance and gratitude, and turning towards difficult emotions with the help of meditation.

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Introduction

00:00 • 2min

Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation

02:07 • 21min

The Practice of Meditation

22:58 • 25min

Applying Compassion and Reflecting on Impermanence

48:28 • 2min

Cultivating Awareness and Letting Self-Hatred Die

50:57 • 3min

Exploring Noting and the Metaphor of the Two Arrows in Meditation

53:39 • 6min

Coping Mechanisms and Living in the Present Moment

59:37 • 7min

Exploring Meditation and Self-Acceptance

01:06:48 • 7min

Master meditation teacher Robert Beatty walks us through: the basics of meditation, how to start a meditation practice, principles of mindfulness, understating the roots of suffering, how concentrating on the breath can lead to insight, and healthy vs unhealthy coping.

Guest Bio: Robert Beatty is co-author of Mindfulness for a Happy Life as well as founder and guiding teacher of the Portland Insight Meditation Community. He has worked with thousands of students and, as a practicing therapist, has created a unique synthesis of Buddhist methods of awakening and healing and those of western psychotherapy.

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For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website

We discuss:

When starting a meditation practice, the importance of knowing what your ‘fantasy’ is about meditation [06:50];
Why having a meditation teacher is essential and how Ruth Denison influenced Beatty’s practice [08:30];
The paradox of 2 truths: skillful effort to restrain unwholesome mental states and the effort to bring into being wholesome mental states [12:30];
Beatty’s guided meditation for the novice [15:00];
What it is in mindfulness that we’re actually being mindful of [25:10];
Driving a car The Headless Way [28:50];
Why it is almost universal in meditation practices to use the breath as the primary meditation object [30:15];
Beatty’s opinion of meditation apps [35:37];
How intentionally letting go of your thoughts and concentrating on your breath can lead to deep insight [38:38];
The 3 characteristics of existence and how they provide spiritual insight [42:30];
Using meditation as a purification process to help you let go of stuff (or people) that cause negative emotions [48:50];
A skillful way to come back to your meditation object that is not self-criticizing [51:30];
The metaphor of the two arrows and how it can be applied in daily life [54:50];
Healthy vs. unhealthy coping mechanisms [01:00:00];
The reasons people come to meditation [01:06:00];
Beatty’s aspirations [01:09:30];
Why ‘should’ is such a violent word [01:10:00];
And more.