Calming the Mind: The Practice of Awareness Meditation

Mingyur Rinpoche opens by asking the audience why they came to learn meditation. He argues that awareness is already present in everyone, since even saying “I have none” shows you are aware, and that meditation means becoming familiar with the mind. He describes the “monkey mind” that magnifies small problems, with stories of a friend’s broken leg, a worry about a belly, an upset over wrinkles and an airport guard who proved friendly, and calls seeing this process wisdom. Wisdom and experience are the two wings of practice. He explains the method of giving the monkey mind a part-time job, gives posture instructions, and leads a guided sitting with sound as the object. He applies it to anger, panic and everyday tasks, then returns to wisdom, experience and basic goodness.