In this episode, Axel speaks with Mingyur Rinpoche about life’s transitions and how to live a more present life. Mingyur Rinpoche is a Tibetan lama and world-renowned meditation teacher who combines traditional Buddhist wisdom with modern neuroscience. He began meditating as a child under the guidance of his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Mingyur overcame severe panic attacks through meditation, an experience that continues to inform his teachings. He leads the global Tergar Meditation Community and collaborates with scientists such as Richard Davidson to study the effects of meditation on the brain. His bestselling books include In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying, which explores how practice can transform suffering into freedom and joy.
We talk about:
- Seeing obstacles as opportunities for growth
- Mingyur’s near-death experience
- Spending more than four years on a wandering retreat
- The Tibetan Buddhist teachings on bardo, the intermediate states of life
- Mistaken identities
- The impermanence of life
- What challenging experiences can teach us
- The three senses of self
- The benefits of meditation
- The nature of mind and its qualities
- Simple ways to glimpse our true nature
- Why recognizing our true nature matters
- Working with difficult emotions such as panic
- What it means to accept something fully
- The courage to fail
- The basic goodness of human beings
For more information about Mingyur Rinpoche, visit tergar.org.
