Dharma Glimpses with Judy Lief

The first kind of effort is just showing up  •  just getting to the cushion is the hardest part  • simply  giving in and surrendering to the discipline  •  soft yet strong effort is what is called for in meditation  practice  • letting a burnt pan soak overnight; just let it sit  •  soaking our fixations, obstacles, self-doubts in the water of meditation  •  the second kind of effort is repeated e...

Two different aspects of thinking: the content of thoughts and the thinking process  •  where do thoughts come from? where do they go?  •  stillness of mind and activity of mind  •  like watching children in a playground  •  just return to the breath  •  not battling or trying to get rid of thoughts, but having a different relationship to thoughts  •  simply note and return to the breath  •  the t...

We place our mind on the outbreath, and then we let go  •  this form of mediation is based on dissolving outward, looking beyond ourselves  •  a rhythm of relaxing and regrouping, relaxing and regrouping  •  at the end of every breath there is a little momentary gap, which is a very important part of the practice  •  we place our mind on the breath, and then as it goes out, we let go  •  every bre...

Our breath is our most intimate connection with life itself  •  we are continually in a process of exchanging inside and outside  •  the inbreath is taking in, and the outbreath is letting go  • the breath is the central issue that we work with in this style of meditation practice  • synchronizing mind and breathing means identifying with the breath as closely and   intimately as possible •  in me...

Sitting like a mountain: solid, immovable, content  •  meditation posture provides a container within which you can relax  •  sitting with uprightness and dignity (“head and shoulders”)  •  senses relaxed  • soft front, strong back  •  bringing strength and vulnerability together creates greater stability  • emphasizing awareness of the space around the body  •  letting the space reflect back on y...

Learning to come into our body in a simple and direct way  •  psychological body vs. sensory body  • start with just being still  •  “perching” vs completely settling in like a rotting log  • noticing the effect of posture on your state of mind  •  feeling embodied whether sitting, walking, standing, or lying down •  accepting your own body and posture with tenderness and appreciation

The importance of setting clear boundaries  •  start with a clear beginning  •  sit down, slow down, and come into your body  •  take a relaxed, dignified, upright posture  •  breathe naturally and place your mind on the breath  •  focus on the outbreath with a light touch, yet with persistence: out, dissolve, gap… out, dissolve, gap  •  when you get distracted, simply bring the mind back, without...

This podcast consists of a series of short talks on different aspects of meditation practice  •  it is based on Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s unique presentation of meditation, which is particularly applicable to modern western practitioners  •  it includes short talks on different aspects of the basic view of the buddhadharma, and also some of the unique themes that run through Chögyam Trungpa Rinpo...