Programs > Joy of Living Meditation Group Program

Series XII: Awakening Wisdom
Part IV: Deepening

I - The empty "I"

Points to consider
Though we are not often aware of it, our lives are often consumed by creating and maintaining a sense of identity. When we look for some qualities or characteristics that we can use to pinpoint this sense of self, however, we don't find anything that is stable and enduring. Indeed, when we take the time to examine our experience, we don't find any "I" at all. This very non-finding is an experience of emptiness, which frees us from the limiting beliefs we hold about ourselves and unlocks the potential of our true nature.

Questions for discussion

• In everyday life, what do you intuitively feel the "I" is? Do you think this impression is true?
• When talking about the empty "I," Mingyur Rinpoche often says that "emptiness is actually fullness." How does this relate to your own experience? How does the illusion of the "I" keep you from seeing the fullness of your being?
• Can you think of any times where you identified with a particular thought, emotion, or behavior, to the point where you believed that you and the experience were one? How did it affect your life at the time? What happened when you realized that you and the pattern were not one and the same?

Daily meditation practice
On the cushion:  Begin each session with a short period of resting in open awareness. As you rest, ask yourself, "What am I?" As your awareness lands upon each new experience, ask yourself if that particular thought, feeling, or sensation is "you." From time to time, take a break and relax, observing whatever comes up in the present moment. At the conclusion of each session, rest in open awareness for a few minutes.

Off the cushion:  As you go about your day, bring your "on the cushion" practice into your daily routine. Whenever you remember, ask yourself, "What am I?" Then simply observe each new experience and ask, "Is this 'me'?"

Reading: Joyful Wisdom 176-178

Key paragraph: The first full paragraph on page 177 of Joyful Wisdom ("Transcending this experience…valid reference point of experience.")

II. The empty "other"

Points to consider
In the same way that we rarely question the beliefs we hold about ourselves, the ideas we have about the people and things that populate our experience often go unexamined as well. When we take the time to look, we see that everything is a projection of the mind. Like dreams and reflections, the things we experience cannot be separated out from our subjective perception. Seeing the absence of any objectively established experience is the emptiness of "other," which opens the door to an experience of the world that is unburdened by expectations, hopes, and fears.

Questions for discussion

• Take a moment to observe your experience. Are you directly experiencing the world or is your perception merely a projection of the mind?
• If what we experience is just a projection of the mind, does that mean that all the people and things we encounter don't actually exist?
• How does believing that our own projections are an accurate representation of reality create suffering? What happens when we see that these perceptions are creations of the mind?

Daily meditation practice
On the cushion:  Begin each session with a short period of resting in open awareness. Next, bring your attention to your entire field of vision. Don't focus on one thing in particular. Instead, try to generate the feeling that you are looking at a reflection. With a relaxed, spacious mind, observe your experience as though you are looking into a mirror. To conclude, rest for a while in open awareness.

Off the cushion:  Throughout the day, take a moment to relax your mind, then try to feel that you are looking at reflections. Don't try too hard or push for a particular experience. Simply observe whatever comes up as though you are looking into a mirror.

Reading: Joyful Wisdom 178-81

Key paragraph: Last paragraph of page 179 to the end of the first full paragraph on page 180 of Joyful Wisdom ("Whatever we experience in terms of relative reality…a fabrication of the mind.")

III. Buddha nature blockers

Points to consider: Many of our emotional patterns and habitual thoughts lock us into a limited view of ourselves and the world around us. Mingyur Rinpoche refers to some of the more destructive patterns as "buddha nature blockers." In a nutshell, there are five of these: timidity, the tendency to habitually see ourselves as inadequate; being judgmental, meaning to constantly blame others for the challenges we face; believing untruths, in which we get caught up in distorted ideas and views; not believing truths, meaning a failure to see our potential to wake up; and self-obsession, the tendency to relate to every experience through a rigid sense of identity. Seeing these patterns for what they are is the first step in moving beyond them.

Questions for discussion

• What do you think Mingyur Rinpoche means by the term "buddha nature"? How does this relate to your own experience?
• In what way does timidity, the chronic view that we are inadequate or incomplete, keep us from realizing our full potential? In what area of your life is this tendency most evident?
• How does blaming others for our problems lock us into a pattern of suffering? Does letting go of this pattern mean that we let people off the hook who should be held accountable?
• What is the difference between having a healthy sense of self and self-obsession? How do these two manifest in your life?

Daily meditation practice
On the cushion: Begin each session with a short period of resting in open awareness. Next, observe your experience and see if you can notice the moment that the mind gets pulled into distraction. You don't need to manipulate your experience in any way, simply watch as thoughts, feelings, and sensations trigger a habitual reaction to be unaware. Close with another period of resting in open awareness.

Off the cushion: As you go about your day, see if you can notice what emotional patterns and habitual ways of thinking and behaving keep you from seeing the depths of your true nature. As you notice these tendencies, ask yourself, "Is this me?"

Reading: Joyful Wisdom 210-19

Key paragraph: Second sentence in last paragraph on page 211 of Joyful Wisdom to end of first paragraph on page 212 ("I've found over the years…emotional turmoil we suffer.")

Stabilizing Insight

Points to consider
Though flashes of insight can be deeply transformative, it takes joyful diligence to translate moments of inspiration into lasting changes. As we tread the path of meditation, there may be times when we need to shift our awareness to another element of our experience or to simply take a break when our practice feels overwhelming. Moving with the ebb and flow of practice allows for a natural evolution in our lives, in which the insights gained through meditation become integrated with our day-to-day experience.

Questions for discussion

• Working with intense or deeply ingrained habits can be difficult to do right from the beginning. How can we prepare the mind through meditation to work with these areas of our experience? What does Mingyur Rinpoche recommend with the step he refers to as "try something different"?
• Insight practice itself may elicit strong emotional responses, such as fear or resistance. What is likely to happen if we ignore such feelings and force our attention back to the object of meditation? What does Mingyur Rinpoche mean by the term "step back" and how does it relate to such experiences?
• It is often recommended that we can take a break when we feel overwhelmed by our meditation practice, but surprisingly it is also recommended that we periodically take a break when our practice is going really well. Why might this be?

Daily meditation practice
On the cushion:  Begin each session with a short period of resting in open awareness. As you rest your mind, gently bring your attention to any feelings or emotions that rise to the surface of your consciousness and see if you can find anything within those experiences that could constitute a self. Also pay attention to any fear, aversion, or resistance you may feel in response to the meditation. Do not try to change or alter your experience in any way. Simply explore your experience without any hope or expectation. To conclude your session, rest again in open presence.

Off the cushion: As you go about your day, watch how your thoughts and feelings manifest in reaction to the situations you encounter. As these reactions occur, simply ask yourself, "Is this me?" Then, simply relax and observe your experience for short periods, repeated throughout the day.

Reading: Joyful Wisdom 241-252

Key paragraph: On page 244 of Joyful Wisdom, the second sentence in the fourth full paragraph to the end of the last full paragraph ("The main exercise of insight practice…What a discovery!")

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