MEDITATE like a JEDI

Ego, Liberation, and Meditation - 10jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 10
1 min

Ego, Liberation, and Meditation - 10jan23

EGO: it is NOT a Sanskrit, nor a Pali word. It comes from the Greek, and was popularized in the west by a Viennese physician, more than a hundred years ago. Though NOT directly mentioned by the Buddha, its function is inferred by the second noble truth as that ancient survival mechanism which strives to use pushing, pulling, and clinging in service of our competitive reward system. And although it DOES support reproduction (and its prerequisites) in an irony worthy of O’ Henr

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 9
1 min

Death, Rebirth, and Meditation

So many people, frightened by fundamentalist’s tales of death and unfortunate rebirths, long for safety and hunger for reassurance. And, as one who dresses like the lovechild of a monk and a hippy, they often ask me what to do. I remind them, that in the numerical discourses of the Buddha, it is taught that if one trains their mind in love then an auspicious rebirth is assured; for fifty percent of the eight-fold path pertains to loving-kindness. . . 1) “Profound joy/ for ea

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Meditation, Duration, and Depth - 8jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 8
1 min

Meditation, Duration, and Depth - 8jan23

Having forged the habit of daily meditation, deepening its profundity is easy. Starting with FREQUENCY: meditate once every twelve hours and we’ll end our day of working and our night of dreaming by allowing the natural mechanisms of our brain to process all we’ve experienced. DURATION: we could use our smartphone’s count-down timer to insure our meditations are uniform in length. Five minuets the first week, ten the second, fifteen the third, and by the thirteenth week we co

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Impulsiveness, Centeredness, and Meditation

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 7
1 min

Impulsiveness, Centeredness, and Meditation

Not all forms of spontaneity are created equal. SCATTERED spontaneity is quite often the result of our aversion, craving, and clinging run amok; like that (so called) good idea you could get after doing tequila shots that could result in awaking up, the next morning, in jail. Fortunately NOT all spontaneity is scattered. Some is CENTERED. If contrivance and scatteredness were adjacent mountains then the stream that gently meanders through the valley (formed where these two mo

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Metaphors, Confusion, and Meditation - 6jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 6
2 min

Metaphors, Confusion, and Meditation - 6jan23

It is a dark irony that the metaphors created by good hearted teachers, with the intention of benefitting their befuddled students have been misunderstood by so many and (as such) have done more harm than good. Over numerous decades it has been my experience that when encountering an opaque teaching one must first explore the possibility that it is more figurative than literal, reverse engineer it from metaphor to simile, and then dig even deeper. What if the Buddha had no us

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 5
1 min

Breathing, Duality, Meditation - 5jan23

Mindfulness and meditation (together) make up twenty-five percent of the Buddha’s eight-fold path. But how could that relate to the mechanics of breathing? It all boils down to neuroscience. Inhalation is the domain of mindfulness; for each IN-breath accesses our sympathetic nervous system which is wired to notice vulnerably, passively, viscerally, and randomly. Exhalation is meditation’s home base as each OUT-breath triggers our parasympathetic nervous system to physically r

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Motivation, Goals, and Meditation - 4jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 4
1 min

Motivation, Goals, and Meditation - 4jan23

When practiced effectively meditation could function as an instrument of evolution: changing us in ways subtle and coarse, slow or sudden. Although these changes could be jarring and unexpected there is no need to fear them. Before meditation most of us sport a Yang or patriarchal world view (regardless of the shape of our reproductive organs): tending to be rigid, fearful, controlling, elitist, and competitive. The Buddha’s passive meditation could transform us, remolding ou

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HUMILIATION: the underlying fear - 3jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 3
1 min

HUMILIATION: the underlying fear - 3jan23

In the early 1980’s Rush sang, “…humiliation, the underlying fear…”. Wanna know a secret? Fear of scorn is baked into the cake of what it means to be a mammal, to be a member of: a pack, or a heard, or a tribe. We evolved to hate scorn and obscurity as if they threatened our very survival, for in a very real sense they did. We, therefore, ignore, or repress, or scold, or mock this fear at our peril. When this rather uncomfortable feeling rears its scabby head we could contemp

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Depression is NOT a Character Flaw - 2jan23

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 2
1 min

Depression is NOT a Character Flaw - 2jan23

Not all meditation teachers are created equal. Some of them are wise, many are foolish, and some are downright cruel: convincing the disabled and the vulnerable that their illnesses are character flaws and spiritual indictments. If you struggle with depression or borderline personality disorder please go to the PCRM website and find an M.D. who practices Psychiatry from a plant-based world view. Doctor Michael Greger M.D. explains how peer reviewed studies have shown a causal

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Jan 1
1 min

Death, Grief, and Depression - 1jan23

Don’t repeat my grave-side mistake. At nineteen I ignorantly thought that the spiritual path was intended to shield us from painful emotions, like a religious version of Mr. Spock. That is attitude I strove for upon learning of step father’s death. And the jaws of depression swallowed me whole. Decades later, when it was mother’s turn to die I chose to bring rawness into my meditation practice. I wept aloud in the voice of a child: pleading and pitiful. It did not stop cancer

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Depression, Loss, and Meditation - 31dec22

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 31, 2022
1 min

Depression, Loss, and Meditation - 31dec22

Depressive anxiety disorder is a thief, robbing us of time, and joy, and even hope; for who’s to say that it couldn’t return? It is imperative, therefore, to go to the PCRM website and find a plant-based psychiatrist to ensure that depression’s physical preconditions are remedied. Ironically we could harness the weight of sorrow and frenzy of fear to drive our contemplations of stress, interdependence, impermanence, and even no self. Our freedom meditations could help us to s

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 30, 2022
1 min

Ego, Illusion, and Meditation - 30dec22

Viewing No-self as literal results in either confusion or pseudo-intellectual contrivance. However viewing Anatta as a tool of the figurative (which exists only to help us better let go) dispels confusion. The first century Buddhist philosopher Nargarjuna taught in terms of the two truths: conventional mindfulness and ultimate meditation. With each inhalation we could notice our sense of self and with each exhalation our physical relaxation and mental release cause our sense

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 29, 2022
1 min

The Test of a Teacher - 29dec22

There are many meditation teachers: ordained, or not, affiliated, or independent, carbon copies, or self-styled, greedy, or generous, controlling, or laid-back. The test of a teacher is not their beauty, wealth, popularity or prestige but rather the efficacy of their instruction. When encountering a teacher: receive their instructions, apply them once every twelve hours for seven consecutive days, and then evaluate your results. Have they made you more anxious, angry, and blu

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Tao Te Ching, Comprehension, and Meditation - 28dec22

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 28, 2022
1 min

Tao Te Ching, Comprehension, and Meditation - 28dec22

I am going to tell you a secret about the Tao Te Ching. It is its own best commentary. But don’t take my word for it, put it to the test. Get a hold of the most dubious translation of Lao Tzu’s opus magus, read six chapters aloud, every 12 hours. Doing so you’ll get through all 81 chapters every week, not to mention 52 times every year. As the seasons pass, as if by magic, the author’s original intention could make itself apparent to you, even if (towards it) the translator h

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Breathing, Bliss, and Meditation - 27dec22a

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 27, 2022
1 min

Breathing, Bliss, and Meditation - 27dec22a

Let us conclude with a simple call to action In the Tibetan tradition Lamas are supported not by monasteries but by students as such the production of these livestreams, blogs, and class materials is supported by the generosity of viewers, and listeners, and readers just like you. Join our nightly livestream. Download FREE practice materials. Humans chase bliss. Our controlling tendencies often drag this intention into our practice of meditation. Ironically the most effective

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Control, Anxiety, and Meditation - 26dec22

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 26, 2022
2 min

Control, Anxiety, and Meditation - 26dec22

“If it’s to be it’s up to me…” said (or thought) all who are victims of their own controlling tendencies; but neither Lao Tzu, nor Gautama, nor all the great luminaries since, would agree. For the path of rigidity, fear, and control leads in the opposite direction as the way of being flexible, loving, and laid back; inferred by the Buddha’s fifth enlightenment factor. The amygdala is fearful and it rules our under-brain dampening our prefrontal cortex, reducing it to venal cl

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 24, 2022
2 min

Interrupting Anxiety with Contemplation

Generalized anxiety disorder is a pain in the ass, and NOT in the fun tingly way. Our under-brains evolved an amygdala and the ability to panic to help us survive, which, I’m sure we can all agree survival is a very good thing, but this mechanism, like all others, is subject to dysfunction. Although the spiritual strategies I am about to share with you could be helpful they are no substitute for the assistance of an exceptional physician, I therefore recommend using PCRM’s fr

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Turmoil's Antidote: self-talk or contemplation - 22dec22

Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 22, 2022
2 min

Turmoil's Antidote: self-talk or contemplation - 22dec22

Turmoil can sneak into our meditation and steal our peace. What are we to do about it? Purveyors of cognitive behavioral therapy (formerly known as a variation of the rational emotive approach) are enthusiastic to use deliberate action and self-talk to modify that which could seem a bit destructive. Could there be a downside? Why do so many who begin CBT presenting with anxiety eventually develop DEPRESSIVE anxiety disorder? There are some who suspect that the effort of battl

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 21, 2022
2 min

Self-esteem and Meditation - 21dec22

Enduring low self-esteem could sometimes feel like there is a small goblin nesting in our skull. Clever: he has access to all our secrets, desires, and dreads. Cruel: he deploys them, at just the right time, and in the precise amount, to do the most harm. Although some contemplations and meditations (useful and sublime) could be a helpful adjunct to psychiatric care they are no substitute. If you feel the need for professional help avail yourself of PCRM’s free service to fin

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Lama Jigme Gyatso

Dec 19, 2022
2 min

Fear and Meditation - 19dec22

Fear saved our ancestor’s lives many times over. But in our world (safe and sanitized) it often does more harm than good. After a lifetime squandered fleeing our fears of perils (accurate or distorted) we could have a moment of clarity: weary of our running and perhaps no longer certain of that from which have fled. What would the Buddha advise? Terrors could be like splinters. It is often far more harmful to dig after them with needle, tweezers, or blade than to simply allow

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MEDITATE like a JEDI​

MEDITATE like a JEDI​

MEDITATE like a JEDI

MEDITATE like a JEDI