Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is the happiest person on earth. Disciples of the retired Mingyur Rinpoche received his letter and new photographs of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche meditation game

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in a small Himalayan village on the border of Tibet and Nepal. For the son of the recognized master of Tibetan Buddhism, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, the practice of meditation became a way of life from an early age. He often ran away from home to indulge in solitary contemplation in caves near his native village. However, in these early childhood years he was plagued by such a serious illness as panic disorder, which practically excluded the possibility of communication with peers and darkened the joy of contemplating the idyllic pictures of the surrounding nature.

At the age of nine, Rinpoche went with his father to study meditation techniques at the secluded Nagi Gompa monastery located above the Kathmandu Valley. For almost three years, Tulku Urgyen instructed him in the practice of the profound methods of Mahamudra and Dzogchen, teachings that are considered secret and, as a rule, accessible only to experienced adepts. Having received detailed instructions and explanations from his father, the young student had to meditate until he gained direct experience of understanding their essence.

When he turned eleven, Mingyur Rinpoche was invited to North India, to the Sherab Ling Monastery - the residence of H.H. Tai Situ Rinpoche and one of the main monasteries of the Kagyu lineage. While there, he comprehended the wisdom of the teachings that the great translator Marpa brought to Tibet, and mastered the rituals of the Kagyu tradition under the guidance of an experienced retreat master, Lama Tsultrim. At the age of twelve he was officially recognized as E.S. Tai Situ Rinpoche as the seventh incarnation of Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Three year retreat.

Having crossed the threshold of his thirteenth birthday, he began to ask both teachers at once - his father and E.S. Tai Situ Rinpoche - to give him special permission to carry out a three-year retreat program, which was just about to begin at Sherab Ling at that time. Although it is quite unusual to hear such a request from the lips of such a young student, nevertheless, both masters gave their consent, and soon Mingyur Rinpoche was able to devote himself completely to practice, guided by the instructions of Salje Rinpoche - a very learned and experienced meditation master who spent half his life in strict retreats.

Over the next three years, Mingyur Rinpoche performed preliminary practices (ngongdro), which prepare the student for the transition to a more complex level that develops the power of concentration; tantric practices of the generation stage, where work with visual images and mantras is aimed at eliminating the illusions of dual perception; tantric practices of the completion stage, which open access to working with the subtle energies of our body; and, finally, Mahamudra, a special type of practice through which the possibility of direct comprehension of the Enlightened nature of the mind is realized.

(English: Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche; born 1975, Nepal) is a teacher and monk in the Karma Kagyu and Nyingma traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In the early 2000s, he began traveling and teaching in Europe, the USA and Asia, and founded a network of centers for the study of meditation and the practice of Buddhism, called the Tergar Meditation Community. He is the author of two best-selling books on the study of Buddhist meditation. Since June 2011 he has been on his third three-year retreat.

Mingyur Rinpoche was born in Nepal in 1975, the youngest son of the recognized master of Tibetan Buddhism Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche and Sonam Chodron, who is a descendant of two Tibetan kings Songtsen Gampo and Tisong Detsen. At the age of nine, he began to study meditation with his father, and for three years received from him in-depth instructions on the practice of the methods of Mahamudra and Dzogchen.

At the age of eleven, Mingyur Rinpoche began studying at Sherab Ling Monastery in northern India, the residence of Tai Situ Rinpoche, one of the Karma Kagyu lineage holders.
Two years later, Mingyur Rinpoche went on a traditional three-year retreat at Sherab Ling, after completing the retreat he was appointed leader of the next one - at seventeen years old, he became the youngest retreat leader in the history of Tibetan Buddhism. At the age of twenty, he was appointed acting manager of the activities of the Sherab Ling Monastery. At twenty-three he received full monastic ordination.

In 2002, at the request of H.H. Dalai Lama, Mingyur Rinpoche joined a group of other experienced Buddhist meditation practitioners who were invited to participate in research at the Weisman Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Brain Behavior at the University of Wisconsin. Then Richard Davison and Antoine Lutz, together with other scientists, conducted a series of experiments to study the effect of meditation on the brain activity of experienced practitioners.

In 2007, Rinpoche completed the Tergar Monastery in Bodh Gaya, which now serves the large number of people attending Buddhist events at this revered pilgrimage site.

Since 2010, Mingyur Rinpoche has also been the abbot of Tergar Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, which his father founded and opened a shedra (monastic college) in this monastery.

In June 2011, Mingyur Rinpoche left his monastery in Bodhgaya, leaving without money or personal belongings, to begin a three-year retreat, but without remaining in retreat as he had previously done. During this period, he travels from place to place without any plans or purpose. Before leaving the monastery, Rinpoche left a farewell letter.

“Tell me, Rinpoche, do I need to meditate on cash flow to become rich?” - the young man asks in Russian, making his way to the microphone. The hall freezes. The young lama on stage listens attentively to the interpreter and then bursts into laughter: “No, no, why! Better repeat the mantra: All money coming home.” For those in the know, this is an allusion to one of the main mantras of Tibetan Buddhism, Om mani padme hum, a wish for happiness to all living beings. And he laughs again. And then he continues quite seriously - that true meditation does not imply the achievement of momentary material benefits, but can give something more - a feeling of inner joy and true freedom.

Psychologies:

Time magazine called you "the happiest man in the world." Therefore, first of all, I want to talk to you about happiness.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche:

Great, I'm very happy! (Laughs.)

In the ordinary understanding, happiness is quite material and often depends on other people, circumstances... What do you mean when you talk about it?

J.M.R.:

For me, happiness is a state of mind. Joyful, confident, open. Peaceful, free, existing in us regardless of circumstances. If our happiness depends on the external, then it, like the stock market, will constantly fluctuate, and we will periodically find ourselves in a deep crisis. In my opinion, the secret of happiness is that it is already present in us, right now.

In Buddhism, we say that happiness is inherent in the nature of any person - regardless of how he feels at the moment. We have clarity, wisdom, joy - already now, at this very moment. And the only reason why we may not be aware of them is because of what Buddhism calls the “veil of obscurations.” She does not allow us to see our happiness in ourselves, just as fog hides a mountain lake.

People have this peculiarity: suppose you have ten qualities, of which nine are good and one is bad. What will we focus on first? Most likely, on the bad. It will haunt us, we will think about it constantly, worry, and feel guilty. In Tibet they love this metaphor: if a beggar is given a handful of diamonds, but he has never seen diamonds, does not know what they are, what their value is, he will continue to live in poverty, and at best, he will throw the diamonds somewhere in the corner of his shack .

For me, happiness is a state of mind. Joyful, confident, peaceful. Free under any circumstances

But how can you recognize that it is a diamond? That we are happy at this very moment and this happiness is genuine?

J.M.R.:

You will have to study and do practical tasks. A bird needs two wings to fly. Man also needs two wings - wisdom and method. Wisdom will give us direction, method - the ability to act. I'll tell you a story. When I first came to the US, by that time I was already meditating a lot. And my friends said that I needed to go in for sports - to keep my physical body in shape. This is correct, illnesses only distract us from practice, and do not help it.

So, I decided to take up swimming. And in the pool I immediately began to drown. My friends advised me to relax, showed me the right moves. And suddenly I remembered that as a child, in Nepal, I swam in mountain lakes - like a dog, quickly moving my hands in the water. And a minute later I swam. I just remembered what I already knew. Each of us, deep down within ourselves, already knows how to be happy. All we need is to remember this state, to get in touch with it.

When I gave your first book to my friends who were far from Buddhism to read, they said something like this: “It’s easy to talk about happiness while sitting in a monastery: there you don’t have to work, feed your family, build a relationship with your wife or husband, or raise children. I don't believe his advice will work for me."

J.M.R.:

The main human problems are universal. The monastery is the same family, only much larger than usual. There are hundreds of people there and they have to live together. They also experience fear, envy, pain. They love or hate each other. And they also have to face their problems face to face.

You completed your first three-year retreat at the age of 13 - a very different time for teenagers in the West. Have you ever had the feeling that someone chose your destiny for you, that you were deprived of your childhood?

J.M.R.:

No, because I myself have strived to meditate from a very early age. From about the age of seven or eight, I began to experience terrible panic attacks. I was afraid of thunderstorms, strangers, loud noises, and sometimes I would get terrible heart palpitations for no apparent reason. And I thought that maybe practicing meditation would help me. So I asked my mother to talk to my father and convince him to give me instructions. And at the age of 11 I was sent to India, to the Sherab Ling monastery, because I wanted to become a monk.

At the age of 13, I asked the abbot of this monastery to accept me on a three-year retreat. And I am very glad that I became a monk. I have much more time than a lay person to study my mind. In Buddhism, the human mind is often compared to a monkey that cannot sit still for a minute.

And you need to tame the monkey?

J.M.R.:

No, make friends with her! Transform this energy and use it. My panic attacks became my teachers. My idea is that our problems and difficulties can become our best friends.

Each of us, deep down within ourselves, already knows how to be happy. You just need to remember this state, get in touch with it

How?

J.M.R.:

There are three steps. The first is to recognize that there is a problem. Often our shortcomings are like our shadows and are difficult to recognize. For example, a person constantly experiences anger. For those around him, this anger is unjustified, but the person explains it by the fact that he is constantly provoked. It seems to him that he is actually nice and amiable. Such a person must first see his anger, track it through his reactions - and make friends with it. Because if we start to fight it, it will turn out that the anger has become stronger or that it is escaping our control. Or that we are frightened by the power of this emotion and want to run away from it.

So the first step is to tell the anger: “Hey, I see you!” It's pretty simple. The second step is to learn loving compassion. If we treat ourselves with loving compassion, we can treat others in the same way. If we see that our anger is the result of our fear, feelings of uncertainty, helplessness, it will be easier for us to accept its existence in ourselves and in other people. If we are tolerant of ourselves, we will become more tolerant of others. And then anger will cease to be what separates us from others, it will become what connects us. This is the source of internal transformation.

Tergar Oselling Monastery, Kathmandu, Nepal, November 2015

We will discover that our negative emotion can become a source of loving compassion. And in the third step we suddenly discover that our original nature is awareness. Absolutely free, timeless, not conditioned by concepts, clear, calm. I will offer you another image: the essence of our “I” is like a veil, it is like a haze of fog.

If we climb high into the mountains, we might see a mountain lake. If it is hidden by fog, we will not be able to see it. But it will be there, behind this haze - clean, untouched, motionless. The essence of our “I” is the same - it is hidden behind a veil of negative emotions and experiences, but at its core is freedom and joyful clarity. And this basis is the same for all people, regardless of skin color, education, religion.

How do we understand that we have managed to make friends with our problems?

J.M.R.:

You know, sometimes you just need to relax. For example, if you are trying to get rid of anger and you are becoming very tense, constantly repeat to yourself: “Hey, anger, you must become my friend! Immediately!" - then this is more likely not friendship, but suppression of anger. Relax. Give yourself a little rest. Tell yourself: “Yes, I often feel angry. I admit it."

You should not resort to meditation to get rid of some emotions: this will also suppress them. For example: “Now I will sit for 15 minutes and get rid of anxiety. Another half hour - and the fear of talking with the boss was gone.” This won't work. Try to accept your anxiety. Let her be in you. And then it will gradually begin to transform into confidence and peace.

Another sign is if, when trying to make friends with a problem, you do not expect immediate success, achievements, instant changes in your life. The flower needs time to germinate. Therefore, there is no need to strain yourself here - it is better to observe. It's like learning a foreign language - at first everything is difficult, but gradually we begin to speak easily and naturally.

You have participated in experiments to study the effects of meditation on the human brain. How it was?

J.M.R.:

Richard Davidson invited several monks to take part in them, including me. The main condition was that we all must have at least 10,000 hours of practice experience. For some it reached up to 50,000 hours. Richard asked us to do some meditation practices while he observed our brain processes using functional MRI and electrocardiograms.

It must be said that lying motionless for several hours in a stuffy white apparatus that looks like a coffin is a test in itself. Sweat is running down your face, but you can’t move, and what’s more, you have to meditate, for example, on compassion. But this was not enough, so suddenly the scientists turned on distracting sounds: a baby’s sobs, a pistol shot...

If we are tolerant of ourselves, we can become more tolerant of other people.

And what did they find?

J.M.R.:

If translated from scientific language into ordinary language, they made three discoveries. The first is neuroplasticity of the brain. That is, our brain can change and restructure in the process of life and under our influence. If previously it was believed that certain parts of the brain were responsible for certain mental disorders and this could not be changed, now scientists have realized that meditation can literally restructure the brain on a physical level. And our brain has an unlimited capacity for change.

The second discovery: meditation, unlike drugs, allows you to completely get rid of a number of mental disorders - precisely because of the neuroplasticity of the brain. Just warn readers that you still need to act gradually and at first you should combine medications and meditation - do not make sudden movements. And the third discovery: meditation has a very good effect on our physical body, immune system, ability to concentrate on complex tasks without experiencing stress.

But spending 10,000 hours in meditation is simply unrealistic for an ordinary person!

J.M.R.:

And this is not required. Eight weeks is the minimum period after which positive changes can be noticed. Davidson's experiment also involved college students who had no experience with meditation. He asked them to meditate for an hour every day for eight weeks. And then I looked at how the positive activity of their brains changed: it increased by 10–15%!

About the expert

Lama Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was born in Nepal in 1975, the son of tulku Urgyen Rinpoche. Translated from Tibetan, “tulku” means “physical body of Buddha” - this is the name given to people who have fully realized their enlightened nature and teach practices and methods of meditation. From the age of nine, Mingyur Rinpoche received instructions from his father, and at the age of 12 he was officially recognized as the seventh incarnation of the yogi Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche.

Having received a classical monastic education and spending six years in solitary meditative retreat, the young monk met the famous Chilean neuroscientist and philosopher Francisco Varela. This meeting prompted Mingyur Rinpoche to seriously study biology, neuroscience, psychology and physics. He realized that in order to convey the precious seeds of Buddhist practice to Westerners, he must learn to speak to them in the language of science.

In 2002, American neurophysiologist Richard Davidson invited Mingyur Rinpoche to take part in research at the Weisman Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Brain Function (USA). The scientist wanted to find out how meditation affects the activity of our brain. The results of this study amazed everyone. It turns out that experienced meditation practitioners like Mingyur Rinpoche can actually control brain activity and influence processes that were previously considered automatic. And, as a result, change your mental and mental state at your own request.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was born in 1975 in a small Himalayan village on the border of Tibet and Nepal. For the son of a recognized master of Tibetan Buddhism, the practice of meditation became a way of life from an early age.

At seventeen, Rinpoche became the youngest retreat leader in the history of Tibetan Buddhism.

When he was twenty years old, E.S. Tai Situ Rinpoche appointed him to act as director of Sherab Ling Monastery activities. In this new role for himself, he brought significant benefit to the monastery, opening another monastic college, where he mastered the professorial position, simultaneously combining it with the duties of the director of a three-year retreat. Until he was twenty-five years old, Rinpoche quite often devoted one or three months to solitary practice, while managing to resolve in time all the necessary issues related to the activities of the monastery. At the age of twenty-three he received full monastic ordination from E.S. Tai Situ Rinpoche.

In addition to his deep knowledge of the practical and philosophical aspects of Buddhism, Mingyur Rinpoche has a keen interest in research in the fields of psychology, physics and neuroscience. At an early age, having met the famous neuroscientist Francis Varela, who had come to Nepal to study meditation with his father, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, he organized discussions on scientific topics that began a whole series of informal conversations. Many years later, in 2002, at the urgent request of E.S. Dalai Lama Mingyur Rinpoche was among a group of other experienced Buddhist meditation practitioners who were invited to participate in research at the Weisman Laboratory of Neuroscience and Brain Behavior at the University of Wisconsin. Then Richard Davison and Antoine Lutz, together with other scientists, conducted a series of serious experiments to study the effect of meditation on the brain activity of subjects. Reports on the stunning results of this ambitious study were published in the pages of many popular publications around the world, including National Geographic and Time. Further steps in this direction were taken by scientists from research centers at Harvard, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as well as other equally reputable and authoritative scientific institutions.

In addition to his duties at Sherab Ling Monastery, Venerable Mingyur Rinpoche is also the abbot of Tergar Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal, and Tergar Rigzin Khacho Targye Ling Monastery, Bodh Gaya, India. He also regularly gives teachings in Europe, North and South America and Asia, where he oversees the activities of Tergar meditation centers and groups, the number of which is growing every year.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche - about the author

Since 1998, he has traveled around the world, teaching and consulting thousands of people, meeting and communicating with scientists and specialists from a wide variety of branches of modern science, including neurobiology, physics and psychology.

His book, The Buddha, the Brain, and the Neurophysiology of Happiness, has been published in more than twenty languages. Mingyur Rinpoche is also the founder of the Tergar Institute in Bodh Gaya, India, providing opportunities for people from all over the world to study the classical disciplines of the Buddhist tradition, as well as deepen their meditation practice.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche was personally selected by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to participate in medical research into the effects of meditation at the Weisman Laboratory of Neurophysiology and Brain Function at the University of Wisconsin.

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