Mindfulness Meditation at the Rubin Museum with Dolpo Tulku Rinpoche

The theme for this meditation is Beginning Again. It is inspired by an artwork from the Rubin’s collection & it will include an opening talk & a 20-min session.

Transcript

Welcome to the Mindfulness Meditation Podcast.

I'm your host,

Dawn Eshelman.

Every Wednesday at the Rubin Museum of Art in Chelsea,

We present a meditation session led by a prominent meditation teacher from the New York area.

This podcast is a recording of our weekly practice.

If you would like to join us in person,

Please visit our website at rubinmuseum.

Org slash meditation.

We are proud to be partnering with Sharon Salzberg and the teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center.

In the description for each episode,

You will find information about the theme for that week's session,

Including an image of a related artwork chosen from the Rubin Museum's permanent collection.

And now please enjoy your practice.

We are looking at the Buddha of immeasurable life here behind me.

This is Amitayus and this is a kind of a Bodhisattva like emanation of Amitayus.

And you can tell from his jewels and crown and the scarves that he's wearing that he's appearing here in this very princely Bodhisattva form.

And he holds in his hand a vase that is a representative of long life.

And behind him are these visual representations and a repetition of the Buddha over and over again.

And it's this visual form of repetition that inspires us to consider this theme beginning again within the context of our meditation practice where that really is the practice from a mindfulness perspective of letting go and focusing again on the breath or the focus,

Whatever it may be for you.

And just beginning again.

Doppo Toki Rinpoche is from the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism.

He was born into a Lama family in Do Tarap,

Doppo.

And he became a monk at the ripe old age of nine.

He was recognized to be the reincarnation of the third Doppo,

Nyingcheng Toki Rinpoche shortly thereafter.

And at 15,

He entered the Nyingma Nagyura Institute,

Which is where he studied and debated and researched all the sutra and tantra teachings of Buddha for 10 years under his holiness,

Penorvin Rinpoche.

He continues to teach at that institute now,

In addition to traveling all over the world,

Giving teachings and talks and also working on behalf of his charitable projects.

And he is very dedicated to health,

To education,

And in particular to helping a village in Nepal rebuild after the earthquake of just a couple of years ago.

So it's really an honor,

As I said,

To have him here to speak with us today.

Please welcome him.

Doppo Toki Rinpoche.

Thank you for introducing me.

Then I'm very happy to be here in Rubin Museum.

I heard about Rubin Museum,

One of my cousin brother.

He is artist from Doppo.

And I think he's also going to have something very soon here.

And then this tip,

I'm first time in United States.

I'm visiting first time.

At that time,

I'm very,

Very happy to be,

And I'm very happy to get invitation from your community.

Anyway,

Due to the time,

And I will try to finish in your lunch break.

So,

And today the program name is beginning again.

So we have to be beginning again with the new year.

And so therefore,

What we need to be to start something new,

Of course,

We need long life and peace mind.

So these two things which we needed.

So therefore,

When I get invitation,

And then also the program name,

And I have some tangas,

Some options,

I choose this long life Amitayus tangas,

Which is very nice.

I used to draw when I was young.

And my father is also artist.

So you can see maybe you are,

If you are more familiar with the Tibetan art,

This is you can see very old because the Tibetan art,

The form become with the,

Of course,

Based on India,

And then included Nepal.

So you can see some pattern,

You know,

The his throne.

So that part,

You can see there is a lot of kind of mix with an Nehwari art.

And then when you see the sky and then cloud and the pattern on the clothes,

And this is bit of from Chinese part of art.

So including together the Tibetan,

Their own form came.

So this is the color and the way of drawing.

So you can see very old special tangas.

And this long life Amitayu deities,

It's taught the practice or sadhana taught by Buddha Shakyamuni himself.

And Nyen Yuen,

I don't know,

Nyen Yuen,

How to call in English.

Nyen Yuen,

The place,

Savaka,

I think.

So that place and Buddha himself,

He taught about Amitayu's sadhana and practice.

So this is according that sutra,

They draw it.

So this is how we begin for the new or long life.

And now the long life is not enough.

Sometimes we have a lot of mental problem,

Physical problem,

Long life and mindful.

That's work.

And that gives us very happy and then pleasure of our life.

So therefore today I'm going to share with you some of mindfulness meditation,

Which I learned from Holiness Panoram Buche.

So therefore,

Normally I share with my students or my friends,

I share with general first information of meditation,

The second,

Physical posture,

And the third,

How to meditate,

And fourth,

How to deal with the thoughts.

So we don't have to talk all about that.

But in the time,

And I will like to share some of this.

And as you know,

I think they introduced me that most of you are very familiar with this meditation or this Tibetan or Himalayan culture.

So I'm quite sure you read a lot of meditation books.

But meditation is with you.

Sometimes we read so much books,

We lost.

Then we think like we know how to do meditate,

How to meditate.

But when you look at it,

Then we are out of our experience of meditation.

So therefore it's good to read,

But mainly to get good instructions,

Fitting instruction from your teacher,

And then to do it.

So that is very,

Very important.

As like your general walk,

If you had good guide,

Good experience who are guiding you,

And the every whatever you are doing,

It makes you very easy.

So it's same.

So here,

The first in this topic,

First very important is how to sit.

The physical posture is very important.

And therefore,

You know,

As she mentioned that I was in South India,

So I used to wear very light clothes.

And then now it's very cold,

I put a lot of layers so I'm not so very,

Very comfortable to sit.

But so maybe for you,

It must be easier.

So the two points is very important for the physical posture.

So one,

Sit straight,

Straight.

And the slightly you can pull back your shoulder,

You know,

Like slightly.

And then,

And then not tied up,

Steep,

Steep.

So be relaxed.

So I will,

I use very often the example like 10,

You know,

10.

When you put 10,

You need one pillar,

The middle,

But all the how to say this fabric are very flexible.

So that's the example how you sit during the meditation.

Be straight,

Don't hold up and relax your body.

So these two points,

Just in the short,

I'm sharing with you,

These two points are very important.

And the time,

The time,

If you are a beginner,

If you have 15 minutes and do two minutes,

You do meditate,

And then one minute relax,

And again,

Two minutes.

If you're getting more experience,

Then do three minutes and one minute rest.

Then after 20 or a month,

You can do for 15 minutes.

So what we say in the text,

For beginner,

Short,

Then do more.

So when you are getting more experience,

Do longer,

But not very often.

So that's a very,

The time of meditation.

Okay,

So this is the time and how to sit.

And now we go the main part of meditation,

How to,

Sorry,

How to meditate.

So therefore,

First,

Mindful on or off body.

So mind,

The second mindful on speech,

And the third mindful on the mind.

So that we will go in the rest of time.

So,

So be relaxed.

And close eyes.

And then please take breath,

Inhale and out,

Exhale but deeply three times.

Inhale,

Inhale,

Exhale,

Inhale,

Exhale.

Now,

The first step,

Mindful on body.

Just relax.

Aware all this wind energy flowing up and down through arms and feet and head.

Relax.

Focus on your head.

Crown.

Forehead.

Your eyes.

Right eyes.

Left eye.

Just relax.

Don't tighten up your eyes.

Relax your eyebrow.

Right ear,

Left ear.

Right nostril,

Left nostril.

Right jaw,

Left jaw.

And just relax your jaw.

Don't tighten your teeth.

Just relax.

And upper lips,

Lower lips.

And make it a bit smile.

Just smile a little bit.

A bit relax.

All your face skin,

Make it relax.

And the neck.

Relax your neck.

When you hold the tension,

Always your neck become very stiff.

And now relax.

Relax your shoulder,

Right and left.

And your hands.

Just relax your both hands.

Right hand,

Palm,

Thumbs,

Right thumb,

Fingers,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

Small finger,

Left hand,

Thumb,

Finger,

Middle finger,

Ring finger,

And small finger.

Palms.

Arm.

Again,

Shoulder.

And the chest.

And stomach.

And pulleys.

Just relax your stomach.

And the legs.

Both thighs.

Both knees.

Both feet.

Just relax.

And you may holding your finger,

Toes.

Don't tie it up.

Just relax your feet.

Right big toe.

Second toe.

Third,

Fourth and fifth.

Left big toe.

Second,

Third,

Fourth and fifth toes.

And the sole of both feet.

Just relax.

Relax.

And slowly focus up.

Feet,

Toes,

Knees,

Thighs,

Stomach and heart.

Heart.

Heart.

And now slowly we go to the second stage.

Focus on sound.

The out,

Out sound.

The fan sound.

The car.

Whatever sound is sounding you.

Just don't judge.

Let it be there.

Don't think they are disturbing your meditation.

Just pick one sound and let it go.

And focus on another sound.

The train sound.

Very deep.

Silent.

And now focus inside sound.

While you breathe.

Just be aware there is a sound.

Relax.

Don't be nervous.

Just focus there.

And the sound comes to you.

You can realize how long you are breathing.

Okay.

Now we go to the third stage.

Mindful on mind.

Just be there.

Relax.

Don't judge.

Don't be nervous.

Okay.

So now it's about how to deal with thoughts.

So you can,

Whenever you realize your thought is out,

Then immediately you can drink.

At the sun,

Sometime just watch on your thought.

You can be watcher and look at your mind.

What mind is thinking.

What plan is making.

Just watch it.

So see now when you be a watcher your mind,

The mind becomes naturally in meditation.

You can think while but it will stop.

So that's how you control your thoughts.

Without pushing,

Just let it be there and watch the mind contact on your object.

There is two kinds of methods how to deal with thoughts.

One directly stop your thinking and one just be a watcher.

Through that you feel,

You get experience of mind,

What is about mind.

And relax.

Mind relax.

Relax and relax.

Thank you.

That concludes this week's practice.

If you'd like to attend in person,

Please check out our website,

Rubinmuseum.

Org slash meditation to learn more.

Sessions are free to Rubin Museum members.

Just one of the many benefits of membership.

Thank you for listening.

Have a mindful day.

Reviews

💖🙏

Calming, peaceful meditation.

Besutiful

Very good thank you

That was kind of Awesome!

Thank you🌟

Thank you. Namaste.

Meditation simplified. Thank you

Oh so gental. Thank you for taking me where I needed to go and setting me free to watch my mind do what it does. Thank you for showing me the way.

Fabulous thank you

Excellent!

Wonderful! Thank you.

Opening comments from llama followed by 10 minutes of meditation.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

A brief talk and the a guided meditation. The time went quickly and now feel very centered. Probably great for beginners also. Learning to be a watcher of our minds.