Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche - Meditation Month 2022 Part 2

In part 2 of Meditation Month 2022, Mingyur Rinpoche explores the practice of exchanging self and others, in which you imagine or sense that you become another person and, in turn, another person becomes you. Pointing out our tendency to project onto others, Mingyur Rinpoche asks us to practice exchanging ourselves with three types of people: someone you think of as less than you, someone you think of as higher than you, and someone you think of as equal to you.

Transcript

Welcome back. How was the last week's meditation? I hope you get a good time with the meditation. But normally, Of course, At the beginning, Any kind of practice of meditation, There's a lot of up and down comes. Sometimes it feels like, Oh, I did great. Some days it feels like, Oh, There's no hope for me. So it's okay. That's normal up and down. But we can learn from up and down and we can grow from up and down. So that's good. So this week we would like to explore about the second topic, The second practice of what we call exchanging self and others. So last week we tried to understand yourself and others, Right? So you have this feeling of looking for happiness, Don't want to have problem or suffering all the time. And that is not only with you, With everybody else, What we call with all beings. In the end, We all are looking for something that what we want and we don't want that something that obstacle for us. So looking for happiness, Don't want to suffer. So we understand that with all of us. And at the same time, We understand we all have deeper level of us. We have this great qualities, What we call basic in it goodness. So now today we're going to practice this more deeper level to really understand about other and yourself is what we call exchange you and you and others. So in this way, We have to kind of like imagine or we have to exchange through feeling or imagine or sense that you become other and other become you. So normally in the text, The way of Buddha Sadhguru mentioned that you can exchange someone you think, You know, Less than you, Someone you think is higher than you, Someone you think equal to you. So these three peoples in our life. So what happened normally, We have ego or pride and we not appreciate that we think people are less than us. Or we might have sometimes jealous envy, People above us. And especially we have competition with people same equal to us. And through these three type of the people, Then it make us not in peace. We have jealousy, Desire, Hatred, Pride, Confusion, Ignorant. And through that, We may sometimes feel very upset, Sometimes depressed, Sometimes feel very loss of steam. Sometimes we feel I'm nothing. Sometimes phobia. So many clashes, Emotions may come. But then if you understand all this, The basic, They all have love and compassion, On the level and they all have awareness. Awareness meaning knowing, Awareness meaning this wakeful presence of our mind. So without awareness, You cannot hear me, You cannot see me. And that awareness, Nature of this awareness is wonderful. And there's wisdom. Everybody has their unique wisdom, Unique quality, Unique talents. So we understand that. And then at the same time, We understand their perspective. What you project about them, Sometimes wrong, You know. It's partiality, Not the full picture of others. And we are stuck in our own perception about others. So how to free that if you do this, Exchanging self and other, Then it really understand about others. And that really help us to develop listening skill also. And that really help us to develop, To avoid misunderstanding. And it help us to have better communication skills. So there's a lot of benefit in our life. So let's try this practice together. So maybe first we practice that someone is, We think, Higher than us. Okay, So now please keep your spine loosely straight. And doesn't matter where you are, On cushion, On the chair, On bed, On sofa, On the ground, Doesn't matter. And now please close your eyes. And feel your body. And how you can feel your body through sensations. Sensation of the gravity in the body, Or sensation of the cold and warm, Or sensation of the pain or pleasure, Or sensation of numbness. So we can feel our body through the sensation. And doesn't matter what kind of sensation, Pleasant, Unpleasant, Happy or not happy, Tight or relaxed, It doesn't matter. The important here is just observe, Just be with this sensations. What we call mind and body together. Now think of somebody that above you, Maybe your boss, Maybe higher position of you, Maybe whatever, Maybe who knows, Maybe sometime your family members, Sometime in your friend circle, Sometime in the institute where you are part of the institute. And then that in your social circle or institute or family, If that person is higher than you, Normally you might afraid of that person. Or you're jealous, Envy. Or you don't like that person, Maybe that person is not fair. Or not understand you. Because of that, That person is mean or not good. We have a lot of projections. Now think of that person as you, And now you become that person. And how you as that person looking at you. And you can project whatever you project to that person. Now you can project to you as the eyes or the eyes of that person or the positions of that person. And in a deeper level, That person is same as you. Don't want to suffer, Don't want the problem, Looking for happiness. Every moment, Every breath. Okay now, Please relax your mind, Mind and body together, Relax for a while. Now think about somebody that normally you want to compete all the time, Your competitors. And through that competition you may get a lot of stress, A lot of. . . Mind cannot become calm and peace. The moment of you saw that person, All these clashes and strong emotion may arise. Now you can think of yourself as that person and that person is you. And now you can project whatever normally you project to that person. Now you can project to yourself, Through the eyes of that person or through the position of that person. And deeper level, That person is same as you, Wanting to be happy, Don't want to suffer. And now you can think about, You think that the person is lower than you. And normally you are proud, With a negative proud or ego, And comparing to those people, Now exchange yourself to that person. And you can. . . Proud, Project to yourself, Or you can be jealous to yourself. As same as you don't like your boss or your people higher than you, You can do the same thing. But that person is same as you, Deeper level, Looking for happiness, Don't want to suffer. And that person has basic, Innate goodness. So now wish all these three persons, Higher, Same level, Lower than you, Fundamental level, Same. They are all looking for happiness, Don't want to suffer. Same by you. May all of you have happiness and the causes of happiness. May all of you free from suffering and the causes of suffering. Okay, So this part is finished, So this is just for example. But style, You can choose whatever your way. So the basic thing is, You put yourself to the eyes of the other, Or position of the other, And look at yourself. So this way you can understand the others better, And at the same time yourself also better. So this exchanging self and other practice is finished, And next week we will explore even deeper practice, What we call buddhicitta. So buddhicitta is to develop this love and compassion to all beings, And wanting all beings to connect with their true nature. And I want to help that. So that's the buddhicitta, So hopefully we will meet again. Thank you.

Reviews

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Very interesting !🙏

Thank you Mingyur for this meditation and waiting for the boddicita one and if you want some more here in Insight 😊🙏♥️
So much love

Interesting to trade places with others to see our common desires to be happy and to avoid suffering. Thank you!

What a delight! Great practice.