Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Gegye Rinpoche 05/01/2025

Episode Date: May 9, 2025

The Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art presents a weekly meditation for beginners and skilled meditators alike. Each episode is inspired by a different work of art from the Museum’s collection and is led by a prominent meditation teacher.The episode begins with an opening talk followed by a 20-minute meditation. In this episode, the guided meditation begins at 16:10.Teacher: Gegye Yongyal Tulku RinpocheTheme: Compassion Vajra; Tibet; 18th century; metal; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; gift from the collection of Jane Werner-Aye; SC2022.3.2.1Learn more about the Rubin’s work around the world at rubinmuseum.org.

Welcome to the Mindfulness Meditation Podcast presented by the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, a global museum dedicated to bringing greater awareness and understanding of Himalayan art to people around the world. I'm your host, Tashi Churden. Every Thursday, we offer a meditation session at New York Insight Meditation Center that draws inspiration from an artwork from the Rubin's collection and is led by a prominent meditation teacher. This podcast is a recording of our weekly in-person practice.

The description of each episode includes information about the theme for that week's session and an image of the related artwork. Our Mindfulness Meditation podcast is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, The Interdependence Project, and Parabola Magazine and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism. And now, please enjoy your practice. Hello, everybody.

Good afternoon and Tashi Delek. Welcome, welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program at New York Insight Meditation Center. I'm Tashi Chodron, Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador. And I'm delighted to be a host today. It's a beautiful day outside and wonderful to see so many of you here. Thank you.

The Rubin is a global museum dedicated to preserving and presenting Himalayan culture and art and its insight. And we're so glad to have all of you join us in person and online for this weekly program where we combine art and meditation. So inspired by our collection, we will first take a deep look at work of art, and then we will have a short set, and teacher Gege Yonge Tuku Rumbuche will give us instruction as well as a short set, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Let's take a look at today's theme and artwork. So this month we are exploring on the theme of compassion, and the artwork that we have selected, the Rumbuche is actually handpicked. It's this beautiful Vajra, origin Tibet, dated 18th century. This is about one inch into four into one inch. It's very small.

And this is a ritual object. The connection to the theme for the month of compassion, the Vajra represents method. Skillful means compassion action. And often you will see Vajra and bell in pair. So the bell represents wisdom. So may this Vajra serves as a visual reminder for us to more fully integrate compassion into a compassion action into our daily lives. Now, Vajra as you see

here, beautiful lotus past the ring. There are so many petals, as you can see, on both sides of the center ring. Vajra is compared to the diamond, the strongest and most precious of stones, just as diamond can cut through anything but itself. It symbolizes the indestructible nature of diamond. In fact, you may have heard Vajrayana Buddhism, which is one of the three yanas, and that is the Tibetan Buddhism, the indestructible nature. The Vajra is often held in the right hand. You will often see deity like Vajrasattva holding the Vajra in the right hand, and bell is often on the left resting in the lap. The living teachers will be holding Vajra Sathava holding the Vajra in the right hand, and bell is often on the left resting in the lap. The living teachers will be holding Vajra in the right hand. And I'm sure Rinpoche will speak more elaborately on the Vajra. So let's bring on our teacher for today. Our

teacher is Yonge Tuku Rinpoche. His eminence Gege Yye Tuku Rinpoche is an ordained Buddhist teacher and a prominent leader in the Kajuk Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He holds a master's degree in Buddhist philosophy and has completed extensive meditation training as the third seat reincarnate Rinpoche of Gege Tashi Choling Monastery in Ngari near Mount Kalash. He was enthroned as the tuku of the second Gege Yongge tuku Rinpoche at Gege Tashi Choling Monastery. His Holiness the 17th Yawa Kamapa conducted his hair cutting ceremony and name-giving ceremony in India. Rinpoche has mastered key areas of Buddhist philosophy. He currently serves as the president

of the Amala Center in Nepal and the Himalayan Buddhist Center Australia. Rinpoche's teachings aim to cultivate loving kindness and compassion, fostering personal transformation and bringing individuals closer to their Buddha nature. Please help me in welcoming Gege Yonge Tukuribuche. Thank you so much.. . So So, tomorrow, I'll just show the same. I'll just show the same thing. Okay. Tashi Delek to everyone.

My dharma friends, especially to Rubin Museum, New York, Insight Meditation Center, Mr. Shudran Lha, all the directors, volunteers, and the team members who made this wonderful session possible. Thank you. Since today's theme is on compassion, and I've selected the Vajra as the topic to talk about, so today's session I wanted to lead by giving a short intro about the Vajra itself, and then we can do the meditation session on the greater compassion.

So I brought this Vajra which was gifted to me by a friend. He said the design is very authentic. I don't know how is it, but I thought it would be easier if you just show and then write, explain. So the Vajra itself is like a very powerful weapon. It's like a very powerful tool. In earlier times when we see some practitioners carrying a Vajra and a bell,

then one can understand that this is a very powerful practitioner or something like that. But what does this mean from the structure itself? So I will just give the explanation of the outer. So here there are many types of Vajra like two-headed Vajra, three-headed Vajra, five-headed, nine-headed. Today we are going to talk about this five-headed Vajra as in the Shur. So these five heads are the five male Buddhas, the upper ones, and the down ones is the five female

Buddhas. Then below this what we have is the eight petals which are the eight male Bodhisattvas. Then below this we have the it's like what do you say it's like a rays of light that is showing it shows the compassion activity. Then this middle part this is the Vajradhara itself the Buddha the Buddha Vajra dhara. Below this, you can see the eight petals, these are the female eight Bodhisattvas. So this is like the rough definition of this Vajra. The reason why I'm explaining this is because I see many people these days without much knowing the meaning meaning they are just holding the Vajras and they're just using it utilizing it it's like when you hold a Vajra you are like holding a whole set of Buddhas you know Buddhas and all the Bodhisattvas it's a very powerful tool and

every time you before holding it or putting it into practice one should either do it in a very like a clean way not with dirty dirty hands or something like that. But for ordained monks and practitioners, I think it's okay. So what is the meaning of Vajra here? So as Mr. Shrinla has explained, the meaning of Vajra means method, a skillful method. So what is this skillful method?

So a direct definition of this skillful method? So a direct definition of this skillful method would be like the mind of bodhicitta. It's like the mind of the heart of Buddha. It's the heart of bodhisattvas. It's the eyes that sees all the sentient beings suffering and really works on achieving enlightenment. Either it can be one would take the responsibility by itself or one would first push the sentient beings

to enlightenment and then follow. So they are different and many kinds of bodhisattva. So this Vajra Mind is like the most special teaching and the most powerful practice in Vajrayana, I feel. Because this is the main base that separates Buddhism and other religions. Because in other practices, in other spiritual practices, I have seen many people in other practices, in other spiritual practices, I have seen many people practice emptiness, reach high level of realization. But what I don't see is the level that they're reaching,

whatever realization they are gaining, is only for themselves. So somewhere they're not being able to reach the utmost level where they should have. According to the Buddhist scriptures and texts, what it is said is like, when you open your heart, when you open your heart, open your compassion and love to one person, it is like you're unlocking the qualities of yourself. And when you open your heart to a certain group, then suddenly you're opening your knowledge and qualities

to that certain strength. So now when we practice the greater compassion, it is like you're opening your heart to all the sentient beings, to everyone, from smallest insect to the largest mammal. The reason why we need to do this is because the reality of this phenomena from smallest insect to the largest mammal. The reason why we need to do this is because the reality of this phenomena is that all the sentient beings are suffering

because of their own mental state, like the ignorance, attachment, angers. And all of this is like the root cause of suffering, where everyone is suffering. So it's like, there cause of suffering, where everyone is suffering. So it's like, there's no difference, like my suffering is greater than his suffering. You don't know this kind of suffering. I'm suffering more than you.

So it's like, because we are so self-centered and so self-concerned, we reject the thought of how others are feeling. We can find like animals practicing compassion, because we can see some animals being kind to each other. We can see even unintellectual people being kind to each other. But when we have so much, like, what do we say, this consciousness, we have studied so many books,

we have this logistic, but still we are not being able to use this logic to understand how the person next to you is feeling, like how your actions can really affect them, so this is what we should work on, I feel. Because all the problems in the world is created because of not understanding this phenomena, not understanding that the other person also feels the same way, that other person also is same as us.

So that is why we are not being able to generate the greater compassion. So these days we see people practicing so different kind of compassion. Like I'd just like to share the story and then we'll start with the session. So the story is like I had a friend who had a very good heart and he was like very, very compassionate. So one day we were sharing our talks, like our experiences,

then he told me that he had a very good two dogs, I guess. And then he was very attached and like he was so attached that he was very scared that if he travels somewhere, then the caretakers will not take good care of the, his, what do we say, pet, or someone and not look after him. So he was very concerned and something like that. So he said out of compassion, he just let it go.

And I couldn't understand the term. So I said, of compassion, he just let it go. And I couldn't understand the term. So I said, what does it mean, let it go? So he said, put it to sleep. Then it was like, I was very shocked. And learning that, I did discuss about this with some teachers and they told me that this is also a stupid practice of compassion.

Even in scientists, they believe they are like, out of, they're not, it is genuine compassion. Because what they are doing is like, out of not being able to, you know, hold, bear the suffering that, then they're letting it go. So similarly, another example would be an incident from myself, like from my childhood

when I was only six, I think seven years old. At that time, my mother told me that all these bugs you see, they still have long time until they become humans. Because she was a very like spiritual person who used to listen to many teachings. And from what she had learned is like after taking the birth of bug,

then you take some birth of another animal. And then after you take the birth of a dog, then finally you take the birth of a human. So my mother, she told me, they still have a long way to go. And me and my brother, we discussed, like, I think we can, you know, like, take it, like, make it, make this process go faster. So we did accumulate some bad karma at that time, because we had a glass full of bugs, you know, and her reaction was not as expected. So that was one, so that is what we should understand, you know,

like even when we have compassion, if we do not understand how to put it into practice, it can really bring harm to others. So here what this practice of compassion would do is like it would really make you humble, kind and the rightful way of practicing compassion not like out of compassion harming others out of like compassion what do we say thinking negative. So such actions should be stopped immediately. Now I think we'll start the session. So first please prepare in the meditative postures, the seven basic postures. your head, neck, eyes, your shoulders, your back, then your legs.

As you prepare your postures, then take long breath and then I will guide you through the session. Now visualize a lotus in front of your forehead, a white lotus right in the middle here, on top of your forehead, not straight this level. Then after getting that visualization, then visualize another red lotus to your neck, straight to your neck. And then one more lotus straight to your heart, the color is blue. So these three lotus, white, red and blue, it signifies your body, speech and mind. the white lotus shining so bright, like the white rays of diamond. And through that rays, all of your head, it's like turning into that rays. It is being filled with those rays of light. Similarly, visualize the red lotus from your neck, the rays of the red lotus growing so strong that now your neck is filled with the rays of those colors. Now again visualize the blue lotus filling your body process like the rays of light as it fills like the white, red and blue as it's filling all of your body, all the negativities, all the bad karmas, all the bad energy inside your body is being washed away now. You have turned yourself into a pure body, like the body of Buddha, with not even one small sting on it. Now, visualize the rays of light from your body to all the sentient beings in all the directions.

The universe here, the universe in the east, west, south, north, all the ten directions, all the realms. This is the light of compassion. It means you're not holding on to the sentient beings suffering and you are there for them. You are taking the responsibility. Now visualize all the rays of light to the sentient beings coming back to you all in one. All of this rays of light to sentient beings, it's all dissolving in your one body. All the sentient beings, everything, it's only one body, your holy body, all the sentient beings, all the people, they have turned into a form of light and then dissolved in you now. Now stay in this for a few minutes... Now from the top of your head slowly let the light go down, down. Like empty, empty the light from your head.

It's like reducing the light is like from, from your head it is coming, it is like being emptied down, down, down, down, down. Then from the bottom of your feet, it is also becoming empty and the ray of light will come to one source in your heart. Suddenly it's like a ball of ray of light. Turn that into one ball and make it small, small. Visualize that ray of light, the ray of wisdom turning small, small, again smaller, smaller, suddenly so small that it becomes the phenomena itself. nature of reality and stay now meditate on that emptiness for three minutes...... As I ring the bell slowly, take three long breaths and......... Thank you so much for that wonderful teaching, Rinpoche. That concludes this week's practice.

To support the Rubin and this meditation series, we invite you to become a friend of the Rubin at rubinmuseum.org slash friends. If you are looking for more inspiring content, please check out our other podcast, Awaken, which uses art to explore the dynamic paths to enlightenment and what it means to wake up. Season 4, hosted by Isabella Rossellini, delves into the Buddhist concept of attachment and explores how the practice of letting go can transform our experience of the world.

Available wherever you listen to podcasts. And to learn more about the Rubin Museum's work around the world, visit rubinmuseum.org. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.