Mindfulness Meditation Podcast - Mindfulness Meditation with Michel Pascal

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

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 22:42.Teacher: Michel Pascal Theme: New BeginningsDipamkara Buddha; Nepal; dated by inscription 1853; pigments on cloth; Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art; gift of the Shelley and Donald Rubin Foundation; F1997.17.23Learn 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 Children. Every week, we offer a meditation session that draws inspiration from an artwork from the Rubin's collection and is led by a prominent meditation teacher. You can find more information about the related artwork. in the episode description. Our mindfulness meditation podcast is presented in partnership with Sharon Salzberg

and teachers from the New York Insight Meditation Center, the Interdependence Project, and supported by the Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism. And now, please enjoy your practice. Tashi Deleg, everyone, welcome to the Rubin Museum of Himalayan Arts Mindfulness Meditation Program. I am Tashi Churdan, Himalayan Programs and Communities Ambassador, and I'm delighted to be a host today. The Rubin is a global museum dedicated to presenting Himalayan art and its insights, and we're so glad to have all of you join us for our weekly program,

where we combine art and meditation. Inspired by our collection, we will first take a deep look at the work of art we've chosen for today. We will then hear a brief talk from our teacher, Michelle Pascal, and then we will have a short sit, 15 to 20 minutes for the meditation guided by him. Let's take a look at today's theme and artwork. The theme for the month of January is new beginnings. And the artwork for today's session is this beautiful Deepam Kara Buddha, Marme Zhe in Tibetan, origin Nepal, dated by inscription 1853.

This is a mineral pigments on cloth, Thanka. And this is about 44 and 1⁄2.3.5.8 into 2.5 inches. Dipamkara is known as the Buddha of the previous age. This refers to the age prior to the historic Buddha, Shakamuni, who lived approximately 2,500 years ago. As we look towards the future, it's important to reflect upon the past. It is taught that Dipamkara prophes Shakyamuni's future enlightenment. Dipamkara is widely revered in Nepal. Around the 17th century,

Dipamkara's rituals were popularized by Nepalese Buddhists who consider him the patron deity of merchants and almsgiving. We are able to precisely date this painting to 1853 due to its inscription. It was commissioned by Tula Dar Bujavanta Singha, most likely to be displayed in honor of a special elmsgiving festival. The celebration illustrated in the painting takes place at the Swayambuna Stupa of Kathmandu, known as Pakwa Shinkun in Tibetan, which is depicted above the central figure. In Tibetan art, Dipamkara is usually portrayed with Shakhamuni Buddha and the Bodhisattva Maitria, depicted as a Buddha. They are collectively known as the Buddhas of the three times and often presented in a three painting set.

Now let's bring on our teacher for today. Our teacher is Michelle Pascal. Michelle Pascal, a meditation teacher for 25 years, has led successful programs for prisoners which help prevent suicides and reduce re-offending. He's written 20 books on spirituality, including meditation for daily stress, 10 practices for immediate well-being known as the Medicine Voice.

He's performed at Carnegie Hall and played at the piece, concert in Times Square in September 2023. In December 2023, he presented his methods at the United Nations. Michelle, thank you so much for being here. Oh, it means I can say today. Be full of love. May all I can think be full of love. May all I can do. All I can think, all I can say, be full of love. Oh, many, pay me home. Today, today we talk about the new year, the new beginnings of our new year.

Of course, when we talk about the beginning of the new year, it doesn't exist. Because nothing begins, nothing ends. Everything is a perpetual flow, perpetual transformation. When we talk about the time, as you know, it depends on the calendar that we have created with our intelligence. For example, it's not the new year for the Tibetan people. It's another calendar for the Chinese people, for the Jewish people, for Native American people. Many, many calendars exist because time doesn't exist. As we know in science, there is no time.

It's an illusion, it's a mental projection. But we need to deal with our mental projection. We need to navigate. So let's say that we talk about a new year. What could be our new beginnings? Because of course it's a new cycle. We can say this year it's a new cycle. Like today, from this morning,

from the moment we open our eyes, it is a new cycle. Every year, it's 365 new days. And every day, it's 20 new four hours. And every hour is 60 new minutes. Like we have 60 new minutes every hour. Like we have 60 new roses. Fresh roses.

Every day when we wake up, when we have 24 hours, we receive 24 new fresh roses. Every year we receive 20365, 365, 365 fresh roses, fresh pages that we can write. and until the last day of our life, we can change our life. When we say that, it's not an opinion, it's not a belief. It's a scientific evidence. Because the brain is a neuroplasticity. The brain is changing every millisecond.

So when we talk about new beginnings, new day, new year, new cycle, new bardo, as we say in Tibetan Buddhism, what can we do? Of course, there is one thing that we need to do this year. There is one thing that we need to do today. it is to calm our mind because when we are stressed, when we overthink, it is a disaster. It's a disaster for our body.

It's a disaster for our friends, for the people that we love. It's a disaster for our pets. You know, dogs receive, for example, immediately our stress. So calming the mind is the priority

of our life how can we work how can we focus if the brain is running all the time how can we be concrete how can we be efficient how can we be creative

if we overthink doesn't work. So how can we love? How can we love someone if we are never present?

If we are stressed, if our brain is running all the time. So you see, my friends, our life, our health, our project, our relationships, all depends

on our calming mind. With stress, nothing is possible. So the question for me it's not if we need to be in peace. No, this is not the question because it's an evidence. The question is how can we be in peace when we are unable to be in peace?

I say that because many experts in spirituality talks very well about our awakening, about meditation. Just they forget that according to official data, 83% of American people suffer from money pressure every month. exactly 47% of American people are paycheck to paycheck. 83% million people of America suffer from the

money pressure. They are unable to take a breath, to think about the awakening, to think about meditation. You see the difference the theory. Of course we need to be present, we need

to calm the mind. But when we are in the 83 percent, 83% of American people struggle every day with the money pressure. And money pressure

is the first causality of stress. So how can we We calm the mind when we are in the 83% of the people of America. This is the question. Of course, it's difficult to calm the mind by yourselves. We need to be tuned by a teacher on a calming energy.

that we try with this podcast to help you to be tuned on another frequency to be relaxed so I would like to propose to you to each of you who listen this podcast to make an experience

to calm your mind when you are unable to calm your mind When you have too much pressure, money pressure, conflict, problem with your families, problem with your friends, problem of health, I would like to propose to you to listen this podcast in a stressful place. For example, if you are in New York City, I invite you to listen and listen. Listen again the replay of this podcast in Times Square. Put your headphone. Go to Times Square.

In the middle of the chaos. Sit on the red steps. You know the red stairs in Times Square. And listen this podcast. Listen. Fill. in your mind, feel in your body that you can be quiet in the middle of the chaos of Times Square. If you are not in New York, if you are in your car, if you are at the workplace, if you are in the train, if you are in a conflict in any difficult situation,

stressful situation, listen this podcast because suddenly you will reprogram your brain. You will realize it is possible

to be tuned on a calming energy in the middle of the chaos in the middle of Times Square. in the middle of the traffic, in the middle of a conflict of any money pressure. Listen this podcast.

At this moment, you will feel an experience. It's not a belief. It's an experience. You will feel the peace inside the stress. It's interesting. When we talk about meditation in America, we have a totally wrong perception of meditation. We consider meditation as a breathing work. We consider meditation as an exercise. But when we consider meditation like that, it's just 1%.

But 99% of meditation. This is long. In Tibetan, it means the transmission of energy. That I explained to you, it's not my words. It is not my opinion. It was what Sogial Rimpoche was explaining in many conferences that you can find online. It was also what was explained.

the amazing master the John Rimpotche the other master Dilgo Kience Rimpoteche the other master Shatral Rimpotche the other master Trudchik Rimpotche

Kalur Rimpotche All the Tibetan masters were explaining that meditation means Not relaxation, not to escape from the stress, from the difficulty. But to discover that inside the chaos, inside the dark, there is the life, there is the peace inside any situation. It's interesting to realize the difference.

between the cliché that we have in America about meditation. Hey, take a deep breath. And what we're explaining all the ancient Tibetan masters. Meditation is long. Long in Tibetan means transmission of energy. This is what we name in neuroscience. the neuron mirror effect. The neuron mirror effect.

And for example, Chris Vos, the famous negotiator for FBI, he explained in any conferences that he used this approach in negotiation facing terrorists, the neuron mirror effect. So I invite you for the beginning of this year to do a practice with our podcast,

not to listen our podcast, but to leave our podcast. So you pot your earphone and you go in Times Square, you go in the traffic, you go in any stressful situation to start a new experience. This is the beginning of a new year.

The beginning of a new life. Yes. Yes, we can. I can be calm in the middle of this crazy world. So let's guide the meditation in the middle of this crazy world. I hope you can listen again the replay in Times Square or in any stressful situation that you can experiment today. Let's meditate like a sky and just we close our eyes.

We are sitting down in a comfortable position. We do nothing, just we are sitting down. And we observe our mind. Our mind is like a sky. And it's true because we are made of sky. We are made by the same particles, same atoms, that you can find. in the universe.

So we are sitting down. We observe our mind. And in our sky, in the blue sky of our mind, we see some clouds, some dark clouds, dark emotions that we have kept

seen this morning maybe a fear maybe a trauma maybe some words that someone say to us we have kept dark emotions

dark clouds in the sky of our mind and we will dissolve mentally this dark clouds. So we visualize our mind like a sky. We see the dark clouds. We breathe in like a wind, hold and we dissolve the cloud. We feel like a sky is more calm, more clean, is very restorative. Amazing that we can dissolve mentally the cloud of our emotions. So let's do it again.

We visualize our mind. Our mind is like a scar. Dissolve mentally the cloud. No dark emotions. Let's do it again. We breathing like a wind dissolves the dark emotion. Immediately, we feel more calm and it's like a blue scar. And we stay like seven. It's like a pure bit like a sky in the sky. Oh, like a scar. And especially in a care practice.

practice inside a stressful situation. You will feel inside. Be crazy. And it's confirmed, it's true. I confirm also that the piece is also all time inside of you. And in this peace, you can find the presence. of the universe, the presence of the stars, the presence of the sky, the original sin. It's not to love. It is to forget of the universe. It is to forget, as we say, in Buddhism or ultimate nature.

It's interesting scientifically. We are made by the same. particles the same atoms the elements that you can find in the sky we are made of sky we are one with the sky we are a sky our organs are our planet our stomach is a planet or art is a planet we are a cosmos we are a universe But most of time we forget that. We forget all the time. To forget is really the original thing.

We forget. We can say we forget God. We can say we forget our nature of Buddha. Every religion will say the same with different words. If we are not interested by religion, by religion, we can say we forget our peace. But peace, it's like oxygen.

Like oxygen. It's all time present inside of us. So for the beginning of this new year, for this podcast, I invite you to make the experience to listen this podcast. Times Square. To listen this podcast in any stressful

situation that you can live. To feel the peace that we have with Jason, Jacqueline Tashi, to prepare this podcast for each of you.

And like that, this is the beginning of a new year. The beginning of a new life. Yes, we can. And more than to talk in a podcast, we experiment the podcast. We practice with the podcast. I wish you a happy New Year. I wish you a fantastic moment with this podcast. And I come back with you in another podcast in a few weeks. All my prayer, all my love. to each of you.

Oh, mani, be me home. Thank you so much for that, Michelle, and thank you all for joining. That concludes this week's practice. If you enjoyed this podcast or are a weekly listener, we invite you to support this series by donating and becoming a friend of the Rubin at Rubenmuseum.org slash friends. The Rubin is a non-profit that relies on the generous

support of donors like you to create meaningful experiences with Himalayan art around the world. If you are looking for more inspiring content, check out our other podcasts, Awaken, which uses art to explore the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to wake up, available wherever you listen to podcasts. And to learn more about the Rubin Museum's work around the world, sign up for our newsletter at Rubin Museum.org slash news. newsletter. Thank you for listening. Have a mindful day.