38. How to Meditate

Master meditation teacher Robert Beatty walks us through: the basics of meditation, how to start a meditation practice, principles of mindfulness, understating the roots of suffering, how concentrating on the breath can lead to insight, and healthy vs unhealthy coping.  Guest Bio: Robert Beatty is co-author of Mindfulness for a Happy Life as well as founder and guiding teacher of the Portland Insight Meditation Community. He has worked with thousands of students and, as a practicing therapist, has created a unique synthesis of Buddhist methods of awakening and healing and those of western psychotherapy. Awake and Aware | Our 2024 Live Event Join us at Awake and Aware 2024, a transformative 3-day workshop from May 1st to 3rd in Bend, Oregon. Mitigate stress and stay cool under pressure. Create the mindset you want and lock it in. Limited slots. Website: Awakeandawarebend.com 16.25 Hours Category 1 AMA CME The Flameproof CourseThis is the hidden anti-burnout curriculum we all should have learned in training. Cohort 3 begins Sept 10, 2024. Get the deets For full show notes of this episode and all sorts of other goodies, visit our podcast website We discuss:When starting a meditation practice, the importance of knowing what your ‘fantasy’ is about meditation [06:50];Why having a meditation teacher is essential and how Ruth Denison influenced Beatty’s practice [08:30];The paradox of 2 truths:  skillful effort to restrain unwholesome mental states and the effort to bring into being wholesome mental states [12:30];Beatty’s guided meditation for the novice [15:00];What it is in mindfulness that we’re actually being mindful of [25:10];Driving a car The Headless Way [28:50];Why it is almost universal in meditation practices to use the breath as the primary meditation object [30:15];Beatty’s opinion of meditation apps [35:37];How intentionally letting go of your thoughts and concentrating on your breath can lead to deep insight [38:38];The 3 characteristics of existence and how they provide spiritual insight [42:30];Using meditation as a purification process to help you let go of stuff (or people) that cause negative emotions [48:50];A skillful way to come back to your meditation object that is not self-criticizing [51:30];The metaphor of the two arrows and how it can be applied in daily life [54:50];Healthy vs. unhealthy coping mechanisms [01:00:00];The reasons people come to meditation [01:06:00];Beatty’s aspirations [01:09:30];Why ‘should’ is such a violent word [01:10:00];And more.