The story of the tree, the rock, and the blade of grass  •  flexibility, steadiness, resilience: these are the qualities that are cultivated in meditation practice  •  rooted and flexible; you may be knocked over, but you bounce back  •  seeming power can be quite weak and brittle, easily undermined when circumstances are hard  • the porcelain cup breaks, the lacquer cup bounces  •  from softness comes flexibility and resilience; from stillness comes engaging the world with power and strength

The first kind of effort is just showing up  •  just getting to the cushion is the hardest part  • simply  giving in and surrendering to the discipline  •  soft yet strong effort is what is called for in meditation  practice  • letting a burnt pan soak overnight; just let it sit  •  soaking our fixations, obstacles, self-doubts in the water of meditation  •  the second kind of effort is repeated effort, steady effort, like dripping water on a stone over a   very long time  • sometimes it seems like not much is  happening, but with steady effort over time you begin to see what meditation is all about

Two different aspects of thinking: the content of thoughts and the thinking process  •  where do thoughts come from? where do they go?  •  stillness of mind and activity of mind  •  like watching children in a playground  •  just return to the breath  •  not battling or trying to get rid of thoughts, but having a different relationship to thoughts  •  simply note and return to the breath  •  the technique of labeling thoughts  •  reminding ourselves that thoughts are not the boss of me

We place our mind on the outbreath, and then we let go  •  this form of mediation is based on dissolving outward, looking beyond ourselves  •  a rhythm of relaxing and regrouping, relaxing and regrouping  •  at the end of every breath there is a little momentary gap, which is a very important part of the practice  •  we place our mind on the breath, and then as it goes out, we let go  •  every breath is a mini-meditation

Our breath is our most intimate connection with life itself  •  we are continually in a process of exchanging inside and outside  •  the inbreath is taking in, and the outbreath is letting go  • the breath is the central issue that we work with in this style of meditation practice  • synchronizing mind and breathing means identifying with the breath as closely and   intimately as possible •  in meditation we are being still, but we are also connecting with the energy and movement of the breath

Sitting like a mountain: solid, immovable, content  •  meditation posture provides a container within which you can relax  •  sitting with uprightness and dignity (“head and shoulders”)  •  senses relaxed  • soft front, strong back  •  bringing strength and vulnerability together creates greater stability  • emphasizing awareness of the space around the body  •  letting the space reflect back on you

Learning to come into our body in a simple and direct way  •  psychological body vs. sensory body  • start with just being still  •  “perching” vs completely settling in like a rotting log  • noticing the effect of posture on your state of mind  •  feeling embodied whether sitting, walking, standing, or lying down •  accepting your own body and posture with tenderness and appreciation

The importance of setting clear boundaries  •  start with a clear beginning  •  sit down, slow down, and come into your body  •  take a relaxed, dignified, upright posture  •  breathe naturally and place your mind on the breath  •  focus on the outbreath with a light touch, yet with persistence: out, dissolve, gap… out, dissolve, gap  •  when you get distracted, simply bring the mind back, without judgment  •  end clearly, with the intention of taking the gentle, open, dignified attitude of meditation into your day 

This podcast consists of a series of short talks on different aspects of meditation practice  •  it is based on Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s unique presentation of meditation, which is particularly applicable to modern western practitioners  •  it includes short talks on different aspects of the basic view of the buddhadharma, and also some of the unique themes that run through Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s teachings  •  the title includes the word “dharma” because it focuses on the question of what is true experience; and it includes the word “glimpses” because breakthroughs on the path usually happen in the form of subtle glimpses, sudden breakthroughs, and flashes of inspiration… sometimes after a great deal of struggle