NEWDAY - Inspired Leadership for the Greater Good

Finding Freedom Within: Mingyur Rinpoche on Joy, Fear and the Mind

• Katrina Webb • Season 1 • Episode 8

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0:00 | 42:41

In this powerful conversation, Katrina is joined by global meditation teacher, bestselling author and Tibetan Buddhist master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche. Known for his joyful presence and extraordinary ability to make ancient wisdom practical, Mingyur Rinpoche has touched millions of lives through his teachings on awareness, compassion and the nature of the mind.

From growing up with crippling panic attacks to becoming one of the most beloved teachers of meditation in the world, Mingyur Rinpoche shares a story that is both deeply human and profoundly hopeful. He speaks about spending four years in solitary retreat, his decision to leave the monastery without money or identity, and the moment he nearly died in India and experienced the mind in its purest form.

This episode invites you to reconsider how you relate to your own thoughts, how you respond to discomfort, and what freedom looks like in everyday life. It is practical, honest and full of insight that can meet you wherever you are.

Key Takeaways

  • Suffering as a teacher. Why panic attacks became Mingyur Rinpoche’s greatest source of wisdom and an opportunity to train the mind.
  • Learning to be with your mind. How meditation is less about escaping thoughts and more about changing your relationship with them.
  • Joy is a skill. Why joy is not a mood or a feeling, but a capacity you can develop through practice.
  • Fear and freedom. How meeting discomfort directly can unlock courage, clarity and compassion.
  • The power of awareness. Why noticing your breath for one second can change the trajectory of your day.
  • Identity and letting go. Lessons from leaving his monastery and living anonymously, learning what remains when everything else is removed.
  • Small practices, big transformation. Why one minute of practice every day is more powerful than perfection.

Quotes to Remember

  • "You are not your thoughts. You are the one who sees your thoughts."
  • "Panic was my greatest teacher. It showed me how to love my mind."
  • "Joy is not something you find. It is something you train."
  • "The moment you notice your breath, you are already free."
  • "Everything can be a meditation when you remember to come home to yourself."

Connect with Mingyur Rinpoche

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