Scott Tusa, a meditation teacher and Buddhism mentor shares practical tips, guided meditations, and Buddhist wisdom to help you develop more confidence, inner wisdom, and joy in your meditation practice.
Scott has spent the last 23 years exploring how to embody and live meaningfully through the Buddhist path, including nine years as a Buddhist monk.
Since 2008, he has been teaching Buddhist meditation in group and one-to-one settings in the United States, Europe, Latin America, and online, bringing Buddhist wisdom to modern meditators, helping them to cultivate a transformative meditation practice and live with more clarity, love, and purpose.
Thanks Scott. Having lead a very goal oriented life I’ve struggled with this constantly in my meditation practice. Your suggestion of intention/aspiration and returning to that as needed sounds very helpful.
Really appreciate this topic! I don't think I've ever heard anyone speak about "home" quite in this way, which is refreshing. It's something I've contemplated a lot and I'm inspired to think about 'taking refuge' in a whole new way. Thanks! 🙏
Thanks, Scott. This resonates and is a topic for me to ponder. There are terms for this in (Gaician) Spanish (morriña) and Portuguese/Cape Verdean saudade/sodade... These have always resonated with me, though I am a native speaker of English. I appreciate your practice and your generous sharing. I feel connected.
I always enjoy your talks Scott. The way you referenced FLUIDITY really resonated with me. This is a helpful and practical way for me to relate to the inevitable difficulties that will arise in my life. Thank you!
Thank you ! When we focus on the process rather than who we want to be one day yields better results than wishing to be someone than we are not . If this is what we want to be is not living in the present moments and overly wishing to be someone better more kind, more loving is like anxiety thinking pattern . This is my understanding 😊 .
By thinking we get more into thinking especially when some disturbing emotions comes up and I end up more fighting with my enemy in my head who is right who is wrong 😅 and it triggered more emotion and complicated . What practise do you suggest when I am so caught with my thinking instead of observing or BEING ? I am more doing ( thinking , changing , fixing etc ) than Being.
contraction is a reaction to suffering and it perpetually suffering . Yes , it sure does throughout the years I like to be control of certain things but this in control action in fact control me .May I know where I can find the teaching on how to open up gradually from you
There are many Buddhist teachings on this, as “opening up” is what happens as we journey on our path of learning, contemplating, and meditating. Maybe you can start by checking out my guided meditations on this channel. I also have more content at scotttusa.com 🙏🏼
Hi, this hit home to realize how my mind gets overwhelmed with a hunger to master something or do more, be a better person, more loving, supportive whatever. It's not that great! But to stop and drop. I can stop the momentum and cheer up on the spot with what I've learned so far. Thanks Scott for what you offer out. It is truly amazing to have these teachings.
@scott_tusa In fairness , I didn't listen to the rest of the video. When I hear someone say to keep your eyes open or closed, it leaves too much room for ambiguity as a person is left guessing as to what "feels" most right to them. I have to say that after listening to the rest,the experience made more sense.
Can you say more? I thought Sharon gave us an excellent resource for settling down in such a short time! Of course, not all approaches/practices work for everyone, so perhaps this one didn’t speak to you so much. And that’s OK!
Fantastic tips! I've struggled with setting aside dedicated time for meditation, so the idea of incorporating it into my daily activities is intriguing. Your insights have motivated me to give it a shot. Thank you!
Awesome to hear! There are so many ways to approach meditation. Sometimes we get fixated on a certain form it needs to take. For me, what’s more important is the ideas or views that are fueling meditation. Put another way, where can meditation take us? How do we use it as a way to work with the fundamental predicament of life?
In your analogy of the grinding stone and the knife, is the grinding stone the Path and the knife is the mind? If so, as we practice are we wearing down the path as we sharpen the mind? I might be pushing it too far but I was captured by that description. Great video!
Great question! Usually the knife represents the insight that develops in the mind through study, reflection, and meditation. The grinding stone would be the path. So as we practice the path both the knife and the path exhaust themselves. But through that exhaustion we end up with the phenomena of a sharp knife! Ie. Insight into the nature of reality.
🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation: 00:00 🏞️ *Lama Pema Dragpa, a resident Dharma teacher at Padma Samye Ling, re-joins the host for a continuation of their previous discussion.* 00:26 🗣️ *The discussion is motivated by their recent participation in a spiritual transmission event in Mexico.* 01:08 👨🏫 *Lama Pema Dragpa has been serving as a Dharma teacher since 2004. He is also a senior editor of over 25 books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation.* 02:03 📚 *The Lama is the author of "An integral view of Tibetan Buddhism: preserving lineage wisdom in the 21st century".* 06:12 🔄 *Lineage, within the context of Tibetan Buddhism, refers to the supportive structures that help individuals loosen their predefined self-perceptions and accept fuller, less rigid versions of themselves. * 07:09 🎯 *The focus shifts to the understanding of a 'bigger self' beyond the confines of individualism. * 14:08 🐚 *Lineage acts as a container, promoting the breakdown of the limited sense of self, thus preventing hyper fragmentation.* 18:23 ➰ *Lineage is also a loop of feedback that keeps the individual from circling in their self-absorbed ideas and thoughts.* 22:04 ⛔ *Lineage is a responsibility, and it is crucial not to dishonor or water down this connection when communicating to the next person.* 23:16 📞 *Lineage can be seen as a game of telephone, but encased in a container that provides safeguard against dilution or distortion.* 24:25 📖 *Lineage in Tibetan Buddhism consists two types: the scriptural type and the learned type achieved through being around enacted wisdom from masters. * 25:47 🌐 *The concept of a "living lineage" involves immersing oneself in the teachings, and being shaped by the experience, akin to stepping into a mirror that reveals your true self.* 28:17 🔂 *The teachings of Buddhism rely on a flexible approach, allowing for adaptation and change, while expressing and maintaining core, unchanging truths.* 38:16 🔬 *Buddhism is interested in promoting practices that invite one to question truth in general and to move the mind away from its rigid perceptions. It uses beliefs to facilitate investigation, without ending at the belief itself.* 43:58 🧩 *The power of Buddhist lineages relies on promoting a reflexive contemplation. They help individuals recognize their own beliefs and then challenge them, teaching one how to think and be curious. * 44:55 🕰️ *Beliefs in Buddhism can range from simple to complex, including concepts like karma and cause-and-effect, but they are used as part of a process for potential self-discovery and transformation.* 46:21 🎭 *Our human tendency towards storytelling and suspension of disbelief can be leveraged in Buddhist practice. The challenge is to remember it's a narrative and enjoy the process while maintaining a wider perspective.* 48:08 ⚖️ *Buddhism acknowledges difference between unhealthy and healthy beliefs. While unhealthy beliefs fuel negative grasping, healthy beliefs inspire positive grasping, while wisdom is understood as non-grasping.* 48:34 🔬 *Buddhism pays attention to both positive grasping (merit) and non-grasping (wisdom). Grasping is about operating within belief systems, while non-grasping means going beyond conditioned mind and its belief structures.* 52:05 ✍️ *Adopting and contemplating on beliefs are seen as a process to gain understanding and deepen experience in the teachings. They serve as stepping stones towards the end goal of going beyond belief.* 53:27 🔁 *Buddhism recognizes the need to temporary adopt beliefs aligning with truth and causing less harm. At the same time, there's a longing to go beyond these beliefs, making the approach unique.* 54:23 🎲 *Worldviews, equated to belief systems, come with operating principles, values and dos and don'ts, creating an entire landscape of understandings that one can adopt and dismiss, likened to changing games.* 56:02 ➡️ *Teaching in Buddhism progressively expands to include and explore more aspects of reality, extending the understanding of the reality and encouraging adaptability and fluidity.* 01:00:13 🔄 *Enabling expansion of understanding and experiences, being able to meet needs and play different games at higher levels embody the spirit of bodhichitta in Buddhism.* 01:01:35 ⚠️ *A possible threat to the preservation of Buddhist lineage is the misuse or misinterpretation of terms, causing a distortion of original teachings and concepts.* 01:06:19 💡 *Buddhism recognizes two types of truths - impure relative truth where beings are lost in confusion, and pure relative truth where beings see patterns, layers and connections more clearly.* 01:09:34 🧾 *Distinction is made between Zen (3rd Jana vehicle of the bodhisattva path) and Zogchen (9th Yana vehicle) in Tibetan Buddhism, with the difference lying in the concept of pure relative truth.* 01:11:51 🌄 *A common mistake in western interpretations of Buddhism is the removal or misunderstanding of tantric elements, leading to distortion and potential loss of the wisdom lineage of Tibetan Buddhism.* 01:12:48 📚 *There's a criticism towards "scripture only" lineage where knowledge is solely gained from reading and studying, instead of actual participation in a living lineage centered around a teacher, which offers guidance and checks, facilitating growth in ways that books can't provide.* 01:17:35 🧠 *There's a growing recognition of multiple perspectives in cognitive science, acknowledging participatory knowledge, procedural knowledge, and perspectival knowledge. This enables a shift beyond mere empiricism and rationality.* 01:18:56 🧩 *Our brains have the capacity of relevance realization, chunking large amounts of data and selecting what's most relevant, aiding in quick decision making and problem solving. This is viewed as a type of intelligence beyond IQ. * 01:20:23 💡 *AI's incredible acceleration in IQ creates a humbling situation for humans - very soon, AI will surpass human abilities in problem-solving and data processing, challenging the notion that humans are at the top of cognitive food chain.* 01:26:13 🌱 *The development of Integral or Middle Way View, which involves being willing to learn and adapt, is crucial for our minds to start allowing different pattern systems, leading to the possibility of understanding pure relative truth.* 01:29:44 💖 *Every genuine moment of connection, understanding and empathy is seen as a moment of true nature and freedom. It's the authentic expression of wisdom and compassion, marking a moment of completeness.* 01:32:37 🌼 *Aiming for openness, appreciation and connection, celebrating one's own value and the value in others, is crucial for community building and creating a better world, regardless of one's spiritual belief.* Made with HARPA AI
If you have experience with Soto Zen (which seems relevant here by its emphasis on immediate accessibility), I think a lot of us (including me) could well benefit from your perspective. Thanks, Scott!
I came across your talk today. As a relatively new dharma practitioner, I am slowly getting my head around the idea of no self. The simulation or VR discussion is really helpful.
Glad to hear it! Not self and Shunyata are deep ones. With consistent study and practice they do become more accessible. I’m hoping to offer more content on their practices in the near future 👍🏼🙏🏼
I listened to the video from beginning to end and what an amazing conversation it was! I had the good fortune to meet Paula in person this past spring, however never had a chance to have a conversation with her. Thank you so much Scott and Paula. 💛
This is fantastic. Very helpful in relaxing the tension in my head and in grounding awareness in my base. Thank you for pointing me to this meditation!
