Tergar Institute is delighted to announce the launch of our brand new podcast series: Living Dharma!
Hosted by Justin Kelley and Tsunma Kunsang Palmo, this series brings conversations at the intersection of Buddhist wisdom and contemporary life. We will explore what it means to bring Buddhist wisdom into everyday life. Each episode features conversations with practitioners, teachers, and changemakers who are living the path in real, grounded, and inspiring ways.
To open the series, we’re deeply honored to feature Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche as our first guest.
In this inspiring and intimate conversation, Rinpoche shares his reflections on what it means to live the Dharma in today’s world — and how Buddhist teachings can support meaningful transformation across all areas of life.
A few highlights from the episode:
What Does Living Dharma Mean to Mingyur Rinpoche?
Rinpoche reflects on how the great lineage masters embodied the Dharma in the way they lived, taught, and related to the world.
Why He Chose the Monastic Life
Rinpoche speaks openly about his decision to become a monastic — from the aspiration to not getting caught up in worldly distractions, to the flexibility it offers for going on long retreats, deepening his own practice and continuing to teach with clarity and purpose.
Leadership, Visibility & Solitude
What’s it like to sit at the top of a global organization like Tergar? Rinpoche addresses a surprising question: Does he ever feel lonely in leadership?
He also responds to comments that he’s “not leading enough.” Through this lens, we explore his unique approach to leadership — one that is both gentle and grounded. “Doing a lot,” he says, doesn’t always require being at the center. There’s power in being present without control.
Engaging the World Without Being Consumed by It
Rinpoche touches on some of the most pressing issues of our time — from climate change and political polarization to anxiety — and how Buddhist practice offers tools not to escape these realities, but to meet them with awareness, resilience, and compassion.
Meditation as Inner Science
He describes meditation as a form of inner science — a way to directly explore and understand the nature of mind, emotion, and experience.
The Three Ways of Working with Kleshas
Rinpoche shares practical insights into working with difficult emotions (kleshas), highlighting three approaches:
- Abandoning
- Transforming
- Recognizing their true nature
Each method offers a different path to liberation and wisdom, depending on context and capacity.
We hope this first episode will inspire you — not only to listen but to reflect, question, and engage. Dharma is not something that lives in books or monasteries alone. It lives in each of us, in our work, in our relationships, and in the ways we respond to a changing world.