“You may have heard me say this before, but it is the key point of the entire path, so it bears repeating: All that we are looking for in life–all the happiness, contentment, and peace of mind–is right here in the present moment. Our very own awareness is itself fundamentally pure and good. The only problem is that we get so caught up in the ups and downs of life that we don’t take the time to pause and notice what we already have.” Mingyur Rinpoche. Listen to "Three Qualities of Meditation".Ref Q 1. It is easier I think for me to use reciting a word or phrase while engaging in daily life activities versus formal meditation. The Rosary for me is a form of Prayerful mediation that is very helpful for my JRQ 3. I notice the when I use this practice while engaging in an activity that I have chosen that I feel more peaceful and calm. :) "Three qualities of Meditation" in Lesson 5.“Meditation is a mind-activity. Everywhere the mind goes, the opportunity for meditation exists. The idea that meditation is something that we only do sitting on a cushion in a particular way or at a particular time has created a lot of confusion. Yet if we can recognize awareness anywhere, anytime, we may ask why we make such a big deal out of meditation, with our cushions and mats and seven-point posture. The answer is that we have developed a very strong identification with our monkey-mind. In order to shift our identity to our natural awareness, we need aids, supports, and methods. We all need these strategies, but don’t confuse them with the true meaning of meditation. We are not training in order to to learn about objects. We are training to learn about our mind, because our mind holds the source of all possibilities—good and bad, happy and sad, sane and neurotic. Freedom exists within our very own heart and mind.” Mingyur Rinpoche three stages of meditation experience: waterfall river lake without waves Awareness is the real source of happiness. are the three stages of meditation experience, and what are their characteristics? What do you think Mingyur Rinpoche means when he says that awareness is the real source of happiness?The first – the waterfall experience – is when you begin to learn meditation. In the beginning, you may feel something good. Then, after some time, you get lost, your meditation is gone, you do not feel anything. Or some people, in the beginning, feel it is all nonsense. “This does not make any sense! What is awareness?” Or if you try to listen to sounds, or be aware of sensations in your body, you do not know if you are doing it right or wrong. “How can I tell if I am meditating or not?” Something like that.In that teaching, my father taught them about awareness. He said, "Awareness is just knowing." He normally had a mala, and he was saying, "If you rest your mind, it is like this…" [Mingyur Rinpoche holds the mala in his hands and then let go of it.] Just drop the mala, let it be. That day, I had some kind of taste of meditation, "Aha!" On that day, I connected with meditation, which was really feeling good. But then, the next day, it was gone.Some days, I felt a lot of calm, the whole body became a little bit peaceful and joyful. Some days, I felt dull – the moment of meditating I felt sleepy. And some days, my mind was restless. I felt like I meditated for twenty minutes but, actually, it was only ten or five minutes – even one minute was difficult. That is agitation. There is a lot of ups and downs. The “ups” have a feeling of joy, clarity, and non-conceptuality. There are three kinds of “ups” meditation experiences. The “downs” are dullness, sleepiness – or even if you are not sleepy, you do not know what you are doing. The mind becomes very fuzzy, with no taste of meditation. Agitation means that the mind becomes restless, or there are so many emotions.This is the waterfall experience. So why do we call it the "waterfall experience?” Because you begin to see a lot of things in your mind. Actually, it is a good sign. But, normally, thoughts, emotions, and ourselves are one. We are the emotion. We are the problem. We are the thought. But now, when we meditate, it begins to separate. The mind begins to be calm and clear, so you begin to see those things. That is why we call it the "waterfall experience.The second stage of meditation experience is the "riverlike experience.” For the riverlike meditation experience, as you meditate, again and again, you connect more and more with awareness. You see that awareness is the background of thoughts, emotions, perceptions, memories, etc. All these are being held in awareness. Awareness does not change. If you go up, there is awareness, and if you go down there is awareness, right? You can connect with awareness when you are feeling dull. If you know you are dull and you be with it, that is it! If you feel agitated, the mind becomes busier and busier, "Ah, I know, you are busy.” That is awareness, too. If you are completely confused, “Ah yeah, I am confused,” that is awareness, too. Or if you feel a little bit sleepy and just watch the sleepiness. So, everything becomes supports for meditation. Basically, your mind is just like a river: it continues, but still, there are a lot of ups and downs, the mind is moving, but it is okay. It is also easier to enter into meditation; whenever you want to meditate, there are still ups and downs, but you can meditate. Basically, your mind becomes calmer, more free, and more peaceful, and the mind becomes more pliable and workable. The monkey mind begins to build a habit to listen to you more and more. Therefore, you have some kind of freedom over the monkey mind Then, if you continue to meditate, the last meditation experience is what we call the "ocean without waves" or "lake without waves." Here, your mind becomes calm, clear, and non-conceptual. It does not mean you have no thoughts. The mind is normally grasping. It is stuck like glue onto everything. But here, you will not be stuck, you will be free. This is the non-conceptual experience: you are not being trapped in thoughts, emotions, and all of these things, even though you might have thoughts, emotions, and all these things. “Joyful” means that there is some kind of contentment at a deeper level, even though you are facing a lot of problems. At a deeper level, there is a feeling of contentment, joy, clarity, and non-conceptuality all the time. If you really meditate strongly, even while you are sleeping, all the sleep becomes meditation. In the end, it continues for twenty-four hours a day. That is what we call, "lake without waves." That is the final experience of meditation from using this technique and practice – it is the final meditation experience. At that moment, your mind becomes not only peaceful and calm but also pliable and workable, and everything becomes support for awareness. Awareness is calm, pure, and free. Awareness is the real source of happiness, and that happiness does not depend on outside circumstances. Happiness comes from within." Awareness his always there, present inside. Does not depend on or by outside circumstances. Happiness comes from within. The “ups” have a feeling of joy, clarity, and non-conceptuality. There are three kinds of “ups” meditation experiences. The “downs” are dullness, sleepiness – or even if you are not sleepy, you do not know what you are doing. The mind becomes very fuzzy, with no taste of meditation. Agitation means that the mind becomes restless, or there are so many emotions."