The Joy of Living
A path of meditation study and practice that can be followed by anyone, regardless of religious or cultural background.
Joy Of Living Meditation Programme
The goal of this program is to help us discover a lasting contentment that is not subject to the fluctuating conditions of our lives.
Meditation for Everyday Life
It introduces meditation as a practical way to explore our inner experience, helping us become more familiar with our thoughts and emotions and to appreciate the richness that can be found in the present moment. The programme also supports the natural development of qualities such as wisdom and compassion that can arise through greater awareness.
The practices taught in the Joy of Living, though rooted in the ancient Buddhist teachings of Tibet, are not religious in nature. They address basic qualities of the mind, such as mindful awareness and the movements toward happiness and away from suffering. By working with these qualities of mind, we gradually transform our relationship to present–moment experience, learning to approach every thought, feeling, and sensory experience with unconditional warmth and acceptance.
What is Meant by 'Joy' in the Joy of Living?
Mingyur Rinpoche’s intention in the Joy of Living programme is to help us develop familiarity with awareness.
As our practice progresses, our mind will naturally return on its own to its naturally vast, spacious state. Experiences of all kinds will continue to occur in our lives, thoughts and feelings will continue to come up, but we’ll be able to view them from a more expansive perspective. This makes it possible to live a life rooted in well-being, regardless of the inevitable ups and downs of experience.
This lasting, fundamental well-being is what is meant by “joy” in the Joy of Living.
Joy is not the absence of suffering, the absence of challenges, or the absence of anything else.
Living with joy means developing a sense of inner well-being that allows us to embrace whatever the present moment offers.
The Joy of Living program has three levels of meditation training, each focusing on developing a different aspect of present-moment awareness.
Three Levels of Meditation
Level 1: Calming the Mind
We learn how awareness itself is a source of lasting contentment and how we can use any experience, even painful feelings and difficult thoughts, as a gateway to inner peace.
Level 2: Opening the Heart
We see how the simple desires to be happy and free from suffering are rooted in loving-kindness and compassion, and how we can nurture these qualities and extend them to others.
Level 3: Awakening Wisdom
We learn how rigid beliefs keep us locked in a cycle of dissatisfaction and anxiety, and how relating to things as they actually are, rather than through the distorting lens of preconceived ideas and emotional reactions, can help us discover the basic purity and goodness of our true nature.
Over 100 video teachings and guided meditations from Mingyur Rinpoche
A structured three-level programme covering awareness, compassion and wisdom
Weekly live sessions and monthly webinars with experienced meditation instructors
A supportive online community
Personal guidance from qualified Tergar meditation guides
A meditation app with space for reflection and optional daily reminders
Practical guidance to help bring meditation into everyday life
What You’ll Find in the Programme
The Joy of Living Programme
Joy of Living is an online meditation programme offered by Tergar International, the organisation founded by Mingyur Rinpoche.
How should non-Buddhists relate to the Joy of Living?
The Joy of Living teachings, while rooted in Tibetan Buddhist traditions, focus on universal qualities of the human mind, such as awareness and compassion. The program offers a complete meditation training path without requiring participants to become Buddhist or even express interest in Buddhism. The emphasis is on practical benefits that can be applied by anyone, regardless of their spiritual or religious background.
How should Buddhists relate to the Joy of Living?
The Joy of Living, while presented in a secular format, draws on core teachings of the Buddhist tradition. The Joy of Living teachings should be viewed as the foundation for formal Buddhist practice. It is expected that all those who study the Buddha’s teachings in the Tergar Meditation Community not only practice and study the Joy of Living teachings but also return to these teachings again and again throughout their lives.
Email: christchurch@community.tergar.org
Join our Newsletter
