Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche on How to Find Your Innate Basic Goodness

In this deeply inspiring episode, world-renowned meditation master and bestselling author Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche joins us to explore the timeless wisdom of presence, joy, and the nature of finding our innate basic goodness. Known for his international bestseller The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, Rinpoche shares how the answers we seek — whether it’s freedom from loneliness, the root of hopelessness, or the pursuit of lasting fulfillment — have been within us all along.

Through stories of personal transformation, ancient meditation practices, and modern science, he reveals why the path isn’t something you find outside yourself; it’s a journey already unfolding within you. If you’ve ever longed for deeper meaning, connection, and a sense of true joy, this conversation is your invitation to discover it.

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Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podcast Addict, Pocket Casts, Stitcher, Castbox, Google Podcasts, Listen Notes, Amazon Music, or on your favorite podcast platform. You can watch the interview on YouTube below.

Discover Your Innate Basic Goodness with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

In this thought-provoking conversation, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche opens up about the deeper aspects of human experience — from confronting loneliness and hopelessness to cultivating awe, gratitude, and presence in everyday life. Drawing from his own journey as a young monk navigating panic attacks and anxiety,

Rinpoche shares how the world itself can become our greatest meditation teacher. He explains how our conditioned habits shape our sense of self and offers accessible practices for breaking through limiting beliefs and reconnecting with our awakened nature. The episode is a gentle yet powerful reminder that what we often chase externally — meaning, worth, and belonging — can only be fully realized by turning inward.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode With Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche:

• The World Is Your Teacher: Rinpoche describes how every life experience — whether painful or joyful — carries the potential to awaken wisdom and insight if we remain open to it.
• Loneliness Is a Construct: He breaks down the hidden conditioning behind feelings of isolation and reveals how to dissolve the illusion of separation through mindfulness.
• Awe and Moral Beauty: Discover why experiencing moments of awe and recognizing beauty in human kindness can dramatically shift our sense of self and meaning.
• The Trap of Performance: Rinpoche reflects on society’s obsession with achievement and how breaking free from performance-based identity leads to lasting peace.
• Appreciation as a Daily Practice: He emphasizes that cultivating genuine gratitude, even in small things, transforms our perspective and deepens joy.
• The Power of Presence: Learn why the ultimate legacy we leave isn’t what we accomplish but how fully and authentically we show up for ourselves and others.

WHY IS THIS EPISODE WITH YONGEY MINGYUR RINPOCHE A MUST-LISTEN?

This episode offers more than wisdom — it provides a practical, compassionate roadmap for anyone feeling weighed down by modern life’s pressures or disconnected from their true self. Rinpoche’s gentle humor, grounded teachings, and profound life lessons invite listeners to reframe suffering as a doorway to deeper awareness. Whether you’re new to meditation or seeking to reignite your inner light, this conversation is a rich and nourishing reminder that the path to meaning, joy, and belonging has always been within you.

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How to Break Free from Conditioning and Awaken Your True Nature | Insights from Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

The Awakened Nature and Conditioning

In this awe-inducing episode of the Passion Struck Podcast, Tibetan master Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shared his vast knowledge on one of the most essential yet misunderstood aspects of the human experience — the concept of our awakened nature and how it becomes clouded by lifelong conditioning.

Rinpoche gently reminds us that beneath our stress, anxiety, and need for external validation lies a pure, innate basic goodness that is always present. This awakened nature isn’t something reserved for monks in Himalayan caves — it belongs to all of us, whether we realize it or not. The trouble, as Rinpoche explains, is that from a young age, we begin to internalize beliefs, labels, and performance-based expectations about who we should be, what success looks like, and how we’re supposed to feel. This conditioning gradually separates us from our innate wisdom, leaving us searching for happiness in all the wrong places.

Drawing from his international bestseller The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, Rinpoche describes how the first step to reconnecting with our awakened nature is recognizing the layers of conditioning we unconsciously carry. Every story we tell ourselves about “not being enough” or needing to “prove our worth” is a product of this conditioning, not a reflection of our true essence.

What’s powerful about this conversation is Rinpoche’s compassionate take on our collective struggles. He doesn’t frame conditioning as a flaw, but as an inevitable part of being human. And within this recognition lies our greatest opportunity: by becoming aware of our conditioned patterns through mindfulness and meditation, we create the space to rediscover what was never lost — our natural capacity for joy, clarity, and unconditional presence.

Rinpoche emphasizes that practices like meditation aren’t about becoming someone new but about peeling away the layers that obscure who we already are. In doing so, we learn to stop chasing happiness outside ourselves and begin to rest in the ease and contentment of our own being.

Whether you’re feeling trapped by the demands of performance culture or simply seeking a deeper connection with yourself, this episode delivers timeless, soul-anchoring wisdom on how to break free from limiting stories and reclaim the boundless awareness that is your birthright.

THANKS, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

If you enjoyed this interview with Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, let him know by clicking on the link below and sending him a quick shout on Instagram

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RESOURCES FROM THE SHOW WITH YONGEY MINGYUR RINPOCHE

Please note that some of the links on this page (books, movies, music, etc.) lead to affiliate programs for which The Passion Struck podcast receives compensation. It’s just one of the ways we keep the lights on around here. Thank you so much for being so supportive!

1. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s Website
2. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s Instagram
3. Tergar International
4. Tergar Asia
5. Tergar Sangha
6. BUY Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s Book ‘The Joy of Living’
7. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche’s YouTube
8. YouTube – Tergar Meditation Community
9. Instagram – TergarOnline
10. APA’s recognition of mattering as critical to child mental health
11. Passion Struck Core Value System: https://passionstruck.com/the-passion-struck-core-belief-system/
12. Listen to Passion Struck’s interviews with New York Times bestselling authors Gretchen Rubin and Seth Godin.
13. Check out Passion Struck’s Episode Starter Packs on Spotify or Passion Struck starter packs to get started with the podcast.

My solo episode on The Mattering Mindset in Love – Choose the Love You Deserve

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Catch my interview with Laurie Santos on How to Matter in a Busy World

Listen to my solo episode on Fading into Insignificance: The Impact of Un-Mattering in Our Interconnected Era

About Today’s Guest, Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist master, meditation teacher, and best-selling author known for bridging the wisdom of ancient meditation practices with the discoveries of modern neuroscience and psychology. Born in Nepal into a family of respected Buddhist teachers, Rinpoche was recognized as the seventh incarnation of the revered Yongey Mingyur lineage and began rigorous meditation training at a young age.

Beloved for his warmth, humor, and relatable teachings, Mingyur Rinpoche has captivated audiences worldwide through his books, public talks, and retreats. His acclaimed book The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness masterfully intertwines personal experience, Buddhist philosophy, and scientific research, offering readers practical tools to cultivate lasting joy and resilience in daily life.

Beyond his writing, Rinpoche is the founder of the Tergar Meditation Community, an international network of meditation centers dedicated to making the transformative power of mindfulness and awareness practices accessible to people from all walks of life. His personal journey — including a years-long solitary retreat wandering through the Himalayas — embodies his teachings: true freedom, peace, and joy are possible for anyone willing to look within.

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