Lama Shenpen and Lama Elizabeth Callahan in conversation

As Buddhist practitioners we learn to distrust thoughts because they distract and mislead us - they disturb us and we are deceived into believing our own story-lines that are just thinking and not really real.

Yet as meditators it is important to use thought skilfully in order for insight and understanding to arise.

How are we to develop the right understanding about thoughts?  
What language should we use so as to avoid mistakes such as thinking meditation is all about making the mind a blank?

Lama Elizabeth Callahan has been teaching meditation for many years, for many groups of Dharma students in many sanghas including Shambala, the AHS and including Lama Dashon.  

Her approach is based on textual sources - especially using a text she translated herself under the title Moonbeams of Mahamudra by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal.

Lama Shenpen and Lama Elizabeth have been engaged in on-going lively discussions around this and closely related topics for many years and wanted to give other interested people the opportunity to hear their own questions and hesitations about meditation practice and the vocabulary used to describe it with experienced teachers within their own tradition.