Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Ep. 261 – Healing Trauma: Interweaving the Individual and Collective with Thomas Hübl, PhD Oct 26, 2024

Jack Kornfield and Thomas Hübl, PhD explore the dimensions of trauma, individual and collective healing, and the transformative power of community.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“Almost every great spiritual tradition knows that we can’t do it alone. Because part of the revelation is that the whole notion of separateness is a constructed fiction—that we are one another’s bond, we are one another’s glory, that we are life itself—and that sense of separation dissolves in mystical ways, in the deepest most profound therapeutic ways.” – Jack Kornfield

In Part 1 of this episode originally airing for The Collective Trauma Summit in 2021, Jack and Thomas mindfully explore:

The essence of trauma, how it gets locked in our body, and how to finally release it
The merging point of Eastern Spirituality and Western Psychology
The way intimate relationships help bring up exactly what we need to work on
How our trauma work can lead to spiritual healing
The various dimensions of healing trauma
Deep and moving stories of alchemizing trauma
Creating a safe container for our healing and collective healing
How interdependence in a group naturally leads to healing
The importance of community (satsang, sangha)
How Stan Grof’s holotropic breathwork is a psychedelic experience
Grounding and integrating our our practice into mindful loving awareness
An ancient Buddhist parable on merging the physical world with the spiritual

Open the Heart of Forgiveness with Jack Kornfield: A Journey of Redemption, Reconciliation and Renewal beginning Oct 21. Learn more and sign up!

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Ep. 260 – Creating a Sacred Container for Practice Oct 15, 2024

Jack guides us in creating a sacred container for spiritual practice—a space where, like a garden, our inner life can be nurtured, allowing us to transform life’s challenges into paths of awakening and growth.

Open the Heart of Forgiveness with Jack Kornfield: A Journey of Redemption, Reconciliation and Renewal beginning Oct 21. Learn more and sign up!

“Much of our spiritual life, to mature, needs a sacred container for transformation. It needs this container that is greater than our small self—the body of fear and the mind of desire—something that honors a larger spirit, a larger truth.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Creating a free and protected space, a sacred container for your practice

How the very difficulties in our lives are what actually awakens us

Using our hardships as a crucible for uncovering our own goodness

Rumi’s flavorful and delicious “vegetable fable”

Learning how to stay centered on your cushion

The mirror-like quality of meditation practice

Meeting our practice with commitment, constancy, patience

Honoring the cycles of nature and the universe

Feeling our feelings to heal our grief

Learning the value of staying with things, even through difficulty

Choosing the Dharma over the body of fear and mind of desire

Nurturing the sacred garden within yourself

The power of prayer and feeling blessed

“In a way, sitting is nothing more than looking in the mirror. You sit and face whatever arises.” – Jack Kornfield

“It almost doesn’t matter what we pick, who our partner is, or what we choose to do, as long as it’s reasonably wholesome. What matters is how much we can give to it, of our sincerity, of our earnestness, of our heart.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 8/1/1991 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 259 – Cycles of Dharma: The Stream of Interbeing Oct 08, 2024

Guiding us through the ever-changing cycles of life, Jack uncovers the profound truth of our interconnectedness as boundless and unique expressions of the Dharma.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“We see that there isn’t one way to practice or to live, but many cycles, seasons, and expressions of Dharma and truth.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Natural wisdom of the rainforest ecosystem
Discovering the truth of our inexorable interconnection
Seeing clearly the reality of change and impermanence
Interconnectedness within the flowing stream of interbeing
Spiritual maturity and recognizing the patterns and cycles of life
The many unique expressions of Dharma, spirituality, and truth in this world
Wisdom from Buddha, Dipa Ma, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, HH the Dalai Lama, S.N. Goenka, and Tibetan cave-dwelling yogis
Bringing your compassion to the environment, politics, social action, homelessness, education, etc
Meditation as a radical act: facing head-on the forces of greed, prejudice, hatred, and delusion
Finding your unique dharma and way to help the world
Life and spirituality as a process of death and rebirth over and over again
Uncovering a deep ‘joy for no reason’
How the “light and love” in meditation is actually literal
Untangling the knots of our attachments to live in inner freedom
A poem dedicated to the struggles in the Middle East
Discovering your capacity to awaken, and your unique gift

“It’s not about perfection of oneself or the world, but it’s learning to live in a simple way and touch one moment after another with wisdom, understanding, compassion, and presence.” – Jack Kornfield

“Wisdom is a state of our being in our heart. And to live in that way takes humility, a surrender or commitment, a trusting heart, a going into the unknown.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 1/3/1991 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

Open the Heart of Forgiveness with Jack Kornfield: A Journey of Redemption, Reconciliation and Renewal beginning Oct 21. Learn more and sign up!

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Ep. 258 – Enlightenment as Intimacy: Where We're Going is Here Oct 01, 2024

Speaking to progressing on the spiritual path, Jack explores enlightenment as true intimacy, and shares how: where we’re going is actually here.

“Where we’re going is here, and what we’re after doesn’t exist in time.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Our idealistic/romantic notions of the spiritual path
Consciousness, impermanence, and working with human emotions
Wisdom stories of Ajahn Chah, Jack’s accomplished Thai meditation teacher
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the legend of building a Spiritual Amusement Park
Progress and patience along the spiritual path
Enlightenment as intimacy with all things
A guided meditation practice reflecting on life, death, and good deeds
Transforming the the world with one small act of kindness at a time
Honoring our own beauty and goodness
How compassion is characterized by true intimacy
Recognizing and coming to our spiritual maturity
Living like a Bodhisattva, and what it really means to ‘save all beings’
Alchemizing extreme suffering, trauma, and grief into compassion, forgiveness, and service

“Enlightenment is to be intimate with what’s here.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 1/3/1991 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

For more teachings, full courses, articles, and guided meditations, head to JackKornfield.com or sign up for Jack's email teachings at JackKornfield.com/newsletter

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Ep. 257 – Radical Wisdom: Living Life as a Gesture of Love Sep 24, 2024

Jack unfolds the radical wisdom and healing teachings of the great Buddhist sage Atīśa on living this dreamlike life as gesture of love.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“If life is like a dream, make it a beautiful one.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Radical wisdom from the 7 Verses of Atīśa – one of the greatest Buddhist sages
A moving story about the deep transformative power encased within committing an act of truth
The nature of timeless awareness and the witness
Exchanging “spiritual trading cards” with Ram Dass
Humor, listening, stillness, and spiritual perspective
Not being swayed by outer circumstance
Learning what really matters in this life
Living with an honest and compassionate heart
Emptiness and considering all phenomenon to be dreams
Not brooding over the faults of others
Noticing our inner waterfall of thoughts, feelings, sensations
Becoming medicine for others and the world
Looking through the eyes of mercy
Being grateful to everyone and everything
Always relying on joyful and peaceful mind and heart
Don’t expect a standing ovation for your spiritual work or service to the world

“Who you are is what matters most—and who you are is awareness having this amazing life journey.” – Jack Kornfield

“Let your life be a gesture of love.” – Jack Kornfield

This episode was originally recorded on 11/20/23 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. To join Jack's next livestream, head to JackKornfield.com/events

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Ep. 256 – 'The Happiness of Peace' Guided Meditation Sep 17, 2024

In this fresh guided meditation, Jack invites you to rest your mind and heart to uncover the authentic happiness encased within true peace.

This Dharma Talk originally took place for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on 11/23/2024. To join his next livestream, please check out Jack’s events calendar.

“There is no greater happiness than peace.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation on:
Peace as the highest happiness
Finding ease, stability, stillness, and presence
Receiving whatever arises with kindness and compassion
Inviting thoughts and emotions to quiet
Resting in mindful loving awareness
Uncovering a peaceful mind and full heart

“Feel how the earth you are sitting on supports you completely in its steadiness.” – Jack Kornfield

Join senior meditation teachers David Nichtern and Rebecca D’Onofrio for a free online discussion on the path of developing one's own meditation practice and supporting others who wish to explore this transformative path. Register for free today: The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher | Sep. 19th @ 6:00pm ET

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Ep. 255 – Listening to the Song of the Present Moment Sep 10, 2024

Listening to the song of the present moment, Jack uncovers how to dance with life’s dynamic rhythms along the harmonizing path to inner-freedom.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“The rhythm of your breath is no different than the rhythm of the stars.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

The art of listening to the song of life, birth and death
Why it can be so tough to actually “Be Here Now” like Ram Dass
How love connects to the present moment
Alan Watts, music, dance, and harmonizing to the universe
Feeling the rhythms of your breath and body
Learning to dance to life’s dynamic music
Staying open and avoiding spiritual bypass
Looking at our body and life clearly and directly
The power of attention, noting, and spaciousness for diffusing our judgements and emotions
Buddha’s discovery of the Middle Way, and why he stopped fighting himself
Dealing with the unfinished business of grief, loss, loneliness, wounds
How to handle worries or fantasies that keep looping over and over
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the tenderness and fearlessness of an Awakened Heart
Why Buddha focused on humans as ‘five processes,’ rather than personalities
Letting go of our rigid sense of self and diving into the fluidity of life
Non-grasping and how even enlightenment is a problem
Discovering the true path to liberation
Death, dying, and a reading from the Tibetan Book of the Dead

“To listen is to be awake in the present without moving away from or running away from what’s actually here.” – Jack Kornfield

“The only place to actually love another person, or a tree, or a living creature, or the earth itself, is when we’re here in the present.” – Jack Kornfield

Discover your great joy and love in Jack’s life-changing new online journey – The Awakened Heart: Discovering Great Joy and Love – Dive in here and now at JackKornfield.com

This Dharma talk originally recorded in 1991 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

Join senior meditation teachers David Nichtern and Rebecca D’Onofrio for a free online discussion on the path of developing one's own meditation practice and supporting others who wish to explore this transformative path. Register for free today: The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher | Sep. 19th @ 6:00pm ET

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Ep. 254 – Healing the Unfinished Business of the Heart Sep 02, 2024

Revealing how to calm the mind through meditation, Jack shares wisdom on self-acceptance, trust, and healing the unfinished business of the heart.

Discover your great joy and love in Jack’s life-changing new online journey – The Awakened Heart: Discovering Great Joy and Love – Sign up by Sept 9 to take part in two live Q&A’s with Jack.

“Don’t live in the mind, rest in the heart and let the mind come and go as it will. This is discovering your Buddha Nature.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Working with the ‘unfinished business of the heart’ – grief, sorrows, longing, wounds, loss
Honoring life’s ‘ocean of tears’ with love and kind attention
Cultivating the courage to allow your heart to be broken
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the tender heart of a warrior
Self-acceptance, allowing yourself to feel, and reawakening a trust in yourself
Healing the mind by seeing clearly and not taking it so seriously
Resting the in heart and letting the mind come and go
Discovering Your Buddha Nature, your fundamental ground of being
The technique of seeing the world as enlightened, and the path as yours
The healing encased within understanding emptiness, selflessness, and letting go
Meditation as a truly courageous act

“The problem with the mind mostly is that we take it seriously.” – Jack Kornfield

“Healing of the mind is when we can hold in our hearts all that arises, and sense a rest and a goodness, a wholeness in us.” – Jack Kornfield

Join senior meditation teachers David Nichtern and Rebecca D’Onofrio for a free online discussion on the path of developing one's own meditation practice and supporting others who wish to explore this transformative path. Register for free today: The Journey of Becoming a Meditation Teacher | Sep. 19th @ 6:00pm ET

This episode recorded in 1991 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 253 – Healing Through Meditation: An In-Body Experience Aug 28, 2024

Exploring healing through meditation, Jack shares on kundalini, addiction, suffering, and the transformation of having an ‘in body experience.’

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“You have heard of ‘out of the body experiences,’ but what we’re after is something more unusual and important, an ‘in the body experience.'” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

Finding strength, wakefulness, and compassion amidst it all
The Coconut Monk and the Jesus-Buddha connection
Finding compassion and joy despite suffering and war
Healing—what it is, how it arises, and how we can connect with it
Listening and respect as the ground for healing
Finding and living a path with heart
Mindfulness, breath, attention, noting, and the Buddha
Meditation and having an ‘in-body experience’
Kundalini and opening the energy body
Learning to handle both pleasure and pain
Buddha and finding the Middle Way
The healing of reconnecting with our senses and world around us
What addictions really mean in an addicted society
Facing our suffering as the gateway to the precious mystery of life
Reading children’s direct messages to God

“There’s a healing that comes just in reconnecting with the senses and the world around us.” – Jack Kornfield

“As we begin to practice together, we can sense that meditation and spiritual work is to bring a heartfelt awareness to our life, and out of this there comes an awakening or opening, which we call healing.” – Jack Kornfield

Discover your great joy and love in Jack’s life-changing new online journey – The Awakened Heart: Discovering Great Joy and Love – Sign up by Sept 9 to take part in two live Q&A's with Jack.

This episode recorded in late December 1991 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 252 – The Miracle of Awakening: Finding Freedom in Everyday Life Aug 19, 2024

Deeply unveiling the Buddha’s transformative miracle of awakening, Jack provides a comprehensive guide to finding freedom in everyday life.

Discover your great joy and love in Jack's life-changing new online journey beginning Sept 9 – 'The Awakened Heart: Discovering Your Great Joy and Love'

“We’re asked to discover in this dance the possibility of awakening in the midst of our life, to turn what we do into something sacred.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

What happened to the Buddha when he sat under the Bodhi Tree
What Buddha’s enlightenment means for the world
Bodh Gaya and the possibility of awakening through nature
Buddha’s path as a yogi, and how he dealt with his spiritual powers
Buddha's miracle of awakening and education
Reflections and questions from the Buddha for how you are living
Keeping freshness and “beginner’s mind” in your practice
Parenting, schooling, and the different styles of education
Finding freedom in the difficulties and direct circumstances of your life
The real possibility of awakening in the midst of life
The Ten Paramitas, Buddhism’s Ten Perfections
What walking meditation is actually about
Why Thich Nhat Hanh does everything slowly and mindfully
Patience, listening, and presence
Spiritual life as the education of awakening
Listening deeply for the Tao, Dharma, truth

“Spiritual life kindles in us an interest, an attention, a passion to awaken.” – Jack Kornfield

“Meditation is the art of doing what we do and bringing our senses, our heart, our whole being to that.” – Jack Kornfield

This episode recorded on 10/01/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 251 – The Listening Heart Aug 13, 2024

In this fresh Dharma Talk, Jack reveals how listening from the heart can empower you to transform yourself and the world.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“Difficult times call on our best spirit.” – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Navigating life skillfully through difficult times
How we can change ourselves and the world through true listening
The two dimensions of mindfulness: Sati (mindful presence) and Sampajanna (mindful response)
How deep listening leads to compassionate response
Using our difficulties as doorways of opportunity to help us awaken
Reflecting on how we respond to the troubles of the world
The art of listening and how it brings us into the present moment
How taking a “sacred pause” leads to more possibilities
The childlike playfulness and joy between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Jack tells a transformational and moving story of Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, the miraculous Tibetan physician.
How all the problems and conflicts of the world are symptoms, and the solution is in the human heart
Activism, service, and helping with an open heart
Listening deeply to sense the universal truths of reality
The powerful prayer of Black Elk, the mystical Lakota medicine man
Listening inwardly, tending the heart, and honing your intuition

“The very difficulties you have are the place that truly awakens the heart.” – Jack Kornfield

“Quiet the mind, take time, tend the heart, listen inwardly, listen to one another, listen to the earth—and you will know what to do.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk originally took place for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on 4/15/24. To join his next livestream, please check out Jack’s events calendar.

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Ep. 250 – The Practice of Meditation with Jeffrey Mishlove Aug 06, 2024

In this special episode originally airing on television’s Thinking Allowed series, Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Jack Kornfield about meditation, mindfulness, and self-acceptance.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack’s newsletter for weekly free content from JackKornfield.com – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more! JackKornfield.com/newsletter

“The purpose of meditation is to make people happy.” – Jack Kornfield

In this special television episode, Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Jack about:

How western psychology and science fits together with eastern spirituality and meditation
Whether Jack preferred getting his Ph.D. or his time at the Buddhist monastery
The three aspects of Buddhist practice: generosity, ethics/virtue, training of heart/mind
How what we practice, positive or negative, grows in our life
Spiritual bypass and mediation as an escape
Vipassana meditation and seeing clearly
Overcoming the “near enemies” in Buddhism
Equanimity, balance, centering, and fearlessness
Meditation in action and engaging mindfully with the world
Facing our fears and confronting ourselves in meditation practice
Self-acceptance and learning to care for oneself
Not being so afraid of what’s painful
Uncovering the basic mechanics of meditation
Releasing tensions, unskillful concepts, and our limited sense of self
Psychic abilities and intuition
Awareness and moving past our thoughts
Using meditation to relate deeper to your inner life

“Meditative awareness has a healing quality to it.” – Jeffrey Mishlove

“One of the tenets of Buddhism is that the heart, body, and mind can all be trained. That is, if you practice something, it will gradually grow in your life.” – Jack Kornfield

About Jeffrey Mishlove:

Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, an accomplished radio and television interviewer, and one of the most erudite and articulate personalities on television. Jeffrey holds the only doctoral diploma in parapsychology to be awarded by an accredited American university. Learn more about Dr. Mishlove and his ongoing offerings and interviews at newthinkingallowed.com

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Ep. 249 – Mindfulness: The Gateway to Liberation Jul 30, 2024

Unraveling the mystery of who you truly are, Jack reveals mindfulness as the gateway to liberation within the ever-changing river of life.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“Mindfulness, in the Buddhist tradition, is said to be the gateway to liberation, the gateway to that which is eternal, to the timeless or the deathless.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Mindfulness as the gateway to liberation
The Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the Middle Way
Sacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivity
The prayer of Mad Bear, a magical Iroquois medicine man
Overcoming worry in the present moment
Rumi’s transformational poem, The Guest House
Awareness of breath, body, mind states, feelings, dharma, and the laws of nature
Using mindfulness as a vehicle to discover who we really are
Eternity, time, timelessness, change, and becoming deathless
What it was like when Thich Nhat Hanh visited Spirit Rock
Entering the “river of life,” humanity’s collective pains, joys, etc
Dealing with attachment, aversion, grief, and suffering
Working spiritually with our dreams
Stepping out of the bureaucracy of ego, thought, and mind
The freedom of identifying with “the witness”
Liberation as both practical and radical

“Reality comes out of nothing, exists according to certain patterns, and then disappears. To know this frees us. To not know it, we are bound. This recognition brings us face to face with the mystery.” – Jack Kornfield

“To become mindful is to become free, to have the capacity to step out of the rat race, the speed, the complexity and be who we are, be true to our hearts. There comes a great balance and ease with that. In any moment, we stop the war, we stop the conflict, we come back to be as the Buddha sits, as the Buddha walks, as the Buddha speaks, where we are, just present and alive.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 248 – Sacred Effort Jul 24, 2024

Exploring how to direct energy in a wise way, Jack shares how embracing Sacred Effort nourishes joy, ease, beauty, equanimity, mindfulness, and loving kindness in your life.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack’s newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter for weekly free content – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more!

"Right Effort, or Wise Energy, most fundamentally is the effort to pay attention, the effort to be present, awake, and see what is true in front of us. Out of all the kinds of efforts we can make, the most fundamental wise effort in spiritual life is to be where we are and see it clearly, to be conscious, or mindful." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Directing the energy of your life to be awake, aware, and present
Seeing the Eightfold Path as a lotus or mandala
Carlos Castaneda, impeccability, and becoming a spiritual warrior
How to wake yourself up from sleepwalking through your life
Having a full heart, deep attention, and clear seeing
The two levels of spiritual friends and spiritual practice
Using suffering to develop a wise heart
Remembering death and impermanence
What Jack taught his daughter about death
Bowing to our difficult emotions and moving on
Disentangling ourselves from greed, fear, and obsession
Nourishing equanimity, ease, joy, beauty, and loving kindness
Tending each moment as if you were planting a seed
Balance and the Buddha stringing the lute
Ramana Maharshi and the wisdom of letting go
Making your life and activity an expression of the Tao

"The teaching of Right Effort or Wise Effort is a reminder of our nobility. It is a reminder of the human inspiration of spirit not just to get through our lives, but to honor it, to respect it, to be present for it, to delight in it." – Jack Kornfield

"Unclench the heart, steady yourself, and be present for things as they are, and then your activity becomes an expression of your awakening, it becomes a vehicle for the Tao." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep, 247 – Living the Dharma Jul 15, 2024

Revealing how to smoothly navigate the cycles of spiritual life in openness, stillness, and intimacy, Jack explores the transformative beauty of living the Dharma.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“There are different cycles. They are natural for us. We breathe in and out. Our heart opens and closes. Your heart isn’t supposed to stay open all the time, even flowers close at night. So don’t get some idea you’re supposed to be some certain state or some certain way. It’s more about flexibility, listening, and honoring what cycle you are in in your life.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Navigating the cycles of spiritual life
Spiritual practice as a voyage, a journey
Openness and the necessity of letting go
What we can learn from the change of seasons
Cultivating the courage to live a spiritual life
Rumi’s poem of the wisdom of the bird in the trap
The peace of rejecting nothing whatsoever
How Jack had to work his way down the chakras instead of up
Embodying and experiencing your feelings
Stillness, simplicity, intimacy and reconnecting with the earth
A perspective-shifting Buddhist meditation on death and good deeds
Overcoming self-judgement and unworthiness
Non-attachment and commitment in relationships
A tantric master’s wisdom on overcoming burnout
The Dalai Lama’s surprising advice to Jack

“When you look back over your life, what really matters is, ‘How well have I loved?’ And that love is never done in generalities. It’s always done in a moment with a tree, or a spider, or a person that you meet, or a person close to you.” – Jack Kornfield

“In some way in life, that’s all that people around us want if you look—people mostly just want to be listened to and acknowledged.” – Jack Kornfield

For free teachings and meditations from Jack delivered to your inbox weekly, along with new courses, upcoming events, and more, sign up for Jack's newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter

This Dharma Talk recorded on 7/14/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 246 – The Simplicity of Goodness Jul 09, 2024

Jack Kornfield delves into the simplicity of goodness and virtue in a talk spanning Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Amma-ji, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Napoleon, and Rumi.

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“I believe within us, within the human heart and human consciousness, is an innate love of honesty and a joy in virtue, straightforwardness, and the simplicity of goodness.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Buddhism, virtue, and the Five Precepts
Ahimsa – the blessing of non-harming
The chilling note Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote when he escaped Tibet
Taking a fearless moral inventory
Honesty and the simplicity of goodness
What Buddha learned in his past lives
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and standing up for truth
Adi-Sila – spontaneous or innate virtue, the shining of the just heart
The Tibetan Buddhist perspective on reincarnation
Jack’s meeting with “hugging saint,” Amma-ji, archetype of the Divine Mother
Finding your Buddha Nature, Tao, and Dharma
Rumi’s brilliant poem about ducks
Interdependence and connectedness
Deep philosophical questions and contemplations from Jack
Napoleon, the sword, and the spirit

“Meditation or spiritual life asks us to look at our actions and pay attention to how we actually live.” – Jack Kornfield

“We’re all in it together, we’re all connected, we all support one another.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 6/1/1990 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 245 – Monastic Life Insights with Pema Chödrön and Ajahn Sumedho Jul 05, 2024

Teaching a nature retreat amidst softly chirping birds and cooling rain, Jack, Pema Chödrön, and Ajahn Sumedho illuminate joyful insights of monastic life.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

"Mostly what draws people to monastic life in the healthiest and best sense is its joy." – Jack Kornfield

In this special outdoor retreat, Jack, Pema Chödrön, and Ajahn Sumedho explore:

Chanting the powerful seed syllable mantra, "Ah"
Joys and misconceptions of monastic life in modern times
Why someone would take vows and become a monk or nu
Kabir's poetry, being human, and walking the spiritual path
Sexuality and celibacy in spiritual communities
Relating to both ultimate and relative reality
Dealing with the body in physically taxing situations
Working with injustice, inequality, and hierarchy within monasteries and spiritual institutions
The nature of change and how our present creates our future
Open-heartedness and open-mindedness
Living the Dharma every second of our existence
Letting our issues be our teachers
A surprise Q&A appearance from Heart Wisdom family, Brother David Steindl-Rast, along with Ajahn Sundara, and Sister Columba

"Quite clearly the future is the result of how we work with our minds now. To the degree that we open our hearts and minds to the present moment, that creates our future." – Pema Chödrön

"I like to reflect that the Buddha only taught two things: suffering and the end of suffering." – Ajahn Sumedho

About Pema Chödrön:

Pema Chödrön is a Buddhist teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She served as the director of Karma Dzong, in Boulder, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche asked her to work towards the establishment of a monastery for western monks and nuns. Check out her new book, How We Live Is How We Die, and learn more at PemaChodronFoundation.org

About Ajahn Sumedho:

Ajahn Sumedho is a prominent teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravāda Buddhism. He was ordained in 1967, trained under Ajahn Chah, and has been instrumental in helping bring Buddha's teachings to the West. Learn more about Ajahn Sumedho in Teachings of a Buddhist Monk, including a forward by Jack.

This Dharma Talk recorded on 5/26/1990 on the land which would become Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 244 – An Autobiography of Trauma with Peter A Levine, PhD Jun 25, 2024

Jack and trauma expert, Peter A Levine, PhD, map the path to healing through imagination, curiosity, somatic experiencing, and loving awareness.

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“Healing has to be coming together through the minute particulars in the body and in the story that’s actually our experience and not some idea about it.” – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh conversation, Jack and Dr. Levine dive into:

Mapping trauma and the path to healing suffering
A relaxing Jack “Just Here: Guided Meditation” on loving awareness
How An Autobiography of Trauma led to Peter’s powerful healing journey
Working with the astrological and Jungian archetype of Chiron, the Wounded Healer
Somatic Experiencing and the roots of healing trauma in the body
The transformative aspects of meeting trauma with loving kindness and persistence
Curiosity as a necessary factor of enlightenment
How the gift of Jack’s childhood trauma led him to discover Buddhism
Imagination and Peter’s mystical meet-ups with Albert Einstein
Miracles, intuition, and psychic premonition/knowing
What Jack shared with his scientific-materialist atheist father on his deathbed
Our inseparable connection and recognition that it’s always “us” in this web of life

“The whole notion that we are separate is a fabrication. We are in a field of consciousness.” – Jack Kornfield

About Peter A Levine, PhD:

Dr. Peter A. Levine has worked in the field of stress and trauma for over 40 years, is the developer of the Somatic Experiencing method, and founder of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education. To connect more with Peter’s teachings, pick up a copy of his illuminating book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey, and sign up for his upcoming classes and programs at SomaticExperiencing.com

This conversation was originally filmed on 5/24/24 by the Ergos Institute of Somatic Experiencing as a community health somatic support benefit for MathMoms in Cape Town, South Africa. Learn more about this compassionate initiative here at mathmoms.co.za

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Ep. 243 – The Music of the Spheres Jun 18, 2024

Harmonizing to the 'music of the spheres' & sharing gardening tips from Buddha, a blissful Jack unveils the possibility of sudden awakening.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

"You don't want to wait until you float out of your body when you die and look back and say, 'Wow, that was an amazing incarnation, wasn't it?' You actually want to have it now." – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh video episode, Jack blissfully illuminates:

The wisdom of the Music of the Spheres
Energies of the 2024 Solar Eclipse
Alan Watts on why 'life is like music'
The enlightening present moment
Harmonizing life's opposites like the Tao
Dancing with life's changing rhythms
To be married to amazement and mystery
The beautiful revelation of sudden awakening
Being at the still point of the turning world
Sudden realization, gradual practice, and Zen
Releasing from the body of fear
Buddha's gardening wisdom
The fruits of inner well-being

"That's what meditation does, it makes space. We step out of the thrall of our plans, thoughts, reactions, how it should be, what's happened, and what should happen; and out of the fears and the confusion, sadness, excitement, and all those things; and we become the space of loving awareness that says, 'Yes.' It's an act of love." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk originally took place 3/25/24 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. Sign up for Jack's next one at JackKornfield.com/events

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Ep. 242 – Disentangling Your Illusions Jun 12, 2024

Revealing how to disentangle your illusions and let go of old identities, Jack paves the way to the mystical present moment.

Join Jack online Sat June 22 for The Awakened Heart: Mindfulness and Compassion Practices for Living a Wise and Free Life – a special live daylong retreat exploring lovingkindness, compassion, joy, and peace. Register here.

“Part of the joy of selflessness is that as we become selfless much greater forces of what life is move through us.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Disentangling your illusions
Opening to the paradox of self and no-self
The yogic practice of asking, “Who am I?”
This mystical present moment
How the entire universe is inside your mind
Experiencing selflessness
Why you can’t just ‘no-self’ it away
Moving past your inner-critic, shame, and unworthiness
Listening to, accepting, and loving the shadow
The strength of being grounded on Earth
Working with meaninglessness
Letting go of old identities
Love as the work of a lifetime

“You can’t just ‘no-self’ it away.” – Jack Kornfield

“All that you need to do is to keep coming back to the present and what needs to open in you will. You can really trust that.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk estimated to be recorded on 4/23/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 241 – The Paradox of Self and No-Self Jun 04, 2024

Exploring life as a flowing, dynamic process, Jack shares the jewel of Buddha's awakening by unraveling the paradox of self and no-self.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

"Each of those sets of words, 'self,' and 'no-self,' are concepts or ideas or words that we use in a very crude approximation of pointing to some mystery of this process of life that's neither self nor no-self." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

Unraveling the paradox of self and no-self
The Jewel of the Buddha's Awakening
Anattā (selflessness) and how it connects with respect
Tales of a Magic Monastery
Living in the reality of expansion and contraction
Why Ajahn Chah shared 'self' and 'no self' both aren't true
The word "happy/sad" in Japanese
Opening to our life as a flowing, moving process
Becoming aware of selflessness
Interdependence, interconnection, codependent arising
Learning to respect ourself and nourish beneficial qualities
Developing yourself while also "losing yourself"
Discovering your True Self
The importance of integrating our spiritual practice into our lives
Learning to live in your body and love well

"To be really present is to connect with the mystery." – Jack Kornfield

"You develop yourself as you lose yourself." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk estimated to be recorded on 4/23/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in an online masterclass! To take part in the two live online Q&A sessions, register by June 9 at bit.ly/InteractiveCohort

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Ep. 240 – How to Unlock True Abundance May 28, 2024

Sharing the blueprint for how to unlock true abundance, Jack reveals the secrets of letting go of greed, embracing generosity, and appreciating simplicity in life.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in an online masterclass cohort this June! Join the journey.

"Abundance isn't about how much you have, but how much you appreciate. – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

How to let go of our greed and live in true abundance
The Buddhist notion of "dana" – generosity, service, open-hearted caring
Greed as a strategy of impoverishment, rejection, and incompleteness
Transforming our 'endless wanting' into a beneficial awakened dance with the world
Expressing the Tao, the harmony of the universe, through our being
The Dharmic alchemy of the Bodhisattva
Meditation, listening, and finding out what we truly want in this life
Where Suzuki Roshi meets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
How abundance of the spirit connects with simplicity rather than things
A personal story of Jack taking his unique Bodhisattva Vows in the Rocky Mountains while teaching at Chögyam Trungpa's Naropa University
Taking your strong, grounded, noble seat that can handle it all
How being there for others is abundance in their life
The generosity and delight of authentically giving – things, space, silence, listening, attention, commitment, honesty, smiles, blessings
Ram Dass and Maharajji's lesson of "feed people, love people."
Is "selfless service" actually selfless?

"Abundance of the spirit doesn't mean things; it means discovering a kind of simplicity of our life where we're abundant in any circumstance." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk estimated to be recorded on 3/1/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 239 – Heart As Big As the Sky May 22, 2024

Unveiling how to grow your heart as big as the sky, Jack shares the spiritual antidote for aversion, negativity, and fear.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

"Let your heart be as big as your whole experience, like the sky." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Overcoming aversion by "bringing it into your heart" rather than your rational mind
Touching into emotions, fears, and judgements with compassion instead of aversion
Using techniques like "noting/naming" for moving past intense feelings
Loving your negatives states as you would love your own child
Seeing clearly the karma, value, and consequence of your personal patterns
Who would you be if you dropped your opinions, views, identity?
Growing your heart to the size of the sky
Practicing the 'art of letting go'
Learning to live in the reality 'the Now'
Why Buddha had a better time than most
Painting as a doorway to spiritual experience
Transmuting difficulties by dropping our resistance to them
How to hold healthy views without being attached to them

"In this space of Now, it's not necessary to have fear. In this place of Now, we can rest." – Jack Kornfield

"If we want to create peace, or if we want to live free from greed, hatred and delusion, the place to start is in ourselves." – Jack Kornfield

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in an online masterclass cohort starting this June.

This Dharma Talk originally recorded on 1/1/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 238 – Freeing Yourself From Fear and Opinion May 14, 2024

Illustrating how to free yourself from fear and opinion, Jack reveals how to overcome suffering by cultivating a pure heart.

This episode is brought to you by Betterhelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

"The only Zen you find on tops of mountains is the Zen you bring there." – Robert M. Pirsig

In this episode, Jack skillfully illuminates:

Skillful ways to free yourself from stuck views and opinions
Ram Dass's teaching advice to Jack
Balancing life's sufferings with life's joys
Zen wisdom on how to drop your views
Accepting what you see and rejecting what you think
Overcoming suffering by living with a pure heart
Buddha's 'Fire Sermon' teachings
The way attachment connects to fear, and how to get to the root
How views and opinions keep you separate, ego-focused, and defensive
Working with racism and fear by imbibing wakefulness and mindfulness
Overcoming opinions and and views by the method of noting/naming

This Dharma Talk originally recorded on 1/1/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in an online masterclass cohort starting this June!

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Ep. 237 – Discovering Peace Within Yourself May 07, 2024

Uncovering how to find joy and freedom in any situation, Jack shares the roadmap for discovering peace within yourself.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in this online masterclass cohort starting this June! Learn more and register at bit.ly/InteractiveCohort

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“Peace is the cessation of your struggle, it’s putting down the burden and letting things be as they actually are.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Learning to be at peace with yourself and the world
How to meditate when it feels like you can’t meditate
The way emptiness connects with compassion
Reconciling where peace meets struggle
Peace as an internal state you can bring with you
Being Here Now, opening to life fully, and becoming intimate with all things
How we can find joy, liberation, and freedom in any situation
Dharma stories of the Buddha as well as the Bodhisattva Vimalakīrti
Coming to terms with the First Noble Truth of suffering, disappointment, and change
The transformative power of meeting life exactly as it is
What we can learn from both a “Duck Meditation,” “Goose Poem,” and a Tibetan Prayer
Love and it’s connection with courage

“We can’t come to rest because we’re at war with what’s actually here.” – Jack Kornfield

“To enter into the unknown is really to enter into the moment.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk originally recorded on 12/01/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 236 – Sacred Reflections with Brother David Steindl-Rast and Frank Ostaseski Apr 30, 2024

Jack and the ‘Grandfather of Gratitude,’ Brother David Steindl-Rast, delve into sacred reflections on death, where Buddha meets Jesus, the power of compassion, the positive side of grief, and beyond.

Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of free offerings by signing up for his email newsletter teachings at JackKornfield.com/newsletter

“The process of grieving that breaks this little heart, which closes itself in itself, opens us to the heart that we all share, the one heart that we all have in common.” – Brother David Steindl-Rast

In this sacred dialogue, Jack, Brother David, and Frank Ostaseski reflect on:

How Christianity and Buddhism fit together spiritually
The compassionate smile of Buddha meeting the sacred heart of Jesus Christ
The positive side of grief: opening to the collective heart
Death and grace in both traditions
Deconditioning from a difficult mother
Harnessing the power of your common sense
A funny story about the Pope, and how to awaken to who we already are
Jack’s journey to the Temple of the Coconut Monk
How to handle pain like a Burmese Master
How to forgive yourself and overcome remorse
Diffusing suicidal tendencies by cultivating self-compassion
Guided meditations and sacred chants from Jack and Brother David

“In a meditative way, one of the big pieces of being able to love, or touch, or open, or live, is really the work of forgiveness, grace, and receiving yourself in all of your complexity and loving.” – Jack Kornfield

“Compassion, loving kindness, and understanding are our true nature, our true state.” – Jack Kornfield

This conversation recorded on 6/30/1988 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 235 – From Psychedelics to Mindfulness with Louie Schwartzberg Apr 24, 2024

Fantastic Fungi's visionary director, Louie Schwartzberg, joins Jack to explore the profound connection between psychedelics and mindfulness.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

“You can’t separate psychedelics from life.” – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh conversation, Jack and Louie spelunk the depths of:

The connection between psychedelics and spirituality
Psychedelics as a gateway to wonder, curiosity, and the sacred
How tripping on psychedelics informed Louie’s filmmaking
Albert Einstein and psychedelics as the intersection between art and science
The universe and life as a constant transformation of light energy
Buddha’s “Flower Sermon” and Zen Master Suzuki Roshi’s “Beginner’s Mind”
Jack “exchanging maps” with famous LSD researcher, Stanislav Grof
Studies showing the combination of psilocybin mushrooms and Louie’s time-lapse nature imagery as a powerful therapeutic tool for helping addiction and PTSD
The importance of “set and setting,” community, and integration
How psychedelics actually fit into the Buddhist precepts
Honoring biology and the feminine aspects of nature
The gifts of sacred attention and loving awareness
Finding beauty wherever you are, and how Louie’s films heal by sharing patterns of nature for the soul to connect with

This conversation was originally recorded on 3/29/24 by Banyan Together – an online mindfulness community started by Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. To join the community and learn more, visit BanyanTogether.com

“A lot of the work I do is to make the invisible visible. And that’s the perfect description of what a psychedelic journey is like, making the invisible visible.” – Louie Schwartzberg

“We live in a culture that’s almost defined by the absence of the sacred. And so we feel this yearning, this intuitive wish to connect—whether it’s going high in the mountains, or making love, or taking psychedelics, or meditating.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 234 – Guided Meditation: Mindful Loving Awareness Apr 16, 2024

Inviting in calm, strength, and steadiness, Jack leads a guided meditation into the heart of mindful loving awareness.

This guided meditation was originally recorded on 2/19/2024 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. Register to join Jack's next livestream at JackKornfield.com/events

"Feel the weight of your body, gravity, and how the earth completely supports you when you let go into your seat. You're met by the strength and steadiness of the earth itself. You can rest on her. – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh episode, Jack leads a guided meditation for:

Inviting in a sense of ease and calm
Relaxing into mindful loving awareness
Finding a steady, grounded, rooted posture
Keeping a natural, soft, and flowing breath
Quieting the mind and watching experience unfold
Noticing the arising and passing away of all phenomena
Allowing yourself into rest, trust, and relaxation

Learn to live beautifully with Jack Kornfield and Dr. Dan Siegel in their new online journey, Living Beautifully: Transformative Science and Mindfulness Practices to Cultivate a Wise Heart

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Ep. 233 – Wisdom is Playful Apr 12, 2024

Exploring the great mystery of life and existence, Jack shares enlightening insights on the playful nature of wisdom.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to recieve 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"The beautiful thing is, wisdom is gracious." – Jack Kornfield

Fresh from an adventure in Costa Rica, Jack offers wisdom on:

Spelunking the great mystery of life
Wisdom as inherently gracious and playful
Balancing compassion with emptiness
How to speak with suffering people
Joanna Macy and the "Great Turning" of human civilization
Ram Dass, Ajahn Chah, and Stephen Levine
"Central Casting" and the human experience
How Jack and his colleagues handle their own aging

"It's all empty and it all matters." – Jack Kornfield

"Meditation is not about gaining or attaining something, it's about seeing the world with the heart of wisdom." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk was originally recorded on 2/19/2024 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. Register to join Jack's next livestream at JackKornfield.com/events

Learn to live beautifully with Jack Kornfield and Dr. Dan Siegel in their new online journey starting April 15, Living Beautifully: Transformative Science and Mindfulness Practices to Cultivate a Wise Heart

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Ep. 232 – Stop Being Loyal to Your Suffering Apr 02, 2024

Offering compassion for our human flaws, Jack relays how to stop being so loyal to our suffering, and helps uncover the heart of the Buddha living within each of us.

Learn to live beautifully with Jack Kornfield and Dr. Dan Siegel in their new online journey, Living Beautifully: Transformative Science and Mindfulness Practice to Cultivate a Wise Heart

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Living the Divine Abodes to uncover the heart of the Buddha within yourself
How to live in loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity/peace
Ram Dass, the Chicken and Rice Man, and selfless service
How the circle of compassion is not complete until it includes self-compassion
Viktor Frankl and the boundless freedom of the human spirit
David Roche and The Church of 80% Sincerity
Moving beyond looks and into the reality of unconditional love
Turning off the news and doing something enjoyable
How to stop being so loyal to your suffering

This Dharma Talk from 12/10/2007 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

“You can search the tenfold universe as the Buddha and not find a single person more worthy of love and care than the one seated right here in your own body.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 231 – The Divine Abodes: Navigating the World from the Goodness of our Hearts Mar 26, 2024

Shining light on the Divine Abodes, Jack shares how we can navigate the world from the goodness of our hearts.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to recieve 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"Luminous, says the Buddha, is this heart and mind." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) as qualities of the Awakened Heart
Navigating the world from the goodness of our hearts
Loving kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity/peace
What is possible for us as human beings
Discovering who we really are and what really matters
Stories of Jack's Buddhist teacher, Maha Ghosananda
The spirituality of neuroscience's "Mirror Neurons."
Sharon Salzberg, Metta practice, and the power of attention
Ram dass, and the heart as the doorway to love

Learn to live beautifully with Jack Kornfield and Dr. Dan Siegel in their new online journey, Living Beautifully: Transformative Science and Mindfulness Practices to cultivate a Wise Heart

"What we give our attention, that place will flower and blossom. So if we give our attention to love, it grows." – Jack Kornfield

"Loving Kindness is like the rain that falls on all things, the just and the unjust, equally without discrimination. That love, when it grows within our heart, has a quality of nurturance, moisture, opening ,sweetness and constancy to it. It's an expression of the heart that's unencumbered by fear." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 12/10/2007 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 230 – The Inspiration of Dipa Ma Mar 20, 2024

Jack shares miracle stories and personal lessons from Dipa Ma – the luminous, compassionate and unshakeable spiritual master.

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha’s path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack’s new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield. The live version begins March 18! Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3T7Aafp

"You had a sense from this very sweet, mild-mannered old lady of a kind of unshakable inner strength, an incredible sense of stillness and strength in her being." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack lovingly reflects on:

His times with the great yogi and spiritual master, Dipa Ma Barua
Miracle stories and spiritual lessons of Dipa Ma
How the suffering in Dipa Ma's life drew her to Buddhism and meditation
Dipa Ma's siddhis (spiritual/psychic powers) and compassionate shining heart
A life-changing story of Jack being blessed by Dipa Ma
Her grandmotherly loving kindness
Dipa Ma's favorite spiritual questions

"Dipa Ma's teaching was to always keep people in your heart, to give of your love to the people, and the earth and the world around." – Jack Kornfield

"Of all of the possibilities that one can do with the heart and mind, Dipa Ma was a great master of them." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 11/01/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 229 – Expectations Mar 12, 2024

Talking Kabir, breakups, LSD, and Ram Dass, Jack shares how we can unfurl from the suffering of our expectations in order to live the mystery.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"Awareness has this quality of allowing change or openness to take place, because you're not trying to make it a certain way... you're observing it." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

- Kabir and waking up in this very life

- Grief, breakups, disappointment, and letting go

- How expectation creates suffering

- Meditation and "manufacturing the light"

- Expectations, battling reality, and opening to the mystery

- How the mind measures, but the heart loves

- What Ram Dass told Jack about dealing with the death of his father

- Moving past the content of mind, and truly experiencing life

- The essence of Buddha's practice of mindfulness

- Labeling/noting feelings as a way to release them

- Albert Hoffman and LSD

- Relationships and how to make commitment without expectation

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha’s path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack’s new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield. The live version begins March 18! Sign up here: https://bit.ly/3T7Aafp

"Now, what's interesting to discover in meditation, is as you pay attention inside, it's the mind which measures, the mind with thought. The heart doesn't measure, the heart doesn't have that capacity, actually." – Jack Kornfield

"This is an amazing thing—bodies, and life, and cars, and planets hanging in space, and big balls of fire that we name stars and no one knows where they come from...beetles, insects, and strange things. What is this? So we sit and make ourselves a little bit quiet in order to turn the heart and the mind together to face directly this reality, this changing reality of birth and death, of change of life." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 10/10/1988 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 228 – Clouds of the Mind Mar 05, 2024

Going back to the basics, Jack explores how we can skillfully navigate our dynamic mood states by experiencing them as clouds of the mind.

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha’s path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack’s new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield beginning March 18!

"Moods are actually kind of mysterious and quite impersonal. They're like the weather. It's been kind of cool this year, then we get our rainstorms, and the sun comes in between, and the wind comes and dies down, and we don't have any control over it whatsoever. It just comes. It's due to certain conditions." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack compassionately illuminates:

Experiencing moods as clouds or weather—arising and passing naturally from impersonal sets of conditions
The six flavors of experience in Buddhism
Finding the middle ground between acting on feelings and suppressing them
The "vipassana romance" and understanding the "siren call" of desire
Diffusing desire with humor, mindfulness, and noting
Moving past attachment and aversion by leaning into them
Techniques for overcoming doubt
Letting go and becoming more happy and more live

"The optimist wakes up and says, 'Good morning, God!' And the pessimist wakes up and says, 'Good God! Morning...' It's the same experience, but the mood somehow changes it." – Jack Kornfield

"One sits and practices, and let's these experiences come and fill us. We bow to them, name them, soften in the heart and say, 'Okay, show me your stuff, give me the whole thing.' And you know what happens after a while? If you make this spaciousness in the heart and that still point, at some point it ends. Because everything does. You say, 'Wow that was a big storm of desire, wasn't it?' And there you are, and there's this sense of freedom that comes that that's not who we are most fundamentally." – Jack Kornfield

The Dharma Talk from 4/1/1988 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 227 – Codependence and Compassion, What's the Difference? Feb 27, 2024

Illuminating the subtle but crucial difference between codependence and compassion, Jack outlines how to set boundaries and live from our unique truth.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"Codependence means being an accomplice, a kind of complicity with someone who's acting in a self-destructive way, being dependent on their behavior, or supporting it somehow for your own security." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack sheds mindful light on:

The subtle but crucial difference between compassion and codependence
Trying to fix it or save someone instead of allowing them to taste the fruits of their karmas
Feeling locked into supporting someone's destructive behavior
The lack of feeling secure leading to needing to over-control
Needing to fix someone else's problems because we can't live with it in ourself
How we are all accomplices to a codependent society
Mother Teresa and seeking to love the world instead of trying to fix it
The necessity of balancing compassion practice with equanimity practice
The spiritual importance of disharmony and the value of suffering
Boundaries and the ability to say "no"
Ownership, possessiveness, and the trouble with believing our roles
The Bhagavad Gita and acting from our hearts without attachment to the fruit of the action
Living our our unique truth amidst the mystery

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha’s path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack’s new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield beginning March 18!

"We are all heirs to our own karma, we have created our own lives. We can love and assist others, but in the end, no one can create a life for someone else, no one can change another person's fate. We are the ones that create what will happen for us." – Jack Kornfield

"Can we seek to love the world instead of trying to fix it? It is possible to be in a codependent relationship with the ills of the society, so we have to start looking within ourselves. What does it mean to do good? Mother Teresa taught in her work in Calcutta in the death and dying centers, 'We're not social workers. Our work is not to take people off the streets and clothes them and feed them. The government could do that. Our work is to bring to the people that we touch the spirit and the love of God that has touched us. The rest of it is just the vehicle to communicate that spirit.' It's a very different way of approaching solving a problem.'" – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 9/1/1989 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 226 – The Courage to Recognize Truth Feb 20, 2024

Sharing spiritual wisdom on meditation, abundance, intimacy, and the astral body, Jack helps us cultivate the courage to recognize truth.

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha’s path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack’s new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield beginning March 18!

"In one important sense, meditation is an exercise in truth, an exercise in opening to what is true, to what is here in front of in the most direct and obvious ways." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack compassionately illuminates:

Meditation as an exercise in truth
Jesus and the Buddha following their deepest inner truths
Dharma and direct seeing from the heart
Buddhism's three characteristics of life: impermanence, suffering, selflessness
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's view on the rebirth of our bad habits
The difference between our physical 'fear body' we inhabit during the day, versus our expansive 'astral body' we expand into at night
Mindfulness, spaciousness, and Buddha Nature
Abundance and intimacy in spirituality
The 16th Karmapa as the Dharma King
A beautiful (and funny) story of an end-of-life guided meditation

"Somebody asked Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the Tibetan Lama, 'If there's no self, what is it that is reborn in Buddhism?' He smiled and said, 'I hate to tell you this, but what's reborn is your bad habits.'" – Jack Kornfield

"To note what's present is the first task. The second task is to see or sense what happens to it. These are both important. So, sadness comes and you note, 'Ah, here's the feeling of sadness.' And then you name it for a while, you stay with it and see what it does, 'Sad...sad...sad.' Maybe you name it five to ten times and it disappears. Then itching comes and you name, 'Itching...itching...' You don't just name it and hurry back to your breath. You name it and see what it does, 'Itching...itching.' Then, it spreads and your whole face is tingling, 'Tinging...tingling... I'm gonna die if I don't scratch this... Dying...dying...' Then if you stay with it, dying passes, tingling passes, itching passes. If you let yourself stay with things, naming them as long as they are there and seeing them happen, they show their true nature—which is to arise, change, and pass." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 7/11/1990 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 225 – Letting Life Breathe Feb 13, 2024

Illuminating the deepening levels of spiritual practice, Jack explores how to let life breathe while setting your heart on gold.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

“What we’re doing in practice is feeling the actuality of how life is pulsing, moving, flowing and swirling, fast and slow, rhythmically, within our own body, within our own direct experience.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

How to let life breathe while setting your heart on gold
The importance of balancing our concentration, effort, and equanimity
How the quality of presence can help the gold of the heart and mind shine
Riding the body’s rhythm of breath as our main focus of attention and rest
To feel of how life is pulsing, moving, and flowing through our experience
Working with our loneliness, suffering, grief, fear, and longings
Awakening into the present moment to see past the body of fear
How recognizing spaciousness and impermanence helps us overcome our difficulties
The power of trust, letting go, and letting life breathe

“People sometimes feel like it’s not worth it to practice. In the beginning it seems like you’re here 2% of the time, but if you continue and look honestly, you might be here 4% of the time. In one way, that’s discouraging statistically that you’re off 96%, but in another way it says you are now here alive and present twice as much as you were two days ago.” – Jack Kornfield

“The insight into the true path comes when we discover that we’re not trying to hold onto a single thing, not a perception, not a pleasant experience, not the calm of meditation—those are all parts of the waves of experience that rise and pass in space. The idea isn’t to hold your breath when you get something good to see how long it can stay, that doesn’t work very well. The idea is to let all of life breath. As we do, we let go moment by moment, more fully. We learn to trust, like the goldsmith, blowing on it, sprinkling water, softening, cooling, and a lot of time just giving presence so it’s beauty can start to show.” – Jack Kornfield

This episode from 10/09/1983 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

Want to learn how to follow the Buddha's path to freedom in the modern world? Sign up for Jack's new online course Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield beginning March 18!

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Ep. 224 – Loving Kindness Guided Meditation Feb 07, 2024

Wrapping the world in the heart of loving kindness, Jack offers a meditation to help us into presence, relaxation, & loving awareness.

Jack originally shared this guided meditation for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. If you would like to join Jack online for his next livestream, register here.

"Living in loving kindness opens the doorway to happiness and joy." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation to help us:

Enter into presence, relaxation, kindness, and loving awareness
Wrap the world and our experiences in the heart of loving kindness
Learn what it feels like to truly wish well for others and yourself
Use the power of our imagination to visualize and experience transformative blessings
Gradually and incrementally extend our metta to encapsulate all sentient beings
Offer our hearts and direct our loving kindness to those suffering throughout the world
Take the "advanced class" by extending our metta to those causing suffering
Listen to our intuition and allow our heart to direct itself
Live in happiness and joy, and bring loving kindness to all we touch

"Extend the feeling of loving kindness across the world, to those in difficulty, the families the children who are fleeing danger in so many places—Myanmar, Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, Palestine, Israel—across the world. You picture them—the families the children—and send rays of love, metta, and strength, 'May you be safe and protected, may you find ease and graciousness, may you be held in loving kindness, and in whatever ways you can, may you be happy.'" – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 223 – Redemption Song Jan 30, 2024

In this brand new Dharma Talk, Jack sings a redemption song inviting us to lay down our suffering and anger so we can open to the heart of compassion.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"These teachings of redemption point to the wondrous possibility that the conflicts that plague the world can be transformed by the nobility of heart." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully shares:

Real tear-jerking stories of redemption of the human heart
If there is a possibility of return from all the conflicts in the world today
Contemplating who we push out of our hearts
The value of offering compassion and loving kindness
Not letting the suffering of the world poison our hearts and turn us against whole groups of people
How without compassion and wisdom, we project it out on "them"
How Buddhist teachings of impermanence lead to the possibility of redemption
The transformative miracle of neuroplasticity
Putting down thoughts of blame and turning towards a peaceful heart
How good stories can help us break the trance and bring us into the present moment
The way Ram Dass helped Jack, Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein work through a period of conflict
How the world is full of second chances and redemption is possible

"What is the value of the gaze of compassion and loving kindness? It's the consciousness, it's the conscience that leads us to a wiser and more humane life. And with the most terrible dictators and terrorists, the warlords that we see causing so much suffering in this world—we have to do all we can to stop that suffering, but it's also important not to let it poison our hearts, not to let it in any way demonize our hearts to turn against whole groups of people, or give way to despair." – Jack Kornfield

"It's not just the grass that keeps growing, your body keeps renewing itself. Everything is in change. Consciousness is a waterfall, a river, an ocean of recreation again and again, inviting new patterns in illumination and the possibility of redemption. You can trust this power and align yourself to it." – Jack Kornfield

This lecture from Jack originally took place for the Spirit Rock Live: Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation. If you would like to join Jack online for his next livestream on Feb 19, register here!

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Ep. 222 – Self-Acceptance and Opening the Heart Jan 24, 2024

In this lively session, Jack illuminates how we can begin to open the heart through the transformational power of self-acceptance.

"Acceptance is the ground out of which true insight and understanding comes. It's an essential aspect of our practice. If we don't accept some aspect of ourself—some feeling, some physical sense of ourself aspect, some mental sense of ourself—then how are we to learn about it if we condemn it? How are we to discover it's nature? How are we to become free in relationship to it? Self-acceptance is not all of the practice, but it's a foundation and spirit which allows for attention and mindfulness to work." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

Transforming ourself and our practice through self-acceptance
How true acceptance allows the practice of attention and mindfulness to work
Don Juan, attention, non-self, and "dissolving the world"
The power of accepting our non-acceptance
Practice as a process of opening the heart and mind
Dipa Ma as an embodiment of loving kindness, metta
The gradual transformational created through the careful continuity of 'noting'
Overcoming and integrating doubt, anger, guilt, and pain
Resting in the present and the natural calming of the heart and the mind
Impermanence and the Five Aggregates
The spiritual question of 'free will versus determinism'
Meditation and looking at our intentions
Moving poems by Thich Nhat Hạnh and Hanshan

"Practice is a process of opening both the heart and the mind. To open the heart is to allow ourselves to begin to experience whatever there is in our being—in our walking, in our moving, in our eating—with a kindness, with a softness." – Jack Kornfield

"You can sit, and the intention to get up will arise, and if you really notice with continuity and care, you can notice maybe the attention to standup and walk because you're uncomfortable, or the intention to go take tea, or the intention to go to the bathroom. And if you notice sometimes you'll see the intention arise as that quality, 'About to do something...', and you note it, and it disappears, and there you are still sitting there. You watch the breath for a while and the intention comes again, and you begin to see how intention functions, and that it too is impersonal. It's not something you can say is, 'I, me, or mine.'" – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 10/16/1983 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 221 – A Life of Awareness Jan 16, 2024

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack illuminates the law of karma and shares how we can overcome habits in order to live a life of awareness.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"To live a life of awareness asks a lot of us—it asks that we know ourselves, know our feelings, and know our hearts." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack compassionately outlines:

How to move past our karmas to live a life of awareness
Listening inside to find integrity with our words, actions, and hearts
Buddha's emphasis on working with our feelings to find freedom
How not to get caught in reaction to the 'Eight Worldly Winds'
Understanding the law of karma and law of change
Overcoming our habits and shaping our future with awareness
Understanding our motivations in our actions
Discerning between feelings in the body and our mind's stories
Diffusing overpowering emotions with awareness

"The first part of karma is simply that things keep changing, and that how we respond to them creates our future. What's in our hearts that motivates us, creates how the future will be." – Jack Kornfield

"Wisdom—understanding, living wisely—comes from the cultivation of awareness." – Jack Kornfield

This talk from New Years Day 1/1/1988 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 220 – Awareness of Feelings, Mindfulness of Food Jan 09, 2024

In this New Years episode exploring how we can revolutionize our lives by becoming aware of our feelings, Jack talks clear seeing and gives instructions for an eating meditation.

"If you become aware of your feelings, they don't last very long. We feel like we're angry for a day, or sad for a week, or happy for a month, or grieving for a while—as if those feelings lasted that long. But if you look closely and you let yourself feel what's here and pay attention, feelings rarely last more than thirty seconds, maybe a minute, and then then turn into something else. Guaranteed. If you have some feeling that feels like it's lasted much longer than that, you haven't paid attention to it." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

The practice of awareness, mindfulness, and paying attention
Working with the inevitability of change, impermanence, and death
Clear seeing, clear comprehension, and integrity
Mindfulness of the process of eating, food, diet, and hunger
Instructions for an 'eating meditation'
Discerning the voices in our head and choosing the most skillful one to follow
Using 'noting' and 'tracking' to become aware of our feelings and diffuse their grip on us

"When we remember that things change, when we can see it in front of us from moment to moment, it effects deeply the way that we live. If we know that things are really fleeting, it brings a quality or a care to our attention to know where we are. Because we realize that this may be the only time—in fact it is the only time—that we'll be in this day, in this moment, in this circumstance. So one tends to live less automatically if we remember the fact of change, of impermanence and death." – Jack Kornfield

This talk from New Years Day 1/1/1988 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 219 – How to Meditate When You Are Freaking Out with Yung Pueblo and Dan Harris Jan 03, 2024

Bestselling author, Yung Pueblo, and reporter, Dan Harris, join Jack to dive into how to love without grasping, Ram Dass's humor at his own predicament, and how to meditate when you are freaking out.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"The point of meditation practice isn't to withdraw from the world or become a monastic, but it's the possibility to live and take the activities of our life and bring them alive through loving kindness, compassion, and care for yourself and others. People sometimes think if I'm supposed to serve, I have to take care of everybody else, but the circle of compassion is only complete when it also includes yourself." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack, Yung Pueblo, and Dan Harris dive into:

Jack and Yung Pueblo's connection to create Wisdom Ventures to bring compassion and right livelihood to business
How the circle of compassion is only complete when you also include yourself
Ram Dass' vulnerability, and how having a sense of humor about one's own predicament and being amused at our neurotic humanness is actually what truly liberates us
Meditation as an act of care and listening which allows intuition and understanding
The importance of community and why meditating in groups holds a different and usually higher resonance than meditating alone
Skillful ways to handle conflict and difficult situations
How to love family, partners, and friends openhandedly rather than with attachment and grasping

"Meditation is not a grim duty, it's meant to be an act of care. And we live in a culture that's forgotten how we can take care of ourself. And one part of that care, even though at first it feels unfamiliar, is just to be quiet for a little bit and listen. Then there are things in us that we know—intuitions and understandings that come for how to navigate our life from what really matters." – Jack Kornfield

This conversation originally aired on the Ten Percent Happier Podcast with Dan Harris. If you enjoy this, Dan Harris has a new series – Non-Negotiables in the New Year – where he interviews celebrities and dharma experts to discuss their time tested, research-backed advice to get you through the new year and beyond. Listen here!

About Yung Pueblo:

Diego Perez is a meditator and #1 New York Times bestselling author who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name, Yung Pueblo. Online he has an audience of over 3 million people. His writing focuses on the power of self-healing, creating healthy relationships, and the wisdom that comes when we truly work on knowing ourselves. Learn more at YungPueblo.com

About Dan Harris:

A skeptical journalist, Dan Harris had a panic attack on live TV that sent him on a journey that led him to try something he otherwise wouldn't have considered: meditation. He went on to write the best-selling book, 10% Happier. The show features interviews with top scientists, celebrities and experts in the field of mindfulness. And Dan's approach is seemingly modest, but secretly radical: happiness is a skill you can train, just like working your bicep in the gym. For more Dan check out podcast, Ten Percent Happier, and visit his website TenPercent.com

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Ep. 218 – Caring for Each Other and Our World Dec 27, 2023

In this new Dharma Talk, Jack explores how we can navigate the suffering of the world's conflicts with compassion, understanding, and peace.

This episode is from the Cloud Sangha Community Talk on Dec. 13, 2023. If you would like to join Cloud Sangha to steep in spiritual community, they are offering a 2-week free trial here.

"I think that we are afraid somehow that our own heart is not big enough to hold the tears and suffering of the world." – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh episode, Jack compassionately elucidates:

How compassion is built into us and is absolutely natural
Why the only side Jack is choosing is the side of peace
Ajahn Chah's monastery as a zone of peace during wartime
Opening our heart big enough to hold it all, connecting with the Mother of the world
Pausing, living from our best intention, listening with an open heart, and mending what we can
How when love meets suffering, it transforms into compassion
Seeing the world through the eyes of compassion, and taking a stand for love
How hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed
A powerful guided meditation practice in opening to the heart of compassion
How not to get swallowed up by the collective suffering
Turning off the news, stepping out of the war, and becoming a place of peace, compassion, and loving awareness
Dealing with pain, death, regrets, and "what if's"
Being vulnerable and opening communication with estranged relations
Acting beneficially without attachment to the results of our actions

"It's not your job to fix the world or to stop all the wars. It's your job to do your part, to stand for what matters, to speak and act in a way that represents compassion and love for everyone, to plant seeds to mend the places that you can." – Jack Kornfield

"Love, when it meets suffering, changes to a different quality, which is compassion. It's that quivering of the heart when we feel in ourself other's struggles and difficulties. It's the resonance with them, and the natural upwelling of, 'How can I help?' – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 217 – The Way Buddha Answered Questions Dec 19, 2023

In this unique exploration of Dharma, Jack shares how we can transform our daily lives by looking into how the Buddha answered questions.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"This talk on the way the Buddha answered questions is not to give you another talk on Buddhist history, but to connect us with the ancient timeless endeavor of practice, of awakening, and the ways human beings over many centuries have worked with the development of their understanding." – Jack Kornfield

In this illuminating episode, Jack highlights:

How the way Buddha answered questions is relevant to living in our modern times
Buddha's ancient sutras, talks, and Q&As, and how those teachings have touched the world
Buddha's vision of mind and ability to understand the psyche, how it gets entangled, and how we can become free
The "one taste" of Dharma and our capacity for inner-freedom
Illuminating the reality of non-self
How the teachings of the Dharma turn the mind back to one's own personal experience
The radical way of seeing the world through a lens that is not, "I, me, mine."
How to live fully whether we have one life or many lives to live
Buddha's view of the "world on fire" and how to work with this in our daily lives
How to work with contradictions along the spiritual path
Continuity and carrying our practice and presence into the day in an enjoyable way

"The essence of Dharma is how we love moment to moment." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from October 1983 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 216 – Heart and Mind, Wholeness and Emptiness Dec 13, 2023

In Jack's heartfelt final talk at Insight Meditation Society, he explores heart and mind, wholeness and emptiness, and how the only way to be free is to let go of it all.

"When I was first studying Buddhism and meditating, even as it got a lot deeper, it was a clearing of the mind—mind becoming more silent, fewer thoughts, starting to see with a vision of clarity how things really arise, pass, and are truly ownerless. There's a kind of coolness to that vision, just like on a hot summer day when you go into a place and the cool breeze comes, and it cools off at night. That kind of vision of openness, of spaciousness of mind, and the clarity to see, has a sweetness, a sweet kind

In this heartfelt episode, Jack mindfully explores:

The significance of this session as his last Dharma Talk at Insight Meditation Society before leaving to California to found Spirit Rock Meditation Center
Jack's connection as a founding teacher of IMS alongside other Be Here Now Network teachers and podcasters, Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein
How sangha—spiritual community—has a way of naturally calibrating itself and the students/teachers within it
The sweet coolness and spacious clarity which comes from spiritual practice
Suzuki Roshi and the wisdom of 0 and 1, emptiness and wholeness
A moving story of service and renewal from a Ram Dass book
How the only way to be free is to let go of all of it, absolutely everything
The question Jack will ask himself when his body is dying: whether I've lived fully and loved well
What the Buddha said about love

"The only way to be free is to let go of all of it." – Jack Kornfield

"What I imagine I'll ask myself when I die is: whether I've lived fully—but even more than that—whether I've loved very well." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 03/18/1984 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 215 – Why Take Spiritual Retreat? Nov 28, 2023

Illuminating the benefits of taking spiritual retreat, Jack highlights the importance of meeting our practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning.

Join Jack with Trudy Goodman, Krishna Das, Anne Lamott and more, live online from Maui in the virtual Ram Dass Legacy Retreat: Love and Renewal 11/29 - 12/3!

"It's not a question of practicing and losing weight, or getting rid of our neurosis or figuring out our mother, father, husband, or wife trip; but it's really to get the bottom of the question of life itself: Who are we? What makes up our experience? And to ask that question, to come to the end of our questioning requires a kind of passion, a kind of urgency, to see, to know." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

The history and importance of taking spiritual retreat in Eastern traditions
What it was like for Jack to take spiritual retreat with Burmese Buddhist teacher, Mahasi Sayadaw, and his Thai Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah
Instructions for meditation and how to apply them properly to the retreat experience
Moving beyond our psychological melodrama so we can gain deeper insight into the processes of mind
Gurdjieff and using the fire of practice to transform our inner-world into a single whole
Using our time wisely within the great mystery of this precious human birth
Meeting our meditation practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning
The Diamond Sutra and how to live with a heart of light

"You say that practice is difficult. This is thinking. Practice is not difficult. If you say it's difficult this means you're examining yourself too much—examining your situation, your condition, your opinion—so you say practice is difficult. But if you keep the mind that is before thinking and planning, then practice is not difficult." – Jack Kornfield quoting a Zen Master

This Dharma Talk on 10/07/78 from Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 214 – Right Attitude Nov 21, 2023

Exploring the liberating step of Right Attitude, Jack illuminates how we can break free from our automatic habits by becoming fully conscious of them.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

"There's a strength of heart that comes when we don't just follow our habit. It's a strengthening of heart that brings a sense of wellbeing or purity. Because we begin to train ourselves that we don't have to follow all our habits and all our desires." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Right Attitude / Right Thought as one of the steps on the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path
The three aspects of Right Attitude: openness/exploration, renunciation/effort, love/non-harming
Working with our unique personality in this incarnation
The importance of adding fire to our spiritual practice
Breaking free from our automatic habits by bringing conscious awareness to them
Ram Dass and becoming a "connoisseur or your neurosis"
Transforming our life from automatic pilot to being fully conscious
The story of Larry Brilliant helping cure smallpox and what he learned about surrender and interconnectivity

"I think love really manifests when things get difficult. That's when you really know it. That's the fire that melts whatever barriers we ever have in our hearts. And our hearts want to be melted. The pain isn't so bad; it's much better than having it still solid and barricaded." – Jack Kornfield

Join Jack and friends live ONLINE from Maui Nov. 29 - Dec. 3 at the 3rd Annual Ram Dass Legacy Retreat in this 5-day virtual livestream event. Learn more and register here.

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Ep. 213 – Don Juan Meets Buddha: Becoming a Spiritual Warrior Nov 15, 2023

Connecting the Buddha's wisdom with the teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda's infamous Yaqui shaman, Jack explores how to become a spiritual warrior.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Guided Meditation in this Masterclass with Jack Kornfield! Sign up for the on-demand version before Nov. 15 to take part in two live Q&A sessions with Jack!

"There's a mysterious beauty that surrounds those individuals who live their lives as warriors, as men or women of knowledge." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

How Buddha's factors of enlightenment (qualities of awakening) connect with Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda's infamous teacher and Yaqui shaman and sorcerer
Don Juan's wisdom of the 'Way of the Warrior' in relation to Buddhism
The qualities of living as a spiritual warrior: impeccability/wholeness, wise effort/energy, courage/investigation, controlled-folly (play/lightness), strength/concentration, and steadfastness/unshakeableness
Shamanism and cutting through our sense of separation into the root of consciousness
Finding inner-freedom by learning how to stop our internal dialogue

"The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary person takes everything as a blessing or a curse." – Carlos Castaneda (Author of The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge)

This talk from 12/31/1983 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 212 – Heart of Refuge Guided Meditation Nov 09, 2023

In response to the conflicts in the world, Jack offers a harmonizing guided meditation inviting us into peace, sanctuary, and the heart of refuge.

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"I breath in peace and breath out peace to all those who are amidst the troubles of this world—the conflicts, the refuges, the violence and the fear. I send you a peaceful breath. May we be peaceful together." – Jack Kornfield

In this timely episode, Jack leads a harmonizing guided meditation to help us:

Find a mindful, balanced, and compassionate response to the conflicts and tragedy's happening throughout the world today
Turn our awareness to the present moment, merging mind, body, and spirit
Extend our consciousness, compassion, and mindful loving awareness around the planet, it's people, and environments
Send out peaceful healing breaths to all those who are amidst the troubles of the world

This episode is from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation on 10/23/2023.

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Ep. 211 – Heart of Refuge Nov 01, 2023

In this powerful new Dharma Talk touching on current events, an emotional Jack offers a heart of refuge amidst the world's conflicts.

"There's a liberation amidst birth and death, joy and sorrow, war and peace, that is beyond it all. This is the sacred openness of love and awareness itself.” – Jack Kornfield

In this emotional episode, Jack touches into:

The terrors of the ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Darfur
How constant news media effects our emotions and wellbeing
Learning to live from the 'heart of refuge' which the Buddha offers
What does it mean to be a refugee? How can we help create sanctuary?
The importance of outsiders opening to the suffering of all humans rather than taking sides
How the Buddha's mindful loving awareness overcomes Mara's aggression, greed, and doubt
The ways we can open ourselves to forgiveness, compassion, community, safety, love, and trust

This episode is from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation on 10/23/2023.

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Ep. 210 – Simplicity Oct 25, 2023

Jack explores how meeting our lives with a directness and simplicity helps bring the mind, body, and heart into unity.

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"The spirit of the practice is a unification of the mind with the body and the heart, bringing them all together into one. In that unification, or collectedness, then it becomes possible, when the mind isn't wandering in fantasy of past or future, to see directly and clearly.” – Jack Kornfield

In this Dharma Talk, Jack mindfully illuminates:

Buddha's simple wisdom: "In the seen, there is only the seen. In the heard, there is only the heard. In the sensed, there is only the sensed. In the thought, there is only the thought."
Meeting our practice and the world with a directness and simplicity; bringing the mind, heart, and body into unity
Cultivating an "excruciatingly" precise awareness and paying careful attention so we can see our life process in a new way
The three-sided crystal of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness/insecurity, and selflessness
Suzuki Roshi and the blissful wisdom of simplicity

This Dharma Talk 9/29/1983 at the Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 209 – Life as a Forest Monk Oct 17, 2023

In this riveting episode, Jack shares hilarious personal stories illuminating lessons from his life as a forest monk in Thailand.

"The spirt was you just did it, and you worked with whatever came up as your practice. Living the life of a monk meant taking what came to you and working with it, whether it was difficult or easy.” – Jack Kornfield

In this riveting episode, Jack dives into:

What it was like living as a forest monk in Thailand at Ajahn Chah's forest monastery
The wisdom he learned through experiencing Ajahn Chah's four-part teachings on surrender, opening up to see clearly, working with the mind, and gaining balance/perspective
The two levels of Dharma practice: using Dharma to feel comfortable, and using Dharma to get free
Ajahn Chah's rascally yet direct interactions with students, including one with Ram Dass
Working with attachments and aversions in order to overcome them and grow spiritually
Learning how to let go and not get caught in the mind's lures, traps, and intricacies

Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern.

With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.

Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!

This episode from Insight Meditation Society on 6/7/1981 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

"Meditation practice is where you are sitting. It's not to go to some other place, or have the ideal setting, or have your coffee, or have your quiet little room. Where you are is your practice." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 208 – Way of the Bodhisattva Oct 10, 2023

Illuminating the Way of the Bodhisattva, Jack shares wisdom from St. Teresa of Calcutta, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, Ajahn Chah, and Sueng Sahn on walking the spiritual path.

This vintage episode from April 10, 1977 at Camp Cedar Glen was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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In this vintage episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

The selfless service, love, and wisdom of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's unshakeable compassion and revolutionary work around death and dying
How his teacher Ajahn Chah's Thai monastery was an island of peace and possibility amidst war and conflict
What the story of Korean Zen Master, Seung Sahn, getting a job at a laundry mat teaches us about non-attachment to self
Compassion, the spiritual path, and the Way of the Bodhisattva

Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern.

With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.

Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!

"The power that a human being who’s really committed to truth and love has to transform people around them is quite remarkable." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 207: Rekindle and Renew Oct 03, 2023

In this flowing question and answer session, Jack helps his students mindfully navigate topics like loneliness, intention setting, meditating with ADD, meeting our shame with nobility, and dealing with jerks.

"The spiritual path is really step by step. If you think of it as long, you can get lost and overwhelmed. But if you realize that you're not going from here to there, you're going from there to hear, the path leads you back to this moment and to a more tender heart.” – Jack Kornfield

In this question and answer session, Jack and his students mindfully explore:

A do-it-yourself intention setting ceremony
What it's like to practice meditation with ADD
The benefits of going on spiritual retreat both in-person and online
How to handle being triggered by "jerks," politics, greed, hate, and injustice
Meeting our shame and regret with nobility and growth
Finding patience and trust for the spiritual path
Spirituality and how to deal with difficult family
The importance of satsang (sangha, spiritual community)

Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin this October!

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Ep. 206 – Capitalism, Right Livelihood, and the Next Generation with Bill Ford Sep 27, 2023

Executive Chairman of the Ford Motor Company, Bill Ford, joins Jack to discuss capitalism, Right Livelihood, and the next generation.

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“To be successful in business you have to have values, you have to stand by those values, and you can't compromise those values. But you also have to have the tools to do that. Whether it's meditation or other forms of self-exploration, you have to have a way to shed the stress and to really dive into what's important.” – Bill Ford

In this episode, Jack and Bill mindfully navigate:

How we can make business and work a force for good
The stakes and rewards of servant leadership
Capitalism, Right Livelihood, and the Next Generation
Navigating tough decisions and bringing out the best in others
Compassionate leadership in a cold economy
Living with empathy and from our highest intention

Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin this October!

"What's the point of your life if there isn't some well-being woven into it? It's not meant to be a grim duty. Some people take meditation as a grim duty. That doesn't make it happy, and it doesn't actually serve you in some deep way." – Jack Kornfield

This conversation was originally recorded for the Inner-MBA program presented by Sounds True.

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Ep. 205 – Solving Your Own Problems with Trudy Goodman and Bonnie Duran, DrPH Sep 20, 2023

In this hilarious episode, Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, and Bonnie Duran, DrPH, share stories on becoming empowered to solve your own problems.

Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin on Sept 28th!

“The Buddha's enlightenment solved the Buddha's problem, now you solve yours.” – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode Jack, Trudy, and Bonnie mindfully explore:

The powerful lesson encased within Bonnie's first one-on-one session with Joseph Goldstein
Empowerment, personal understanding, and spiritual awakening
Hilarious stories from Jack on his teacher Ajahn Chah involving enlightenment, Jesus, and the wisdom of not-knowing
Trudy's two-sided spiritual lesson on aging, impermanence, and presence
Dealing with uncertainty and learning to trust yourself

About Bonnie Duran, DrPH:

Bonnie Duran, DrPH, (mixed race Opelousas/Coushatta) is a Professor Emeritus in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington (UW), in Seattle. Before, during and after completing her doctoral degree at UC Berkeley, she has worked in public health and social care research, education and practice with a focus on Native Americans/Indigenous peoples and other communities of color for over 35 years. Dr Duran has conducted studies of mental disorder prevalence, risk and protective factors, victimization, and treatment seeking/ barriers to care among people attending Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities and probability samples from the Tribal Colleges and University’s within the largest rural Tribal Nations in the U.S. In partnership with communities, she has adapted and developed Indigenous interventions for system level, community and individual health and wellbeing.

About Trudy Goodman:

Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide.

Learn more about Trudy’s offerings at trudygoodman.com

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Ep. 204 – Wise Society Sep 13, 2023

Reflecting on what it means to live in a wise society, Jack shares stories on how we can handle difficult topics – cancer, abortion, women's rights, prison, and war – with a mutual respect.

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“How much respect do you give to those you disagree with? And what would they feel from you? Not that you have to have the same ideas, but is there that spirit of respect? Can you see the secret beauty behind their eyes? Can you see them all with a heart open even if you disagree?” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

What the truth of interdependence means to tending a wise society
How Buddha, Dharma, and meditation connect with politics and community
A story of enlightenment about 'The Rabbi, the Abbot, and The Messiah'
Quieting the mind, opening the heart, mutual respect, and listening deeply
The compassion of Quan Yin, and the Dharma as medicine for the world
Gracefully handling topics like cancer, abortion, women's rights, the prison system, and war

Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey starting Sept 28th!

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Ep. 203 – Ocean of Air Meditation Sep 06, 2023

Jack shares a guided meditation on relaxing into the ocean of air we find ourselves in when we open to the present moment.

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“You become a connoisseur of breathing for this moment, attentive to this remarkable breathing in and out of the atmosphere, keeping you alive, exchanging with all.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation helping us:

Tune into embodied presence
Invite in relaxation, ease and calm
Become mindful of the body breathing itself
Use noting to move past waves of emotions and thoughts

"As you sense each breath, you can whisper softly in the background of your mind, 'Ease, calm,' and allow the embodied presence that is feeling this breath to invite you into a place of stillness, breath by breath." – Jack Kornfield

This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock Meditation Center for the Monday Night Dharma Talk on July 24, 2023.

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Ep. 202 – Mudita: Sympathetic Joy Aug 29, 2023

Illuminating the concept of mudita – sympathetic joy – Jack helps us cultivate authentic happiness for those around us, and leads a guided meditation on the topic.

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"Spiritual joy is the innate capacity for the heart to take pleasure and wonderment in this life and in the happiness of others, a kind of sympathetic joy." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully navigates:

Mudita as a spiritual/sympathetic joy and generosity of spirit which take s pleasure in the happiness of others
Rumi, the ocean of poetry, channeling, listening, and inspiration
Seeing the beauty in the the light, eyes, and world around us
Spirituality, happiness, and taking responsibility for your heart
The Buddha's lens that joy and beauty are crucial factors of enlightenment
A guided meditation partner practice to cultivate mudita (sympathetic joy) and metta (loving kindness)

This Dharma Talk from 12/03/2001 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published by DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 201 – Nature of Dharma Aug 23, 2023

Jack returns to explore the nature of Dharma as universal, immediate, timeless, beneficial, protective, and available to all.

"The Dharma is universal, it's immediate, it's open-handed, it's to be experienced by each person for themselves directly, it's timeless. The truth of life is here to be discovered for any individual with eyes open to see." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully navigates:

Sufis introducing the Dance of Universal Peace to Jack's retreat of Buddhists
Dharma as universal, immediate, timeless, beneficial, protective, and available to all
The various meanings of 'Dharma': the teachings, the physical/emotional elements of the world, personal destiny/path, and Universal Laws/Truth
How Joseph Goldstein accidentally found his teacher Munindraji while on the way to take LSD under the Bodhi Tree
Karma, impermanence, duality, selflessness, attachment, metta (loving kindness), and the preciousness of life
The Vipassana paradox of Tibetan Dream Yoga

"The Dharma protects those who follow it like a great umbrella in the rainy season." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 12/05/1987 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 200 – Hunger: The Illusion of Incompleteness Aug 16, 2023

Getting vulnerable about the hungers which afflict our lives, Jack helps us into the nirvana beyond the illusion of incompleteness.

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“In Sanskrit or Pali the word is ‘Trishna,’ which means thirst, desire, wanting. It’s exaggeration, or the realm that it manifests in in the greatest way, is called ‘The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts.’ Hungry Ghosts are pictured as these beings who have huge stomaches and tiny little mouths, so that it’s never possible to get enough in there to ease that hunger.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack vulnerably navigates:

Hunger, abundance, deprivation, indulgence, addiction, and the illusion of incompleteness
Feeling idiotic, depressed, needy, judgmental, sad, lonely, hungry, etc
Trishna—thirst, desire, wanting—and the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts
Samsara and the propulsion of endless wanderings of seperation/seeking
Ajahn Chah and being with what is, rather than struggling against it
Relating wisely and tenderly to Buddha’s First Noble Truth of suffering
Nirvana as the end of cyclical grasping and the illusion that we are incomplete

“Nirvana is the end of cyclic existence, which is to say, the end of grasping and going around in circles looking for something that you are, but haven’t yet touched—the end of the illusion that we are incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 02/01/1987 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 198 – Awareness and Intimacy Aug 02, 2023

In this lively episode, Jack dives into how mindfulness, awareness and intimacy help us engage with life more fully.

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"Zen master Dōgen said that to be mindful, to be awake, to pay attention, is the same as intimacy—intimacy with your lover, with your friends, or the sky and the trees, the drought, the grasses, your neighbors, the rhythms of the seasons, your children or parents." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

Spiritual practice as a path with heart about connecting our spiritual life and worldly life
Using breath to relate with nature and life as movement and a process of change
Understanding the movements of mind and using mindfulness to live more fully
A story involving Jack, a Zen master, and a glass of sake at Naropa
How mindfulness, awareness and intimacy are synonymous
The way Jack personally deals with and gets intimate with loneliness in his life
Meditation as teaching the art of appreciation for what's in front of us
The art of getting intimate with our fear to engage with life more fully

"To enter into one thing in a very personal and immediate way—not with your mind, but your whole being—is to touch everything." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock in January 1989 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 197 – Cycles of Change Jul 25, 2023

Navigating the body's river of sensations, Jack helps us into the still-point of freedom amidst life's cycles of change.

"If our goal in spiritual practice is some state, some open state, it would be in spiritual life like buying already open flowers instead of buds, or like adopting an adult instead of a child. To awaken the heart of a Buddha requires us to find the deepest respect and compassion for things as they are, for they way things are. There isn't anything you can hold onto in that because it's always changing. There is no enlightened retirement. The way things are includes the cycles of stillness and action, the times of raising a family or being a renunciate, making money or retiring—and finding somehow a way to be with what is, with the truth of change." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully elucidates:

The Dalai Lama's view on the Big Bang Theory
How when we open deeply to our feelings, we recognize the body as a flowing river of sensation
The Buddha's 'Eight Worldly Winds' and using mindfulness and Right Effort to navigate life's cycles of expansion and contraction
Ram Dass, Be Here Now, and the "rollercoaster of highs and lows" of spiritual practice
Finding freedom in the still-point amidst the cycles of change
Trusting ourselves and the universe enough to let go into the mystery

"Life is a process of expansion and contraction. We breathe, and as we sit in meditation you notice there are long and short breaths, cool, fast, deeper ones and shallow ones. If you let it breath itself it has all these rhythms of the body opening and closing all the time. Then you pay attention to sensations in the body. At first it feels like tension, pain, hot, or cold, but the more deeply you listen with your inner-awareness, that which we call pain, tension, hot, or cold, becomes pulsing, throbbing, needles, pinpricks, swirling movement. The more deeply we feel, the more our body shows itself to be a river of sensation." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock on 4/23/1989 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 196 – The Art of Paying Attention Jul 20, 2023

Illuminating the art of paying attention, Jack shares hilarious stories and mindful insights around how we can let go into the present.

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"To learn the art of paying attention requires some practice, that we learn how to sit and steady ourselves, to steady our bodies, and listen with a steadiness of heart, to actually be with what is here in our experience—pleasant and unpleasant, beautiful and ugly. That's what sitting is about, really, is to sit and be with the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows, to see them, feel them, and let ourselves be as we are." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack artfully illuminates:

How your spiritual path is truly in your own hands; other's can point the way, but you must walk it
The Buddha's four aspects of Right Effort
Learning the art of paying attention, and applying this to sit with life's 10,000 joys and sorrows
The Samurai way of going through the path of fire
Jack's hilarious personal experience solving koans on Zen retreats
Letting go into the present moment (while still acting in the world)

"As one Zen master says, 'Just put it down, put everything down. Just be here and forget about the past and future. That's enough.'" – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma talk from March 13, 1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed

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Ep. 195 – Freedom, Independence, and a Spiritual Rudder Jul 11, 2023

In this Independence Day focused episode, Jack reflects on how we can foster true freedom and independence through using a spiritual rudder.

"The Buddha, in the last bit of his life, said, 'When I'm gone, don't follow or place all of your reliance on elders or teachers, but rather follow the Dharma, the universal law, and know these things for yourself. Know the forces of grasping, hatred, and ignorance. Really know what they are. Let yourself see them, and know that it is possible to find freedom from these. If it weren't possible I wouldn't tell you about it. Then as you live your life, be aware of what brings goodness, what brings freedom from grasping, hatred, and delusion. Nourish that which brings that freedom, sustain it and support it." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack dives into:

The ideals of the U.S., versus its reality and history
What it means to be independent, what it means to be free
Learning what your "spiritual rudder" is to steer you in the midst of this Kali Yuga
Buddha's advice on following the Dharma, and your Way, rather than following others
Our spiritual rudder as synonymous with truth, love, integrity, and our Buddha Nature
True freedom as freedom from the pull and sway of outside circumstances
Real loving kindness, real metta, as timeless, fearless, and free

This Dharma talk given by Jack on July 4th, 1994 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 194 – Sauna Sessions with Prince Ea Jul 04, 2023

Hop in the Sauna with Jack Kornfield and Prince Ea, as they steep deeply into topics of spirituality, fear, meditation, compassion, and staying awake in the world.

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"People say the world is going to hell in a hand-basket, but that's only half the story. There is a lot of suffering that really needs our honest compassion and tending, but it also needs hope. If you go into a refugee camp and you're depressed and worried; they don't need that, they already have plenty of that. They need somebody that comes in and says, 'We human beings can make the world better." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack and Prince Ea steam in:

Meeting all facets of the world with optimism and hope
Why we should never underestimate the human heart
Mindful presence, loving awareness, and waking up to who we are
Overcoming fear and not buying into the scare tactics used in politics
What it was like for Jack to meet and learn from Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
The story of Jack becoming a Buddhism monk and finding Vipassana meditation
Unpacking compassion as a verb, rather than empathy which is inactive

About Prince Ea:

Prince Ea is a film maker, speaker, human optimization researcher, and creator who has touched the hearts, minds and souls of millions of people worldwide. By producing creative, inspirational and thought provoking content, Prince has accumulated over 1 billion views on Facebook alone and even more on a combination of other platforms. For more info, please princeea.com

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Ep. 193 – Mindfulness, A.I., and the Future of Life w/ Soren Gordhamer & Sam Altman of ChatGPT Jun 20, 2023

Jack joins CEO of OpenAI's ChatGPT, Sam Altman, onstage with Soren Gordhamer at Wisdom 2.0 to talk artificial intelligence, spirituality, ethics, and the future of humanity.

Sam Altman is the co-founder and CEO of OpenAI and ChatGPT. Soren Gordhamer is the founder of Wisdom 2.0.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom

In this episode, Jack, Sam, and Soren explore:

How A.I. technology will impact our world and the future of humanity
The ways Sam's meditation practice is influencing his tech career
Potential benefits and pitfalls of opening artificial intelligence onto the world
If we can instill values, ethics, and morals into A.I.
How Sam created OpenAI to allow a collective democratic process for how A.I. evolves
Does artificial intelligence technology have a sense of self?
Learning how humanity can best utilize these evolving tools
How A.I. can aid our spiritual practice

"What are people going to do in the post-A.I. world when we all have tremendous resources, we've solved a lot of inequities in the world, and we have a lot of time on our hands? Well, there are a lot of people who need a lot of spiritual practice, and we're gonna have that time." – Sam Altman

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Ep. 192 – Spirituality and Sexuality (Part 2) Jun 13, 2023

Plunging further into last week's topic, Jack offers vulnerable perspectives on how sexuality and relationships play into our life and practice.

"If one wants to understand karma, or one wants to understand virtue, ethics, or morality—which are equally important and profound in developing a spiritual life—the way to do it is very simple: it's beginning to know, observe, feel, and understand what's going on in our hearts as we act." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack vulnerably explores:

Understanding karma, virtue, intention and action
How so much of our sadhana and practice comes through our relationships
Learning about ourselves and the universe through sex and relationship
Sex and relationship as a form of opening and surrender, as well as commitment, offering, acceptance, growth, and healing
Desire, grasping, reality, love, and the present moment
Relationships as a place to find the foundations of mindfulness
The nature of love as expression, growth, and unity

This episode from 1987 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 191 – Spirituality and Sexuality (Part 1) Jun 07, 2023

Exploring the relationship between spirituality and sexuality, Jack offers reflections and perspectives on ways to dance with the sexual energy in our lives.

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"In a way, sex is a mirror. How your sexuality goes in a particular day or week is pretty much a reflection of the rest of your heart, mind, spirit, and being. In that regard, it's just like meditation—you sit down, close your eyes, and you get to see what's there: frustration, anger, happiness, or love. Sexuality serves the same way, physically, but even more so emotionally." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

The relationship between spirituality, sexuality, and our lives
Why sexuality is such a major part of our culture
Our underlying fear of true intimacy
Suzuki Roshi's koan of "How do you realize Buddha while making love?"
The Four Foundations of Mindfulness in relation to our sexuality
Wounds, trauma, healing, and the body
Using relationships in a skillful way to grow
Tantra, breath, and going beyond ourselves

"If you look at our culture, television and mass media, sex is such a big part of it. Why is it such a big thing in our culture and our lives? Because, in part, it's a vehicle to go beyond ourselves." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharna talk from 1987 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 190 – The Lion's Roar of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche May 30, 2023

Directly following Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche's death, Jack offers perspectives on the life and dharma of one of spirituality's most impactful and controversial figures.

"Lama Govinda said that of all the young tulkus, of all the young incarnate lamas to leave Tibet, there was none as bright as Trungpa Rinpoche—bright in the sense of his field of his being and his energy. Lama Govinda, even at a point when he wasn't very happy with the way Trungpa Rinpoche was behaving, said that he still had to admit there was no one who walked across the Himalayas and came out who had that light more than Trungpa." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack dives into:

A celebration of the life, teachings, and impact of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche
The Vimalakīrti Sutra, and how certain Bodhisattvas teach as householders so that their message can be best understood by the world
How Jack being invited to teach alongside Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein on the faculty of Trungpa's Naropa University in Boulder, CO sparked their teaching careers in the West
Lama Govinda's view on Trungpa's innate radiant brightness and his "lion's roar"
The traditions, trainings, and spirit of Shambala through the metaphor of the rising sun
Meeting our life and practice with an openness and fearlessness
Buddhist personality types and their unique seeds of awakening
Trungpa's discipline for practice, and his deep devotion for his teachers and dharma lineage
Ping-ponging between Ram Dass's and Trungpa Rinpoche's dueling Bhakti and Buddhism sessions the opening summer at Naropa

"Trungpa Rinpoche gave himself as fully to the West as any Buddhist teacher that I know that has come. And in a more remarkable way, he absorbed our culture, our language, our customs, who we are, into himself and said, 'Alright, let's play! Let's take the seed of the Dharma and really make it sparkle and alive in the West.'" – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk on 4/01/1987 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 189 – Connecting Practice with Your Deepest Love May 23, 2023

Rewiring our brains around difficulties, emptiness, fear, and longing, Jack highlights how we can connect our practice with our deepest love.

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"When you get afraid or things are difficult, fear is simply the signal that you're about to learn something new. When you feel afraid it's like the little light comes on that says, 'About to grow.'" – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack contemplates and explores:

The times in our lives where we feel truly connected to our hearts
Ajahn Jumnian, motivation for practice, spiritual thirst, and working with addiction
Bringing awareness to the truth of emptiness and nature of joy and sorrow
Reincarnation and seeing everyone in the world as your mothers, fathers, and children
Finding that what we really want is simple heart connection
Emptiness, longing, and feeding the hungry heart
Stillness and living from our fundamental nature of love and caring
The difficulties in life as part of the spiritual path
Seeing life as a continuous flow of mistakes to learn from, and fear as a signal that you are about to grow

"To study emptiness means to accept without resisting, to not push away or not distract ourselves from the emptiness that's within us that we half-feel and keep trying to fill up through all of our sense of longing and deficiency. Instead, it's to sit and say, 'Alright, let me feel that longing, that emptiness, that space, that deficiency. Let me feel how deep it is, how big it is, and not just try to fill it right away.' When we stop running and feel that, then something new comes alive in us." – Jack Kornfield

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188 – Ancient Buddhist Dharma Stories May 17, 2023

Mindfully retelling ancient Buddhist Dharma stories, Jack reflects on what it means to live with a wise heart.

"For someone who wants to break free inside of the forces of ignorance, delusion, habit, and sleepwalking—you must really see that there's something greater than just getting through each day, and devote yourself in some fashion to it." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack opens us to:

Modern retellings of ancient Buddhist Dharma stories
The courage and mystery of the heart
The law of karma and the power of intention
The compelling nature of spiritual practice
Buddha's past life as a lion living on an island with an elephant friend
Discovering what is love, and what is goodness in the heart
Learning to listen to where our actions comes from

"Find a place in yourself—in your being, your heart—that really wants to understand what life and death is about, that wants to live in a different way. Let that be the source of your inspiration, the source of your guidance." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 3/23/86 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 187 – The Three Characteristics of Life May 09, 2023

In this vintage Dharma Talk, Jack illuminates Buddhism's Three Characteristics of Life: stress, non-self, and impermanence.

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"Somehow we believe our concepts, that we'll be here forever, that our life is really going to go on and on. Or we believe our advertising, the idea from the culture that if you get 'this' you'll be able to hold onto it and it will make you happy. It's just not true. Happiness is a matter of the heart; not something we can grasp or hold." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Knowledge, love, patience, and a spirit of constancy
Being here now and living in mindfulness in the present moment
Buddhism's Three Characteristics of Life
Anicca: impermanence
Anatta: non-self
Dukkha: stress/suffering
True happiness as a matter of the heart
How you can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf
The original truth of self and freedom

This teaching is part of a 4-week long Yoga of Heartfulness online course featuring teachings from Ram Dass and friends. Learn more about this 10 hour course: Ram Dass' Yoga of Heartfulness

This flowing lecture from 4/18/1985 was originally published on DharmaSeed

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Ep. 186 – Expansion and Contraction May 03, 2023

Jack returns with a cosmic Dharma Talk exploring expansion and contraction in relation to impermanence as the root of spiritual practice.

"The law of change is the brown rice and vegetables of spiritual practice, it's the root of our direct experience of life." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack takes us on a cosmic journey through:

The basic fundamentals of Dharma teachings on how to live wisely in our practice
A trippy interstellar perspective flip through a simple intergalactic thought experiment
Life—this capacity to be conscious and aware—as a process of expansion and contraction
The law of change, impermanence, as the "brown rice and vegetables" of spiritual practice
Spiritual practice as a way to find freedom and compassion within ourselves
Learning to live in the present of how it is, rather than how we wish it would be

This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 6/20/1994 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Ep. 185 – Grey Matter with Michael Krasny Apr 25, 2023

This week, Jack joins Michael Krasny for a conversation diving into mindfulness, loneliness, compassion, gratitude, suffering, meditation, and the Dharma.

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"With mindfulness you learn to live in the present. If you walk down the street and you're spending all your time thinking about that conversation you had and the tasks you have to do, you miss the people walking by, you miss the clouds after that rainstorm, the colors of the sunset—the lavender, red, and orange that's reflected in the windows and puddles—you miss your life. Mindfulness becomes liberating in that way." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack and Michael discuss:

Ram Dass and the idea of "being here now" in regards to suffering, depression, and suicidal thoughts
Overcoming loneliness, isolation, and grief by reaching out and connecting with others
Wrapping ourselves in the infinitely compassionate cloak of of Quan Yin or Mother Mary
How compassion and mindfulness practices regulate our body away from the 'fight, flight, freeze' response
Vipassana meditation, the mindful loving witness, and bringing it back into the world
Planting seeds with your conscious effort and peaceful heart, but not being attached to the outcome
How mindfulness liberates us to be fully present for the beautiful nuances of our lives
The difference between pain (inevitable) and suffering (optional)
The various meanings of the word "Dharma," and it's relation to truth
Making friends with our inner-critic and judging mind
Consciousness, gratitude, and the Great Mystery

"We have the capacity to hold our sorrows and our measure of suffering with compassion rather than judgment, rather than fear, almost as if you could wrap yourself with the cloak of Quan Yin—the Goddess of Infinite Compassion—or Mother Mary, so that you know that you're not alone, and that we've done this." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 184 – Listening to Find the Way Apr 19, 2023

Uncovering how to live with a peaceful heart, Jack maps the inner landscapes of meditation, and shares how we can use listening to find The Way.

“A peaceful heart is not a withdrawal from life, but rather coming back into ourselves to remember the place that neither grasps nor judges and hates.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

What it means to live with a peaceful heart
Moving beyond the grasping of attachment and aversion
Living in the world from a place of wisdom
The inner landscapes of meditation
Greed, hatred, delusion, and revenge
Interdependence, connection, and Bodhicitta
Impermanence and the wisdom of insecurity
The Goddess of Peace and the Goddess of Justice
Wise response and transmuting suffering
Bodhisattvas and compassion
Buddha and the boundless infinity of love
Listening to embody The Way

This flowing Dharma Talk from Jack on 10/01/2001 was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 183 – The Wedding of Body and Spirit Apr 12, 2023

Jack returns for an illuminating Dharma Talk exploring the deep human longing for the wedding of body and spirit.

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"The invitation of spiritual life, of awareness or mindfulness—we could call it a sacred attention—is not to hurry up, fix, or make this human realm perfect or better. Nor is it to ignore it, but rather to awaken to what is each day as we meet it in our bodies, in our hearts, in our minds, in our family, in our community on this earth – to see it how it is, and to illuminate it with the heart, to illuminate it with our understanding and compassion, to find the basket of spirit that is here, and let that spirit shine in this human realm." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack dives into:

- An old African wisdom story of a shepherd, his cattle, a dark forest, a lover, and a magic basket

- Life, death, void, silence, and opening to the great mystery

- Perception, consciousness, and Buddha's wisdom that mind is the principle element of creation

- Listening, truth, timelessness, and The One Who Knows

- The balance and connection between spirit and form

- Rumi and the deep human longing to wed body and spirit

- Buddha and the teachings of compassion

- Breath, wholeness, and the eternal present

- Moving past the fear body by breaking through the myth of seperation

This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 09/11/2000 was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 182 – A Life of Greatness with Sarah Grynberg Apr 06, 2023

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield connects with lifestyle expert Sarah Grynberg to talk about a life of greatness.

"Really, meditation is about deep listening. You sit and what needs to be understood will come if you sit quietly. It is like going into the forest and finding a little clearing and sitting down. If you're quiet for a while the animals, the birds, they all resume their life and you see all the things you would never see before. " – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield and Sarah Grynberg discuss:

What it was like for Jack to grow up in Judaism
Ajahn Chah and being ready for suffering
Surrender in meditation
The catharsis of emotional release
Deep Listening
Buddhism as a practice versus a religion
The Psychology of Heart and Mind

About Sarah Grynberg

Sarah Grynberg is a well-renowned interviewer, well-being expert, keynote speaker, and host and producer of the highly-rated lifestyle and internationally successful podcast, A Life of Greatness, where she’s engaged some of the world’s biggest names. Through her years of research studying the links between the facets of human behavior, personal growth, and happiness, Sarah formulated her own blueprint for cultivating greatness. This powerful blueprint has become the touchstone of Sarah’s courses, talks & writing. You can keep up with Sarah on Instagram or on SarahGrynberg.com

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Ep. 181 – The Tenderness of Listening Mar 22, 2023

Teaching us about breath work and presence, Jack Kornfield guides a mindfulness meditation and discusses the beauty of listening.

"You are not the body, you are the mindful loving awareness that notices this body with kindness and care." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield offers us:

A guided mindfulness meditation
Tools to relax and experience presence
Breathing techniques for full body awareness
Ways to develop the capacity to listen
Advice on working with trauma
Ways to thank our fears

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Ep. 180 – One Dharma with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein Mar 14, 2023

Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein explore the emergence of Western Buddhism and balancing faith with wisdom.

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"In the Buddhist tradition it's said that one of the prayers one might make is: May I be born in circumstances that I may experience the Dharma that will bring me to awaken the heart of boundless compassion and discover inner freedom." – Jack Kornfield

"That kind of questioning which isn't cynical and isn't arrogant but is really wondering, really wanting to know the truth for oneself, I think of as an essential component of faith." – Sharon Salzberg

"Even in those first few minutes, what I discovered was there was a way to look into the mind as well as looking out through it. To me that was revelatory." – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein touch on:

The formation of the Insight Meditation Society
The emergence of Western Buddhism
The balance of faith and wisdom
Starting small with meditation
Being the product of our conditioning
Having compassion for the human predicament

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Ep. 179 – Feminine Face of Dharma Feb 27, 2023

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield teaches us about fostering femininity in our dharma practice.

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In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

The relationship of birth and death
Loving deeply by opening our hearts, bodies, and mind
Moving from the masculine to the feminine
The power of forgiveness

"Part of what's happening to practice is that it is becoming balanced with a greater emphasis of the feminine...instead of independence there's more teaching of interdependence, of relationship to one's body, relationship to the earth." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 178 – Ocean of Breath Feb 13, 2023

In this episode, Jack Kornfield helps us discover how the ocean of breath can lead to greater compassion for all.

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"With the opening of breath comes a spaciousness or a healing quality which is that we can allow ourselves to hold in compassion, with a kindness of heart, all that arises." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

Breath as the movement of spirit
The cycle and rhythms of life
Developing awareness of the breath
Noticing our senses

This 1994 talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

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Ep. 177 – Intention and Purpose in Practice Feb 07, 2023

By telling stories of the Buddha, Jack Kornfield directs us on the purpose of practice and the laws of Dharma.

"What we repeatedly direct our mind to in this society is consumerism and materialism and addictions of different kinds. What we direct ourselves to, we get. For better or for worse." – Jack Kornfield

This talk from Jack Kornfield 1/4/1994 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

The will to do
Skillful action
The mind as a mirror
Birth stories of the Buddha
Renunciation
Awakening to the law of Dharma

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Ep. 176 – The Dharma Body Jan 30, 2023

In simple, heartfelt presence, Jack Kornfield teaches us about coming into the dharma body.

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"You can see it in your life. It's helpful to be aware when you drive, or if you paint or you do computer programming or you make love, or you write poetry, or you garden. Mindfulness, I declare, is all helpful. With that presence is the path to freedom, to awakening." — Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

Stories of Thich Nhat Hanh
Becoming the Buddha
Cosmic Breakthroughs
Navigating Death
Mindfull Awareness

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Ep. 175 – Intention to Awaken Jan 24, 2023

Jack Kornfield describes the Buddha's vow to awakening and how we too can set a daily intention to awaken.

NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass

"An intention creates our life. Thought manifests or leads to deeds, deeds develop into habit, habit hardens into character and character shapes our world." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

The small, intimate choice to awaken
Collective awakening
Intention in practice
The interplay of mind and body

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Ep. 174 – Intention and Transformation Jan 18, 2023

Moving beyond our small sense of self, Jack Kornfield introduces us to the ways intention, love, and acceptance can transform us.

Amidst our ever-changing lives, we can find the patterns which form from our hearts and realize the source of who we are.

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NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass

"Our heart is the garden into which we plant seeds and nourish them. Depending on our intention, gradually, we shape the patterns of our lives. What's important then is not so much what we say or do, but what is the intention with that? " – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 173 – Death as an Advisor Jan 11, 2023

Reflecting on impermanence, Jack Kornfield explains that despite our physical frailty our spirit can never truly die.

Where can we go when we die? Jack Kornfield explores the recycling of energy, our limitlessness beyond death, and how death enables us to live more presently.

NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass

"There's this amazing thing with death that there is both less of someone and yet more of them. There's some way in which you can walk in the woods and they are there to speak too. Being with death slows us down, it softens us, it makes us more gracious." — Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 172 – Mindfulness of Death Jan 04, 2023

Mindfully navigating death, we learn from Jack Kornfield how to appreciate the vulnerability of one's final moments on earth.

Jack Kornfield describes the truth death pushes us to face and how keeping an awareness of the inevitable aids us in living fully while we can.

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NEW Meditation Series: Pause, Breathe, Be Here Now with Ram Dass, Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, Tara Brach, Joseph Goldstein, John Lockley, Ram Dev, Trudy Goodman, Lama Tsultrim Allione—FREE January 16 to 25. Sit in true peace, love, and tranquility. Join thousands of people around the world for this collective meditation experience: onecommune.com/ramdass

"Mindfulness of death is powerful because it begins to bring abut a deep questioning, a profound shift of identity. In the face of death, who are we?" — Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 171 – A Light in the Dark Dec 29, 2022

Jack Kornfield describes finding a light in the dark via Buddhist wisdom on forgiveness, transience, and a profound sense of freedom.

Through ancient storytelling and dharmic conversation, Jack Kornfield helps us grasp forgiving ourselves and others, keeping a connection to our senses and instincts, and resting in our Buddha nature.

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“To forgive means simply that we will not put anyone out of our heart because to do so closes us. It reduces us from being human.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 170 – The Water of Dharma Dec 22, 2022

Traversing the receptive energy of water, Jack Kornfield details the power of fluidity, serenity, and gentleness.

This lecture was originally uploaded on DharmaSeed.org

A spiritual journey is often quite gradual. It is not typical to one day wake up and have a deep relationship with God or become enlightened. That gradual deepening we feel as we tune into our practice is much like a body of water. We are open, receptive, and vast. The mystery of being is that we do not know our destiny or how our spiritual journey will form, but like water, we can yield to the mystery.

"Do you have the constancy to wait until your mud settles and the water is clear? Can you remain unmoving and present until the right action arises by itself?"

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Ep. 169 – Transformation of Life Dec 14, 2022

Through catalysts of compassion and acceptance, Jack Kornfield guides us into a life of lasting transformation.

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“We are a pattern, a process, that is never the same. In this process of our life, the patterns that continue for us flow out of our intentions.” – Jack Kornfield

This dharma talk was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 168 – The Wisdom of Ajahn Chah Dec 07, 2022

Sharing the wisdom of beloved Buddhist teacher Ajahn Chah, Jack Kornfield describes experimenting with life and accepting things as they are.

This Dharma Talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

"What he was pointing to was that we can see with great honesty our circumstance, with great compassion, and in the middle of it laugh. This too is a part of our humanity...there is a wisdom that is so much greater than the things we get caught up in." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 167 – The Perfection of Truthfulness Nov 29, 2022

Leaning into the qualities of an awakened heart, Jack Kornfield teaches us the perfection of truthfulness and how it will set us free.

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In a society that does not promote the truth among its citizens, government, or economy, we have to work hard on our individual honesty. Sometimes that may mean something quite surface-level. Jack says that there are levels of truth. We may see the truth of someone's personality, their job, and their costume. Or, we may see a deeper, soul level of truth. Meeting someone in their true spirit, from our true spirit, allows everyone to be fully seen.

"The truth really becomes married with compassion and our words then become a part of something that awakens not just ourselves but everybody else." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 166 – The Buddha’s Last Teachings Nov 25, 2022

Gather around for story time as Jack Kornfield offers a dharma talk centered around the Mahāparinibbāṇa Sutta, which contains the teachings from the last year of the Buddha’s life.

This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 8/22/22

Find more teaching from Jack Kornfield at jackkornfield.com.

“Because it’s the shaking of the foundation of all the ground that we stand on. Enlightenment, the teachings of birth and death, the earthquake says this is what wakes us from the dream of separateness and solidity. There’s something greater here in this human incarnation. Who are you really? Remember. You are consciousness itself born into this body. You are the witness to it all. And the earthquake reminds you of this.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 165 – Practice in Daily Life: Right Concentration Nov 15, 2022

Proceeding with the practice in daily life series, Jack Kornfield plunges into right concentration and mindful breathing.

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"Concentration isn't a forcing of your mind on the breath or on the pain, the pleasant sensation or on the thought. It's much more a sense of the opening, the softening, the receiving—that's what allows the mind to settle." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 164 – Practice in Daily Life: Right Effort Nov 08, 2022

Continuing his survey of the Eightfold path, Jack Kornfield teaches listeners about Right Effort and how we can apply ourselves in spiritual practice.

“In the end, you have to let go. No matter how much effort you make and where it takes you, it doesn't take you all the way. Because it is not your effort that makes you free, but your discovery of what's true about yourself and life.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 163 – Practice in Daily Life: Right Livelihood Nov 02, 2022

Jack Kornfield delves into Right Livelihood, one of the key practices on the Eightfold Path that can help us find joy in our occupation.

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"Find something, and really give yourself to it. That is a happiness." – Jack Kornfield

This talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 162 – Practice in Daily Life: Right Action Oct 17, 2022

Exploring Right Action and the Five Precepts, Jack offers modern Buddhist insight on ahimsa, virtue, happiness, drugs, sex, and samadhi.

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Continuing a series of talks illuminating the Noble Eightfold Path, Jack sheds light on a prominent aspect of Buddhism: Right Action. Taking you on a journey through the Five Precepts by sharing deep and entertaining stories and insights, Jack offers wisdom around ahimsa (non-harming), reflects on witnessing a transformation prayer from Mad Bear of the Iroquois Nation, and relays down-to-earth Middle Way guidance around drugs, sex, and samadhi.

"Look in your life at what it is that makes you more conscious rather than less conscious. Rather than running away or deluding yourself, what brings you face to face with life and wakes you up? Cultivate that." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 161 – Practice in Daily Life: Right Speech Sep 22, 2022

Jack Kornfield continues his series of talks on practice in daily life by focusing on uprightness of heart, Right Speech, and how we can learn to let our words come more directly from our heart.

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“What Right Speech does, it asks us a question: Can we start to become conscious of all these hours where we talk on automatic pilot? Can we make it become more useful to ourselves and to our planet, to that question I asked: What do you care about? What do you want for the world and for yourself?” – Jack Kornfield

This talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 160 - Practice In Daily Life: Intention Sep 08, 2022

In this second part of his 'Practice in Daily Life' series, Jack Kornfield leads a lecture on intention and the ways it can determine our karma.

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This talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

“The gift of intention, the dedication, is to fulfill your own true nature – to fulfill that which is beautiful in you.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 159 – Practice in Daily Life: Walking the Eightfold Path Sep 01, 2022

In this dharma talk from 1985, Jack Kornfield speaks to the heart of meditation by posing a series of frequently asked questions about bringing our spiritual practice into daily life.

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This Jack Kornfield talk was originally published on Dharma Seed

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Ep. 158 – Season of Generosity Aug 24, 2022

There is never a bad time to open ourselves to the spirit of the holidays! Reflecting on the 'season of generosity', Jack shares holiday Dharma stories on quieting the mind and opening the heart.

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In this Dharma talk stemming from Spirit Rock's Monday Night Dharma Class on 12/14/2015, Jack Kornfield focuses on the holiday season, relating various stories and perspectives to how we can move about human incarnation and our daily lives in a compassionate and generous way.

This talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 157 – Mindful Respect Aug 10, 2022

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on abortion, Jack Kornfield explores the theme of mindful respect and how we can all listen to each other with loving awareness.

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This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on June 27, 2022.

“When we embody respect, graciousness, loving awareness for all, when we listen deeply, we are changing the world person by person, piece by piece. And this is the only way that it happens. We add our voice, we add our love, we add our courage, and we do so with the power of loving awareness and the freedom that it offers.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 156 – Here & Now Meditation Jul 28, 2022

Jack Kornfield guides a “Here and Now” meditation focusing on connecting to the present moment, and receiving the breath and waves of experience with loving awareness.

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This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 5/16/22.

"There will be sensations of the body, sounds, emotions, and feelings arising, and a parade of images and thoughts and words will come and go. And you take your seat just where you are in the midst of all of these rising and passing experiences."

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Ep. 155 – Path Of Parenting Jul 12, 2022

Jack Kornfield offers spiritual advice on the path of parenting, shedding light on engaging the mystery with qualities of consciousness, mindfulness, and love.

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In this Dharma Talk stemming from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center on January 1st, 1991, Jack Kornfield shares spiritual practices and perspectives on the multi-faceted realm of raising children in the modern world. Outlining the qualities of conscious parenting, he shares stories from the Buddha, poems from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and leads meditations aimed at bringing awareness to the path of parenting.

"In some way, to parent is to plant something that's beautiful onto this earth for generations ahead." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 154 – Awakening In The Midst Of Life Jul 04, 2022

Jack Kornfield offers wisdom on awakening in the midst of life, sharing insight on navigating life's joys and sorrows with a fearless heart.

In this Dharma Talk stemming from January 4th, 1991, Jack Kornfield speaks to the process of awakening in the midst of life. Exploring the cycle of return, life's 10,000 joys and sorrows, and what role time and the present moment play in relation to Bodhisattvas and enlightenment, Jack elucidates the intricacies of life, death, fearlessness and the heart.

"To make one's activity sacred is to do it for that which is your deepest love, for that which you most deeply value." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 153 - Teachers And Cults Jun 27, 2022

This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield lectures on false gurus, cults, and finding true teachers along our spiritual path.

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This dharma talk from Joseph was originally published on Dharma Seed

“We have this amazing capacity to take situations and imagine them to be different than they are.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 152 – The Most Basic Truths Jun 16, 2022

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield blesses us with a dharma talk on the most basic truths in Buddhism: Annica, Dukkha, and Anatta.

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"As we become wise, we step back and see the mystery of it instead of how it is supposed to be." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 151 - Happiness & Joy In Practice Jun 07, 2022

This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield reveals how Buddhist principles have the capacity to bring us happiness and joy.

Explore the intersection of Buddhism & Bhakti with Be Here Now Network teachers and guests at the inaugural Love Serve Remember Summer Mountain Retreat August 25th – 29th in Boone, NC: https://www.ramdass.org/event/lsrf-summer-immersion-mountain-retreat/

“We can reawaken that capacity to actually appreciate life through a training of awareness and through being somewhat disciplined in a sitting practice.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 150 – The War-Free Heart May 30, 2022

Reminding us of our luminous true nature, Jack invites us into the war-free zone of the heart, and leads a chant of the mantra 'Namoh.'

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In this Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 12/10/2007, Jack Kornfield shares reflective wisdom pointing to our innate capacity for love, compassion, metta, and joy. Exploring how our heart can be a war-free zone no matter the outside circumstances, he offers insight around the modern human predicament, before closing with a powerful and harmonic group chanting of the mantra 'Namoh.'

This talk from Jack Kornfield was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 149 – Tending the Garden of the World, Tending the Garden of the Heart May 17, 2022

Jack Kornfield reflects on dynamic Buddhist stories highlighting how we can tend the garden of the world by tending to the garden of our heart.

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"Stay connected to the best of these seeds. Take a moment to reflect: What is your highest intention—in your love relationship, in raising children, in doing your work? Your intention is part of the seed. Come back to it again and again to water it. What is your intention for this world?" – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 148 – Open, Spacious Awareness Meditation May 03, 2022

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield offers a potent guided meditation designed for letting go into open, spacious awareness.

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"You are the Buddha resting in vastness, seeing the arising and passing of all things with the great heart of compassion, peaceful in the midst of it all." – Jack Kornfield

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Ep. 147 – Peace is Possible Apr 19, 2022

Amidst Russia's war on Ukraine, Jack Kornfield applies spiritual wisdom to remind us that peace is possible.

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This talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 3/28/22

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Ep. 146 – Setting an Intention of the Heart Apr 06, 2022

Jack Kornfield inspires us with a dialogue on stillness, suffering, and how we can set intentions to help others.

“We stop and try to sit quietly and it's like there is a layer of ice that needs to thaw before the water can even move inside.”

Each year we watch birds come and go; we see stillness and then movement. Sometimes, we forget that humans too are a part of nature. Jack reads us a poem by Pablo Neruda about being still and making each moment exotic. The poem is an invitation to quiet the mind, be present, and live from our hearts. Jack empathizes with how difficult it can be to relish in the stillness of life.

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This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock

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Ep. 145 - Compassion in a Time of War Meditation Mar 30, 2022

In this guided meditation, Jack Kornfield helps us to open our hearts and to extend compassion to all in a time of war.

This episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 2/28/22.

Subscribe to the Jack Kornfield Youtube channel to get new meditations and talks from Jack: Jack Kornfield on Youtube

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Ep. 144 – A Peaceful Heart in a Time of War & the Legacy of Thich Nhat Hanh Mar 24, 2022

Jack Kornfield addresses the grief of the war in Ukraine, talking about how to have a peaceful heart in a time of war, and then explores the legacy and teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.

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This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 2/28/22

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Ep. 143 – Loving Witness Meditation Mar 17, 2022

In this guided meditation, Jack Kornfield helps us settle into an embodied awareness where we can simply let the breath breath itself and become the loving witness, consciousness itself.

This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 8/23/21

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Ep. 142 – Becoming the Loving Witness Mar 10, 2022

Opening to the Great Mystery, Jack Kornfield illuminates how we can traverse the tumultuous polarities of life from the mindful and freeing perspective of the loving witness.

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This talk was originally livestreamed by Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 8/23/21

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Ep. 141 – How and Why We Become Enlightened Feb 22, 2022

Jack Kornfield engages the topic of how and why we become enlightened, talking about how we can experience the qualities of enlightenment at different times and in different ways.

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This Jack Kornfield dharma talk was originally published on Dharma Seed

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Ep. 140 – Navigating Change with Equanimity & Compassion Feb 13, 2022

In this dharma talk from 2014, Jack Kornfield explores how we can navigate the never-ending waves of change in our lives with loving awareness, equanimity, and compassion.

This Jack Kornfield talk was originally published on Dharma Seed

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Ep. 139 – The Art & Heart of Forgiveness with Trudy Goodman Feb 03, 2022

Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman join together to speak on the art and heart of forgiveness, and how forgiveness is an expression of what it means to live with loving awareness.

This dharma talk from Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman on the art and heart of forgiveness was originally published on Dharma Seed

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Ep. 138 – Guiding Your Own Practice Jan 16, 2022

Jack Kornfield offers Buddhist wisdom for guiding your own practice as a householder, exploring continuity and impermanence with careful attention.

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This talk was given at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in 1986 and was originally published on DharmaSeed.org

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Ep. 137 – Gratitude and Generosity Dec 31, 2021

In this heartfelt dharma talk, Jack Kornfield offers us wisdom on how we can practice gratitude and generosity during these challenging and difficult times.

This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 11/22/21

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Ep. 136 – The Sacred Pause Dec 16, 2021

Planting seeds of faith, Jack weaves together Buddhist Sutta, teaching advice from Ram Dass, & an unknowing koan from his daughter—inviting us into the sacred pause of mystery & eternity.

Jack Kornfield shares a dharma talk on 'The Sacred Pause' – originally airing 3/22/21 from his ongoing Spirit Rock Monday night livestreams.

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Ep. 135 – The Forgiving Heart Nov 20, 2021

Jack Kornfield explores the forgiving heart, offering us the basic ingredients for wise forgiveness, and leads a powerful guided meditation practice called the three directions of forgiveness.

This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 9/20/21

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Ep. 134 – On Death Nov 03, 2021

A flowing and mystical Jack Kornfield opens our hearts to the vast spiritual mystery of death and impermanence.

Just in time for Halloween and the transition into the winter season, Jack Kornfield shares a timely lecture on death from his ongoing Spirit Rock Monday night livestreams.

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Ep. 133 – Training The Inner Child Sep 18, 2021

Jack Kornfield shares how we can apply parenting wisdom to our personal spiritual practice to heal and train our inner child.

This dharma talk was recorded on Jan 1st, 1988 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 132 – Finding Your Own Goodness Aug 28, 2021

Reflecting on our intrinsic Basic Goodness, Jack outlines how acceptance, trust, meditation, and faith in the heart can help us navigate life’s 10,000 joys and sorrows.

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"There's a kind of goodness that can be tapped in people when it serves an end that's greater than our small self that is really wonderful... It's something really basic in human beings and in our heart." – Jack Kornfield

This Jack Kornfield dharma talk from March 3rd, 1986 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 131 – Heart of an Impeccable Warrior Aug 03, 2021

With a little help from Carlos Castaneda and Don Juan, Jack Kornfield explores the Seven Factors of Enlightenment and how we can all become impeccable warriors.

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“One of the wonderful things about practice is each moment, in each thing we do in our life, is a new opportunity to be mindful, to be complete, to be whole. It’s never too late, and it’s never lost. It’s just now, again.” – Jack Kornfield

This Jack Kornfield talk from June 16, 1982 at the Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 130 – Working with Wisdom, Power & Knowledge on Your Spiritual Path Jul 13, 2021

In this timeless dharma talk from 1977, Jack Kornfield explores working with wisdom, power, and knowledge on your spiritual path, and why it’s so important to walk the Middle Way.

This Jack Kornfield talk from December 1977 at the Insight Meditation Society Retreat Center was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 129 – All We Need to Know Jun 24, 2021

In this dharma talk from 1986, Jack Kornfield explores a few truths about life that are really all we need to know, and how our direct experiences of these truths lead to freedom.

This Jack Kornfield talk given at Spirit Rock in 1986 was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 128 – Mudita: Practicing With Joy In Our Heart May 26, 2021

Sharing a guided meditation and dharma talk, Jack explores the transformative power of Mudita – our innate sympathetic joy – through the childlike wonder of the Buddha.

This meditation & dharma talk were originally streamed live by Spirit Rock on 4/12/21. For more livestreams, meditations, & offerings, visit Jack's Youtube & JackKornfield.com

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Ep. 127 – Seeing the World with the Heart of Wisdom May 06, 2021

In this dharma talk, Jack Kornfield explores seeing the world with the heart of wisdom and what it means when we rest in the One Who Knows.

This dharma talk was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock on 2/8/21.

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Ep. 126 – Freedom, Gratitude, & the Buoyancy of Hope Apr 13, 2021

Offering timeless wisdom, Jack Kornfield elucidates pertinent lessons on the topics of freedom, gratitude, trust, and the buoyancy of hope.

In the adjoining talk to last episode's 'Just Like Me' Guided Meditation—from a November 23, 2020 Jack Kornfield & Friends session from Spirit Rock‘s ongoing Monday Night Dharma Talk & Meditation—Jack shares pertinent wisdom on to aid the trying times we find ourselves in. Offering lessons learned of freedom, he shares the example of Nelson Mandela. In teaching on gratitude, he recounts a ceremony with Iroquois Medicine Man, Mad Bear. And sharing on trust, Jack offer's Martin Luther King's 'buoyancy of hope,' to keep us afloat on turbid waters.

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Ep. 125 – 'Just Like Me' Guided Meditation Mar 24, 2021

In this episode, Jack Kornfield leads his 'Just Like Me' guided meditation, a practice designed to work past our individual differences by seeing through the eyes of wisdom and heart of compassion.

Heralding from a November 23, 2020 Jack Kornfield & Friends session from Spirit Rock's ongoing Monday Night Dharma Talk & Meditation, Jack offers a potent guided meditation inviting us to work past our individual differences by celebrating our similarities and seeing the world through the eyes of wisdom. Encouraging us to bring a "difficult" person to mind, Jack walks us through a deep meditation aimed at peeling back our personal veils, so we can rest in the compassionate understanding, metta, and loving awareness of our unity. When we are truly seeing with the heart, we recognize that all others are...just like me.

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Ep. 124 – Conflict and Reconciliation Mar 03, 2021

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield explores how conflict is natural for human beings and covers the Buddha’s seven-step process of reconciliation.

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Ep. 123 – Breathe Love In, Breathe Love Out Meditation Feb 10, 2021

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield leads a guided meditation that focuses on the practice of deep listening as we breathe love in, and breath love out.

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Ep. 122 – Suffering Is Not the End of the Story Jan 20, 2021

In this dharma talk, Jack Kornfield offers wisdom and inspiration amidst the chaos of today’s world and explores how suffering is not the end of the story, but the beginning.

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Ep. 121 – Reflect on Gratitude Dec 29, 2020

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack shares poems and stories to help us bask in the wonder and mystery of life, meet cosmic pain with compassion and reflect on gratitude.

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Ep. 120 – Seeding Goodness in the World Dec 09, 2020

In the face of these divisive times, Jack Kornfield offers some timely wisdom on equanimity, karma, maintaining a vast perspective and planting the seeds of goodness.

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Ep. 119 – Listen With the Heart Nov 19, 2020

In this dharma talk, Jack Kornfield explores why it’s so important to listen with the heart, both to yourself and to others, during these very chaotic and divisive times.

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Ep. 118 – Right Effort and Loving Awareness Oct 30, 2020

Jack Kornfield explores how the Buddhist concept of Right Effort is about the effort to be present and bring more loving awareness to ourselves and the world around us.

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Ep. 117 – Quiet Minds and Steady Hearts with Trudy Goodman Kornfield Oct 09, 2020

In this much-needed dharma talk, Trudy Goodman Kornfield and Jack Kornfield share their wisdom on working with polarization, and how we can all quiet our minds and steady our hearts.

Trudy Goodman Kornfield, Ph.D., is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. She also teaches residential retreats at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, Vallecitos Mountain Retreat Center, and Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, among others. Learn more at trudygoodman.com.

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Ep. 116 – Equanimity and the Heart of Compassion Sep 18, 2020

Jack Kornfield leads an equanimity meditation to help us be steady and balanced in the midst of constant change, then follows with a meditation that goes straight into the heart of compassion.

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Ep. 115 – The Medicine of the Dharma Aug 28, 2020

Jack Kornfield shares a talk about the medicine that the Dharma might offer us during these turbulent times, explores the power of speaking truth, and reflects on the world's need for love in action.

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Ep. 114 – The Peaceful Heart Aug 07, 2020

In this online dharma talk aimed at creating sangha during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Jack explores the causes and conditions for cultivating and maintaining a peaceful heart during trying times. Illuminating the topics of compassion, equanimity, and impermanence, Jack shares how we can use mindfulness and loving awareness to help birth a better world. For help during these trying times, Jack has compiled an ongoing catalogue of anti-racism resources, as well as a list of pandemic resources on his website JackKornfield.com

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Ep. 113 – Politics, Possibilities, and Spiritual Sanctuary Jul 21, 2020

In this post-election dharma talk from 2016, Jack offers spiritual sanctuary and human possibility to a zeitgeist of fear, anger, and uncertainty.

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Ep. 112 – Racism and Independence Jun 26, 2020

In this talk, Jack illuminates how the history of racism and prejudice in this nation directly contradicts our instilled ideals of freedom and independence.

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Ep. 111 – Acts of Truth and Timeless Teachings Jun 05, 2020

Jack Kornfield explores the need we have right now for acts of truth, and shares some timeless teachings to help us in this time of pandemic.

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Bonus Podcast: Mindful Eating w/ Jack, Ram Dass & Joseph Goldstein May 28, 2020

If you enjoy the Heart Wisdom Podcast, we think that you will enjoy this special look at the relationship between food, ourselves and our practice with Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein and Ram Dass.

You can subscribe to Ram Dass' Here and Now Podcast in your podcast player to receive regular talks and guided practices from the Ram Dass archives.

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Ep. 110 – Death, Identity, and the Heavenly Messengers May 15, 2020

Jack Kornfield elucidates the mysteries of death, birth, identity, and awareness on this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast.

Keep up with Jack’s at home Monday Night Dharma Talks and find resources for dealing with the Novel Coronavirus pandemic at JackKornfield.com

Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

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Ep. 109 - This Too Shall Pass Apr 28, 2020

Jack Kornfield offers a guided practice and Dharma talk that reminds us of the inner refuge that is available to us in the most hopeless of times.

Would you like to be part of the next generation of mindfulness meditation instructors? If so, we invite you to take a unique opportunity to study with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach and become a certified instructor to guide others in their practice – The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program: A Two-Year Training Program for Teaching Awareness and Compassion-Based Practices

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Ep. 108 - A Steadiness of Presence Apr 04, 2020

Jack Kornfield shares his thoughts on the value of spiritual practice, and leads a guided meditation designed to use the breath to cultivate a steadiness of presence.

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Ep. 107 - Change and Regeneration with Paul Hawken Mar 12, 2020

Author and environmentalist Paul Hawken joins Jack Kornfield for a riveting dharma talk on climate change and how we can come together to spur the regeneration of our world.

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Ep. 106 – Responding to Fear, Tragedy & Injustice Feb 26, 2020

We go back into the archives to just a few weeks after the events of 9/11 for a lesson on how we can better respond to fear, tragedy, and injustice by cultivating a peaceful heart.

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Ep. 105 – The Obstacles of Climate Change Jan 31, 2020

Jack Kornfield shares stories of his dear friend and teacher, Ram Dass, and then explores how we can overcome the obstacles of climate change by honoring our interconnectedness.

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Ep. 104 – The Fertile Darkness Jan 09, 2020

Jack Kornfield illuminates the fertile darkness of winter solstice as he talks about why it’s the perfect time to start anew and let what truly matters in your heart come into the light.

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Ep. 103 – Right Livelihood and Redemption Dec 20, 2019

In this dharma talk, Jack Kornfield reminds us to bring loving-awareness to all our actions in life as he ties together the concepts of Right Livelihood and redemption.

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Ep. 102 - The Wisdom of the One Who Knows Nov 28, 2019

Jack Kornfield offers a reflection on our Buddha-nature and the wisdom of 'The One Who Knows'.

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Ep. 101 - The Dragon and the 10 Gowns Nov 08, 2019

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack shares a story of transformation as he talks about how to be in this human incarnation and navigate the river of impermanence.

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Ep. 100 - Love & Impermanence with Mark Coleman Oct 17, 2019

Fellow teacher Mark Coleman joins Jack Kornfield for an exploration of ways that we can harmonize with impermanence by meeting change with an open heart.

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Ep. 99 – Planting Beautiful Seeds Sep 26, 2019

Jack Kornfield shares a dharma talk that looks at the seeds of lovingkindness and awareness that we plant through mindfulness and meditation practice.

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Ep. 98 – Timeless Awareness and the Mystery of Identity Sep 06, 2019

Who are we? In this dharma talk, Jack explores the mystery of identity and how meditation can open you up to the freedom of resting in timeless awareness.

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Ep. 97 - The First Noble Truth Aug 16, 2019

Jack explores the concept of dukkha, which is the Buddha’s First Noble Truth, and how we can open our hearts to all the joy and suffering of our incarnation.

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Ep. 96 – An Homage to Goenka Jul 29, 2019

In this special episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack Kornfield honors the life and wisdom of his early Vipassana teacher, S.N. Goenka.

S.N. Goenka was a pioneer in making Vipassana meditation widely available to a secular audience. Over 170 meditation centers have been established around the globe in his honor. Goenka was an inspiration and teacher to thousands of students from around the world, including Joseph Goldstein, Sharon Salzberg, Ram Dass, Daniel Goleman, and many other western spiritual leaders. Discover the legacy of S.N. Goenka: vridhamma.org

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Ep. 95 - Poetry in Dharma with Alison Luterman Jul 04, 2019

Poet Alison Luterman joins Jack for a beautiful duet as the two take turns reading poetry and talking about the power of words and creativity.

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Ep. 94 – The Dharma of Climate Change Jun 14, 2019

With an open heart and clear vision, Jack talks about the difficult subject of climate change, our deep connection to the natural world, and how we can make a difference with love and compassion.

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Ep. 93 – Mindfulness, Identity, and Incarnation May 24, 2019

In this dharma talk, Jack uses the topic of identity as a lens to understand the practice of mindfulness and explore the beautiful mystery of this incarnation.

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Ep. 92 – Stories That Open the Mind, Mend the Heart and Lead to Joy May 03, 2019

In this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast Jack Kornfield shares stories that open the mind, mend the heart and lead us to joy.

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Ep. 91 – Living with a Peaceful Heart Apr 11, 2019

Jack Kornfield gives a beautiful dharma talk about the quality of equanimity and how this ever-changing world needs people whose hearts are at peace.

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Ep. 90 – Healing Through Loving Awareness Mar 22, 2019

In this talk, Jack Kornfield shares wisdom on the quality of mindful loving awareness that brings both healing and liberation.

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Ep. 89 – Searching Inside Yourself w/ Chade-Meng Tan Mar 01, 2019

Jack is joined on stage by Chade-Meng Tan for an exploration of how spiritual practice and the search inside ourselves can guide us through our human predicament.

Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader, movie producer, and philanthropist. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself and is work has received eight nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize.

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Ep. 88 - Realizing, Overcoming, Liberating Feb 08, 2019

This time on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack Kornfield shares teachings from The Buddha about the process of realizing, overcoming and liberating that comes from mindfulness practice.

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Ep. 87 – Uncovering Life’s Beauty with Poetry & Art Jan 17, 2019

Jack Kornfield reflects on the beauty of life and the true nature of the Self that is revealed through poetry and art.

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Ep. 86 – Entering with an Awakened Heart Dec 29, 2018

In this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack shares what the story of the bodhisattva Vimalakirti can teach us about meeting the difficulties of life with an awakened heart.

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Ep. 85 – Enlightenments Dec 06, 2018

This week on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack looks at the many enlightenments that each of us is capable of and explores why the possibility of liberation is such a taboo in many circles.

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Ep. 84 – Tag Team Dharma with Sylvia Boorstein Nov 15, 2018

Jack Kornfield shares a conversation with Sylvia Boorstein around taking the Bodhisattva vow and staying in touch with our Buddha nature as we navigate our journey of awakening.

Listen here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-84-tag-team-dharma-with-sylvia-boorstein

Sylvia Boorstein, MSW, Ph.D. is the author of numerous books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation practice, including That’s Funny, You Don’t Look Buddhist and Happiness Is an Inside Job: Practicing for a Joyful Life. She is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. Sylvia has been teaching nationally and internationally since 1985. Her personal emphasis in teaching is the integration of mindfulness into everyday life.

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Ep. 83 – A Story of Inspiration and Wisdom Oct 26, 2018

Jack shares the story of the Buddha’s final days and teachings, a story of inspiration and wisdom that offers a bigger picture of our place in things.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-83-a-story-of-inspiration/

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Ep. 82 – Respect for All Oct 04, 2018

This time on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack examines the inner beauty and liberation that comes from cultivating respect for all beings.

Find show notes and resources here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-82-respect-for-all/

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Ep. 81 - Fostering Creativity Sep 15, 2018

Jack Kornfield explores the liberation available when we cultivate our creativity through the practices of an open heart.

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-81-creativity/

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Ep. 80 – Big Sky Meditation Aug 24, 2018

This week on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack introduces us to a particularly beautiful practice, known as the Big Sky Meditation, that guides us into a quality of presence that is entered through the doorway of sound.

Find show notes and links here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-80-big-sky-meditation/

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Ep. 79 - Remembering Ajahn Chah Aug 03, 2018

On this special episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack reflects on the life and teachings of his teacher Ajahn Chah.

Find show notes and links for this episode here: https://beherenownetwork.com/jack-kornfield-ep-79-Ajahn Chah

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Ep. 78 - Nachiketa and the Lord of Death Jul 12, 2018

On this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack shares the adventure of Nachiketa and the Lord of Death and examines the lessons it has to teach about our own journey of awakening.

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Ep. 77 - Path of Inner Development Jun 22, 2018

In this talk, Jack looks at how the path of inner development can help us navigate life's difficulties.

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Ep. 76 - The Three Gateways to Freedom May 31, 2018

This week, Jack gives a talk exploring the different dimensions of mindfulness as gateways to freedom.

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Ep. 75 - Opening to Generosity May 10, 2018

Jack examines what happens when we open ourselves to generosity through sharing our gifts and by receiving the kindness of others gracefully.

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Ep. 74 – The Heart of Compassion Apr 19, 2018

This time on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack invites us to explore the quality of the awakened heart known as Metta.

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Ep. 73 - The Garden of the Heart Mar 28, 2018

On this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack looks at the way we tend to the garden of the heart with mindfulness and meditation practice.

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Ep. 72 – Exploring the Eightfold Path Mar 08, 2018

In this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, Jack explores the liberation offered by the Noble Eightfold Path.

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Ep. 71 - The Essence of Buddhist Psychology: Cultivating Loving Awareness Feb 15, 2018

Jack Kornfield continues with part two of his Essence of Buddhist Psychology series by examining the quality of compassion necessary to cultivate mindfulness and loving awareness.

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Ep. 70 - The Essence of Buddhist Psychology: Part One Jan 26, 2018

This week Jack begins a multi-part series that explores the essence of Buddhist psychology.

Jack’s teaching looks at how Buddhist psychology can help us live amidst the reality of impermanence by cultivating inner peace and equanimity.

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Ep. 69 - A Foundation of Resolve Jan 04, 2018

This week, Jack examines the quality of resolve and dedication known as adhitthāna, one of the ten pāramitās in the Buddhist tradition.

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Ep. 68 - Path of Joy Dec 13, 2017

On this episode of the Heart Wisdom Hour, Jack looks at how the depth of meditation leads us on the Bodhisattva path of service, love and joy.

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Ep. 67 - Who Am I? Nov 17, 2017

On this episode, Jack looks at how the practice of loving-awareness allows a profound shift of identity from a small limited sense of self to one of spacious wisdom.

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Ep. 66 – Levels of Liberation Nov 02, 2017

This week, Jack examines how the deepening levels of mindfulness and Loving Awareness can free the heart and mind.

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Ep. 65 - Dharma in Uncertain Times with Trudy Goodman Oct 12, 2017

Jack is joined by Trudy Goodman for discussion about practicing mindfulness and Dharma in uncertain times.

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Ep. 64 - Mystery Sep 19, 2017

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack embraces the great mystery of life and freedom it offers.

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Ep. 63 - The Perfection of Patience Sep 01, 2017

This week, Jack reflects on the Ten Perfections of Buddhism and Khanti, the perfection of patience.

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Ep. 62 - Energy to Awaken Aug 10, 2017

On this episode, Jack helps us find the energy to awaken by exploring the practice of Right Effort.

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Ep. 61 - Letting Go Jul 19, 2017

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack helps us better navigate the mysteries of life and death by letting go of our attachments.

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Ep. 60 - Vastness and Love Jun 29, 2017

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack explores the threefold training in Buddhism which shows us the vastness and love within when we quiet ourselves.

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Ep. 59 – A Bodhisattva in the World Jun 08, 2017

Live from the Spring Insight Meditation Retreat at Spirit Rock, Jack gives us practices to walk our own Bodhisattva path. A Bodhisattva is one who has tread the path to freedom laid out by the Buddha and dedicates their life to sharing that with the world. On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack shows us ways to find the Bodhisattva within us all and the gateway to liberation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 58 - Frank Ostaseski: Starting with the Fruit May 18, 2017

Jack is joined live on stage with Frank Ostaseski to talk about rethinking our perspective on life and death and starting with the fruit of practice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 57 - Surprising Delights of Renunciation Apr 28, 2017

On this episode of the Heart Wisdom podcast, Jack shares the surprising delights of renunciation. It may be difficult to equate happiness and renunciation. This week, Jack helps us realize the surprising delights of renunciation, and where in our life we can already find this happiness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 56 - The Joy of Virtue Apr 03, 2017

This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack discusses the joy of virtue. Virtue is one of the many qualities essential to the awakening of one's true nature. Jack breaks virtue down to its most fundamental levels and shares the joy of virtue and living a life of integrity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 55 - Seeing Anew Mar 16, 2017

This week, Jack speaks about renewal and seeing anew. By shifting our perspective on our own experience, we can better understand the world around us. Jack shows the importance of becoming the witness and seeing anew. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 54 - The Seat of Awakening Feb 23, 2017

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack explores what it means to take the seat of awakening. Jack tells the story of the Buddha's literal and figurative seat of awakening. The seat of awakening is the place from which our spiritual path begins. Jack prepares for the trials and temptations along the path and offers a look at the rewards that await us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep 53 - Wounds and Gifts with Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus Feb 02, 2017

Jack sits down with Raghu Markus and Duncan Trussell to talk about finding gifts in suffering that transform how we interact with the world. This podcast was recorded at the 2016 Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat, where the theme was finding the beloved and touching the compassionate heart. Jack, Raghu, and Duncan share stories and perspective on searching for love in dark times. They remind us that out of our deepest wounds and insecurities are born our greatest gifts. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 52 - Inspired Leadership Jan 12, 2017

On this episode, Jack speaks about the different aspects of inspired leadership and how to cultivate them in our lives. Jack explores the natural perfections of the heart and how to listen to the leader inside you. We also hear three stories of inspired leadership expressed through dedication, love, and equanimity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 51 - Identity and Freedom Dec 21, 2016

Jack delivers a talk on how identity leads us to suffer and shares the Buddha's path towards freedom from that suffering. The Buddha's teachings are a path to end suffering. Part of this is our identity, which is caused by our clinging to impermanence. Jack shares these teachings, along with an ethical system which enables us to let go of our suffering by living with integrity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 50 - The Bodhisattva and the Power of Intention Dec 01, 2016

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack helps us figure out how to come back to our lives after a retreat, explores the power of intention, and the role of the Bodhisattva. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 49 - The Feminine in Buddhism Nov 10, 2016

This week, Jack discusses the divine feminine along with the past and present roles of women in the Buddhist tradition. We each carry within us both the masculine and feminine nature. Jack explores the Buddha's teaching on the matter and what it is to embrace them. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 48 – Tending Yourself, Tending to the World Oct 20, 2016

In light of the political “bread and circus” happening in America, leading up to the 2016 presidential elections, Jack shares stories and wisdom on the topic of tending ourselves and tending the world. On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack explores how tending to injustices big and small and do all we can to ease the suffering of others. “The one who awakens shines with a radiance of spirit. Come out and shine like the moon, but first, quiet yourself. Quiet the mind, tend the heart, and come back to yourself. Let what is beautiful in you have space, to be heard and listened to, and blossom. ” – The Buddha See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 47 - Nobility and Love Sep 30, 2016

On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack talks about leadership, nobility, and love. American presidents George Washington and Lincoln are used as examples of men who showed true nobility of heart. There is a sense of justice in their words and a kind of integrity to their actions in the midst of unbearable suffering, which is a sign of real leadership. This is a quality of nobility which we can find ourselves in our own roles as leaders. The Buddha says that wise leadership requires generosity, integrity, peace, and sacrifice among many other traits. These are all qualities that can be awakened in us. This is why we are given the practices of compassion, mindfulness, and equanimity. Jack teaches us to utilize these practices in an effort to awaken our inner nobility. Jack also discusses the diversity of love and its many roles. Love brings happiness, heals, and even teaches through loss. We explore a few ways in which love can present itself and affect our lives. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 46 – The Stories We Tell Sep 07, 2016

Jack’s timeless wisdom leads the way as he responds to a handful of questions concerning some of the common struggles encountered on the human plane. How can we be present with difficult situations without indulging the emotions? The problem often lies more in the narratives we tell about ourselves and others that perpetuate the suffering. We must be willing to allow the energies of life to rise and fall as they do, all the while expanding our capacity to feel without necessarily believing the storyline, which is often biased and untrue to begin with. In learning to be with our emotions we are better able to respond from a place of wisdom rather than an expectation of how it should be. Taking time to recognize the distinction between wise and unskillful desire is a practical and effective method for addressing the root causes for much of our suffering. Through examining our impulses, we gain the perspective necessary to determine if the associated actions will ultimately increase our joy or our sorrow. Jack reminds us that we don’t need to get rid of anything, we just have to remember who we really are and operate from that deeper self. The seeds we plant in the garden of the heart are not separate from us in their origin or their blossoming. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 45 - Stories of an Awakened Heart Aug 17, 2016

Jack offers tales of tenderness that remind us of the qualities of faith and compassion which move us in the direction of freedom. What resources can we bring to a world of conflict that might allow us to live in the reality of the present with an openness and trust that what needs to be healed will be done through love? In coming to rest in the space of calm and kind attention that grows in meditation, we learn to listen with the heart and move with the inspired energy that follows. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 44 - Attachment Revealed Jul 28, 2016

To create and maintain appropriate boundaries we must first understand what it is as we are approaching attachment, commitment and love. Jack offers a definition and reinterpretation of attachment to represent more compassionate qualities such as commitment, dedication and wise ambition. He encourages us to be present without the need to control, to show up but not be focused on the outcome. We learn to step back and listen to the world as a means of witnessing the play of life. Our opening will present itself, but only when our perspective is wide enough to discover the full range of potential. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 43 – Respect and Dignity Jul 06, 2016

Jack offers up several stories to emphasize the ways in which mindfulness consistently returns us to a radical capacity for presence that can truly change our lives for the better. The natural freedom revealed through the quality of compassionate awareness is itself an act of respect. The understanding and integration of right livelihood lays the groundwork for gratitude in ourselves, and serves to inspire others who encounter its compelling energy. There are many ways to approach the work we are given, but through honoring our tasks we can bring to them a spirit of dignity, care, and beauty. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 42 - The Perfume of Dharma Jun 02, 2016

A timely discussion about the rapid expansion of mindfulness practice and the importance and value in sharing our own stories for the well-being of others. Using examples from his own experiences in traveling the world, Jack reminds us that awareness, in all forms, is what brings us into the heart of our own humanity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 41 - Seeing Anew Mar 26, 2016

A succinct reminder of the ever-present possibility to step out from the blinders of our ordinary perception, from the fear and anxiety of modern life, and to instead see with eyes of understanding. Through practice we begin to fully grok the necessity for and value of forgiveness, learning to let go of the expectations that inevitably compromise our capacity for compassion. Beginner’s mind is highlighted as an anchor point for helping us return to the openness, eagerness, and lack of preconception that embody our true nature. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 40 - Buddha's Last Teachings Feb 20, 2016

Drawing from Buddhist text, Jack tells the story of the last year of Buddha’s life, and the teachings he imparted to his followers and future seekers on the path. Guidance for practice, and instructions for building and sustaining wise relationships were the focus of these final offerings. The power of mythology is emphasized in appreciating its capacity to speak to the human imagination. When removed from the lens of literality, these stories are brought to life, imbuing the narrative with a depth and timeless relatability from which we can continually find inspiration. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 39 - Emptiness and the Power of Love Jan 22, 2016

An exploration of the ways in which the quiet mind and open heart lead to wisdom, depth, and love. Our practice itself is an act of Love that gives us the ability to be present for all of humanity. Our growing capacity to feel our joys and sorrows allows us to live more freely in the energies of our life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 38 - Dark Matters with Duncan Trussell and Dustin Marshall Jan 08, 2016

Jack sits down with fellow podcast patrons, Duncan Trussell and Dustin Marshall, for an in-depth discussion about navigating some of the darkest corners of the emotional spectrum. We are encouraged to open to Love, despite the innate vulnerability and collective insecurities that inevitably arise. In cultivating the Witness, we are able to step outside the drama of our lives, creating just enough space to approach our suffering without getting lost in it. A wonderful exploration of our inherent worthiness regarding our capacity for Love, and the small steps we can take toward the healing our hearts and minds in the most hopeless of moments. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 37 - Awakening is Always Possible Dec 27, 2015

A gentle reminder that the possibility of awakening exists in every moment, and in every circumstance. Liberation comes not through suppression or by fighting against ourselves, but rather by resting where we are, at peace with the world as it is. We can all sense the potential for bringing compassion to ourselves and the world around us, and need only be reminded through the power of practice. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 36 - The Ten Perfections Dec 11, 2015

Jack outlines the Ten Perfections within Buddhism that naturally arise in the stillness and steadiness of our practice. These qualities can be developed and applied in any situation and are extremely useful in bringing the path of awakening into everyday life. They are not meant to be a means for perfecting oneself, but rather a reminder of the true nature to which we can always return See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 35 - Wisdom and the Characteristics of Life Nov 27, 2015

In embracing our humanity, we move into the pure awareness of our own true nature, learning to live wisely and discovering freedom and compassion regardless of circumstance. The path is not about attainment, but rather an opportunity to recognize the patterns of life and begin to align ourselves with its flow. Jack shares the ways in which we can live with a wise heart in the midst of impermanence, with ease amidst the dance of life. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 34 - Emptiness, Creativity, and Joy Nov 13, 2015

Jack describes the beauty of the awakened mind and heart that arises naturally when we can empty ourselves of the burden of identity. The reality of the present is all there is, and in fully embodying this understanding we move into an open and spacious realm of creative insight and joyful expression. Finding what it is that brings us to life, moves us deeper into the Dharma and sharing that energy with the world is a profound statement. We demonstrate our liberation by offering it to everyone we can, using the awakened heart as our compass See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 33 - Compassion As We Take Action Nov 02, 2015

Jack weaves a tender web of allegorical expression regarding our natural call toward compassionate action. We learn to not seek satisfaction in the results, but in the value, rightness and truth of the work itself. We can’t bring the rain, but we can offer to plant the seeds of our heart’s best intentions. A spacious meditation closes the talk, in which we are invited to uncover our own unique Bodhisattva vow. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 32 - The Fruits of Practice Oct 17, 2015

In practice there is an invitation to shift from the real-time experiences to the spacious and open heart of wisdom, ease, and graciousness. Through dedication to our practice we begin to find the trust necessary to remain present no matter the circumstance. As this presence grows, the factors of enlightenment such as mindfulness, joy, and equanimity slowly emerge. The awakened mind and heart are awaiting you, asking only that you make the effort to acknowledge their presence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 31 - Loving Kindness Oct 02, 2015

The mysterious quality we call Love involves stepping out of the body of fear and allowing something bigger to be born in us, all the while acknowledging and loving that smaller sense of self. Though we understand it to be our true nature, we must also recognize the necessity for practice in sustaining this openhearted awareness. Once brought to life, we learn to nourish that deeper part of our being, offering the appropriate respect and response to all of humanity See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 30 - Joys of the Awakened Heart Sep 18, 2015

In meditation and in our spiritual life there grows a kind of trust in our capacity to open, to change, and to transform no matter the circumstances we face. The shift of identity comes in recognizing that the smaller sense of self is not who we really are. The original nature of the mind is pure knowing, and through this understanding we begin to find the joy of the liberated heart. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 29 - Freedom and the Way It Is (Part 2) Sep 04, 2015

Jack continues his discourse on the nature of the freedom that is our true being. It does not arrive through the rearranging of circumstance or the discipline of self-improvement, but in the acknowledgment and allowing of all of life’s movements. The aim is not passive acceptance, but rather a relaxation that fuels the energy to respond as necessary. In knowing when to hold on and when to let go, we embody the gracious and honorable presence that characterizes our deeper self. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 28 - Freedom From the Way It Is (Part 1) Aug 20, 2015

Freedom is not found in certainty, but in the wisdom that comes from seeing and embracing life as it is. Jack explores the different ways that freedom can be embodied and fully represented through the nobility of Spirit that is born into every being. When we uncover this freedom, to be who we are, to serve others, and to care for the world, we discover that it was our purpose all along. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 27 - The Power of Pilgrimage Aug 07, 2015

Pilgrimage is the journey of renewal, an opportunity to shift and broaden our perspective of the world around us. Through this active form of spiritual practice we are able to step out of the smaller envelope of identity in order to witness and embrace more of life’s mysteries. Who we really are is exposed in the light of these novel experiences, and our potential for expansion and personal growth is naturally illuminated... See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 26 - When Love Meets Sorrow Jul 24, 2015

“When Love meets sorrow it becomes compassion” As we become silent we start to awaken to the mystery of this human realm. We begin to open to and acknowledge all of the unfinished business that often permeates our being. Through practice we can learn to offer love in the presence of pain. In these moments of loving-kindness we feel a connection to the web of life and discover the more objective nature of our struggles and sorrows. As Jack explains, no matter what level you are practicing on, you cannot fully open without compassion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 25 - The Wisdom of Uncertainty Jul 14, 2015

“What we’re looking for is where we are” - Dharma speaks to the ways in which we choose to navigate the uncertainty of our time on this planet. Can we learn to live in joy amongst all that this great unknowing has to offer? Jack guides us through some of the key principles of the awakened heart, encouraging an attitude of graciousness toward the mysterious nature of our existence. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 24 - Gates of Awakening Jun 29, 2015

A spacious walk through the shifts of identity that often occur as we move from the smaller sense of self into that place of loving awareness, the ‘one who knows’. This opening can be understood as the entrance point to Awakening. Though it may be unfamiliar and often times uncomfortable, it is ultimately necessary for moving beyond the limitations of the separate self. Jack provides us with a map for this new territory, and reassures us that the intelligence of the heart will lead the way, even through the darkest corridors. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 23 - Garden of the Heart Jun 15, 2015

Spiritual practice requires of us a kind and devoted attention to the opening of the body as well as the heart. We cultivate the necessary space through a quieting of the mind, and invite a sense of compassion and openness into the heart. We can then listen to better understand how to become ourselves what we want the world to be. There is a profound offering in our commitment and dedication to becoming the most beautiful human beings that we can be. At the root of this offering is the desire to allow spiritual practice to be the tool with which we tend to the garden of the heart. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 22 - Bodhisattva Jun 04, 2015

What attitude can we carry into a world of conflict and difficulty that will allow us to treasure and fully embody the work we do in practice? In this talk, Jack details the teachings of the Bodhisattva - a commitment to the welfare and awakening of all beings. We are encouraged to find our deepest intention, the most beautiful thing we could do with our life, and to let that be our reference as we move out into the world. Through ‘deep knowing and deep intention’, we begin to embrace a sense of the sacred in everything we do. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 21 - What Changes Us May 19, 2015

The spiritual path seems as much a journey of becoming who we are, rather than attaining some elevated sense of self. But what circumstances must arise in order for us to honor our particular incarnation, and to then do something beautiful with it? Crisis, trauma, and retreat are just a few of the potential catalysts, and our task is to simply recognize and accept that which has served to encourage our own efforts along the path. We begin to see that it is often just a matter of remembering and reminding ourselves of the different ways that we are brought to freedom and joy in our own lives. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 20 - Poetry and Beauty May 04, 2015

The heart needs poetry much like the Earth needs rain. It is the music, the harmony, and the bearer of truth throughout our life’s journey. To uncover our poetic sensibility is to begin to find the rhythm of language that matches the beauty of the world around us. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 19 - Buddhist Psychology Apr 26, 2015

Our experience of life is described as a river that we embody, that we are a part of, rather than simply living in. Awareness is ever-present, as we learn to become mindful of our experiences without becoming lost in them. Our state of mind determines our relationship to the world around us. Our practice therefore becomes one of quieting the mind, opening the heart, and being present in order to touch all that arises with the spirit of compassion. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 18 - Redemption Apr 14, 2015

Ancient Buddhist tales of redemption are recounted to encourage our understanding that it is never to late to start anew. The object of meditation is to sit in the midst of this mysterious human incarnation and to hold it with mercy and compassion. We then discover that wisdom and training have the power to trump our temperament. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 17 - Jack and Duncan Trussell Part Deux Apr 03, 2015

Jack sits down with our podcast guru, Duncan Trussell for part two of their conversation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 16 - Factors of Enlightenment Mar 23, 2015

Our fundamental wakefulness can be described by certain qualities of enlightenment that speak to our inherent nobility. It is in the remembering of these factors that we can taste the freedom of reconnecting with the openness and luminosity of mind that is our true nature. Mindfulness is the seed from which all other qualities can grow. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 15 - The Awakened Heart Mar 10, 2015

We all carry questions about our lives and how we might find relief from the struggles we encounter throughout our mysterious incarnations. Who are we and how can we come to understand what it truly means to embody our deeper self? The original nature of consciousness itself is luminous, and free. In awakening the heart we uncover this inherently pure awareness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 14 - Simplicity and Sympathy Mar 02, 2015

The spirit of simplicity, presence and sympathy of heart can carry us through the most difficult and beautiful of times. When we learn to make peace with the way life is, with the understanding that this capacity is our own true nature, then we fully embody the heart’s deepest desire. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 13 - Joy and it's Causes Feb 16, 2015

Mudita is the joy and happiness experienced for oneself and others. This joy is born into everyone, but is not limited to the innocence afforded in childhood. It is alive in all of us, and mindfulness is the gateway. Meditation allows us to be present for ourselves, each other, and for the wonder and beauty of our mysterious incarnation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 12 - The One Who Knows Jan 26, 2015

Behind all the drama of our lives, there is something unchanging and ever-present, for everyone to discover. Our methods and practices point us in the direction of this awakening, as we move from reaction to compassion. Nothing left out, and no one to blame, perfecting only our loving awareness of it all. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 11 - Freedom of the Heart Jan 06, 2015

The vastness of the human heart is as timeless as it is profound. No matter the circumstance, we can choose to remain openhearted, knowing that the possibility of freedom is available to everyone. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 10 - Nothing Left Out Dec 23, 2014

'It's not the future of humanity, but the presence of eternity'. With this in mind, we begin to understand the necessity for acceptance, in all aspects of our experience. The invitation offered through meditation is all-inclusive; no matter what we carry from our past, there is a dignity and freedom of heart that is possible for us all See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 9 - Through the Eyes of Wisdom Dec 11, 2014

Wisdom is eternally gracious; it sees the world as it is, vast and ever changing. It allows us to become ourselves, to awaken to the actual experience of existence, without getting caught in it. We eventually recognize our shared experience, and a natural sense of respect arises. When we look through the eyes of wisdom, we dissolve separation, and move into the compassionate state of loving awareness. ‘The true joy of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit’. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 8 - Transforming Darkness Nov 25, 2014

In attempting to draw light into our lives, we inevitably encounter the intrinsic darkness that surrounds our existence. Our task, as honorable beings, is to avoid letting the ignorant darkness take over our hearts, while simultaneously not averting our gaze. In meditation, we confront the full spectrum of experience, acknowledging these darker forces, and discovering the capacity to respond from a place of loving awareness. It will require the courage to act, but as the Buddha said, “If you can learn to dwell in your heart, offering love to all beings, that will be protection wherever you go’. Episode Outline: • 2 Kinds of Darkness - Fertile (From which all things arise - contains the potential of creation) and Blind/Unconscious (Operates below our basic level of awareness, often requires uncovering/recognition) • Practice - When we honor our meditation practice, we see everything - the full spectrum of our experience • Our Task - As honorable beings, we mustn’t let the outer (ignorant) darkness consume our hearts, while, simultaneously, not averting our eyes. • Violence - Has almost always been a part of our culture - What are the causes and conditions that create these negative aspects? We have to mourn tragedy, but also stand up for a different world. The darkness must be met with an equal force of love and courage • Dwell in the Heart - Never cease to offer love to all beings See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 7 - Holding Identity Lightly Nov 18, 2014

Consciousness itself is the witness to our lives, and we are born with it, in its purest form. It knows that what we often identify with is not who we truly are. The practices of compassion, mindfulness and loving awareness invite a profound shift of identity, from the body of fear to the beauty of the heart. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 6 - Mental Hygiene with Natasha Leggero Nov 11, 2014

Jack is joined by actress and comedian, Natasha Leggero, for an enlightening conversation about maintaining composure in seemingly chaotic times. Jack explains that our outer progress must be matched with an inner change in human consciousness; a process that evolves through the recognition of our interconnectedness. The two also touch on fundamentalism, evidence for hope, and the importance of routine ritualistic practice in unlocking the deeper dimensions of our being. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 5 - Trauma and Freedom Nov 04, 2014

Trauma comes in all shapes and sizes, and as human beings we are all vulnerable to its potential effects. But how can we meet trauma with tenderness and courage? Healing is so often a precursor to the practice of liberation itself, but true release requires a familiarity with emotions and the capacity to be present for them. Through mindfulness we can develop the compassion necessary to approach our traumas. When we can first bare it, we then have a choice of what to do with it. Once our story can be told it often loses its hold. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 4 - Mystery and Compassion Oct 27, 2014

Jack discusses the fundamental mystery that is our human incarnation, and the methods we can utilize to stay close to that immense presence. Meditation isn’t necessarily about having a mystical experience, but about coming back into the natural mysterious experience of being alive. Within all of us there is a divine seed of consciousness, much greater than the functional matter that we occupy. In meditation, we are invited to return to this sacred space. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 3 - Karma and the Power of Intention Oct 01, 2014

One of the most important tools for navigating through our complicated existence is the understanding of Karma. We consistently create patterns in our lives but often fail to see the cause and effect relationship that unfolds. Karma speaks to the way in which we respond to that which comes to us, to the life that we are given. It’s not the action but the intention that is the source of karma. Through meditation we expose the patterns that we create for ourselves. By tending to our hearts we discover a deeper motivation for our being. It is from this place that we learn to plant our seeds of intention, and the seeds we plant become how are lives are lived. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 2 - Spiritual Laundry with Pete Holmes and Duncan Trussell Sep 29, 2014

Jack sits down with comedians Pete Holmes and Duncan Trussell to discuss a variety of topics including the amorphous construct of our identities, dreams and death, mystical experiences, and the interaction of spirituality with materialism. Jack also describes the illusory nature of perceived security, and the freedom that can come when we discover the art of truly awakening to our mysterious incarnation. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 1 - Impermanence Sep 25, 2014

In this talk, Jack Kornfield discusses how to navigate change in relation to the Buddhist concept of impermanence. He touches on the importance of meditation in cultivating a healthier perspective toward change. When we are quiet, we can rest in loving awareness and see our true nature from the heart of understanding. When we accept that change is inevitable, and find our composure in that knowledge, we can reenter the river of experience. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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