Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 207 – Impermanence, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 4 Jul 25, 2024

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein offers insight on deepening our understanding of impermanence by growing our awareness of the constant change that surrounds us.

The Satipatthana Sutta is one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. This episode is the fourth part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein explores:

Seeing the momentariness of phenomena
The liberating effect of presence moment awareness
The power of wholesome activities and the karmic effect of giving
Unreliability within that which is impermanent
Being dispassionate and not caught up in the grit of desire
The stories and drama we engage with in our lives
Witnessing changes in the world around us
Refining our perception of change
The mirror of the dhamma
Having unbroken confidence in the path of awakening
Consciousness in the process of dying

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

“Somehow, we are so conditioned to count on things staying a certain way, of staying stable. Or, if they’re going to change, that they should only change for the better, the way we’d like things to be. But, that’s not how it is, there is no evidence to support that. All we have to do is open up and look around and pay attention in the most obvious of ways. This is not a subtle meditative attainment; it is all around us.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 206 – Concentration And Contemplation, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 3 Jul 19, 2024

Show notes

This time on the Insight Hour Podcast, Joseph Goldstein explores the importance of contemplation, awareness and concentration in Buddhist practice.

This episode is the third part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. If you are just now jumping into the Satipatthana Sutta series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!

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

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein examines:

Samadhi, or, the composure and unification of the mind
Enjoying embodied presence and allowing all tensions to release
The great healing process that can come from Samadhi
How Samadhi enables us to receive the joy of the present moment
How the development of concentration comes from practicing Sila (ethical conduct)
The path of practice as the path of happiness
Focusing on an object versus choiceless awareness
6-part walking meditation for the development of concentration
Internal and external contemplation
Being aware of other people without judgment
Attuning to how our actions may affect others

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

“It’s as if when we create the space of awareness, the space of mindful presence, the mind settles by itself into a place of concentration because we are simply being present for that which arises.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 205 – Mindfulness, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt. 2 Jul 12, 2024

Show notes

Continuing his exploration of the Satipatthana Sutta, Joseph discusses mindfulness as the vehicle for all spiritual undertakings.

This episode is the second part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism. If you are just jumping into the series, listen to Insight Hour Ep. 203 to follow along and get the full experience!

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses:

The mental qualities that are necessary for the path of awakening
How mindfulness makes any spiritual undertaking possible
How small efforts we take in our daily practice can greatly impact the larger picture
The noble task of purifying the mind and heart
Reflecting on the Buddha, dharma, and sangha
The difference between self-judgement and contemplating our sila (right conduct)
How the whole of the dharma is revealed through receptive listening
Mindfulness as a guardian of the sense stores
Avoiding the proliferation of wanting and discontent
How mindfulness balances faith and wisdom, effort and concentration
Mindfulness as a tool to notice the habit patterns we are conditioned into
The nature of the mind as peaceful

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This recording was originally published by Dharmaseed

“It’s that sense of just the whole of the dharma being revealed in this place of listening, of receptive awareness, of open awareness, when we aren’t trying to control things or make things happen but we’re letting things be revealed. This quality of sati, of mindfulness, of listening, has tremendous power... It’s mindfulness which makes any spiritual undertaking possible.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 204 – The Direct Path to Liberation, Satipatthana Sutta Series Pt.1 Jul 04, 2024

Show notes

Kicking off a multi-part course on the teachings of the Satipatthana Sutta, Joseph offers insight into how we can apply the wisdom of this ancient Buddhist discourse on mindfulness to our daily lives and practice.

This episode is the first part of an in-depth 48-part weekly lecture series from Joseph Goldstein that delves into every aspect of the Satipatthana Sutta, one of the most celebrated and widely studied discourses in the Pāli Canon of Theravada Buddhism.

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

In this episode of Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein delves into:

Meditation as the simplest way of looking at the mind and body
Vipassana’s roots in the Satipatthana Sutta
Breaking down the translation of Satipatthana
The four foundations or abidings in mindfulness
Focusing on the attitude of being aware
The variety of meanings for Dukkha
Craving as the cause of suffering
Strengthening the quality of ardency for our practice
How transience can spur feelings of passion and care
Reflecting on the weight of our actions
Wisdom and clear comprehension
Why our practice is not just for ourselves alone

Grab a copy of the book Joseph references throughout this series, Satipaṭṭhāna: The Direct Path to Realization, HERE

This recording was originally published by Dharmaseed

“The last reflection that helps establish us in ardent practice is realizing that the only things that can be said to truly belong to us are the actions that we perform and their subsequent fruits.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 203 – Ask Joseph: Questions From Student To Teacher Jun 13, 2024

Show notes

Responding to student questions, Joseph Goldstein invigorates listeners to have faith and confidence in dharma practice.

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

This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein answers questions on:

Mental noting throughout meditation
Working with a greedy mind
Dukkha and craving as the fundamental cause of suffering
Small moments of renunciation
The deepening of concentration over time and why practice is non-linear
Keeping confidence in the dharma
Doubt as the most problematic feeling within practice
Dealing with shame, depression, unworthiness, and other painful mind-states
Balancing self-knowing and deepening insight into non-self
Fear of impermanence and attachment to things staying the same

This special group mentorship program recording was originally published on Dharmaseed

“We really just need to continue doing the practice and have that trust that the dharma will lead us onward, which it does. I’ve seen it in myself and I’ve seen it in thousands of yogis. I have a lot of confidence in that.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 202 – The Subtlety of Practice Jun 06, 2024

Show notes

Explaining the subtleties of practice and the energy between mind and body, Joseph Goldstein offers both insight and humor to his students.

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein :

The variety of practice ways to strengthen concentration
Animals and questions on karma in the natural world
Free our minds from fear when nearing the end of our lives
Watching the mystery of life unfolding
The wholesome and unwholesome actions that determine our rebirth
Habitual karma and having a place of refuge from repeated practice
Humility and the understanding of selflessness
Cultivating relationships of equanimity
The ongoing discovery of the mind-body energy system
Sexual desire and the refinement of our sensations
Why neutrality is better than pleasure
The unhelpful ways that we relate to pain
How practice helps with boredom and restlessness
Keeping an effort to pay close attention
Using our precious lives very well

This 1990 recording was originally published by Dharmaseed

“Each of these practices not only addresses a particular conditioning of the mind, they all very much strengthen the power of concentration. It’s just to see how through many different doors we can enter the realm of understanding, taming the mind, coming to a place of stillness where we can really see the essential nature and come to freedom. There are many ways depending on temperament.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 201 – A Guided Practice on Working with Thought and Emotions May 22, 2024

Show notes

Highlighting the impermanence of experience, Joseph Goldstein leads a practice in noticing mental and physical sensations.

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein offers a guided practice on:

Working with thought and emotion
Full body awareness without effort or struggling
Noticing the breath and other sensations
Being aware of thoughts just as they are arising
Opening up to the fullness of experience
The power of naming emotions
Sensing the impermanent nature of all things
Moving from the conceptual into direct experience
The seduction of our thoughts

This 2018 recording from an Insight Meditation Retreat was originally published by Dharmaseed

“We don’t have to do anything to make things change. The very nature of whatever is arising, whether it’s in the body or the mind, the very nature is that whatever arises will also pass away.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 200 – Getting Insight On The Nature of Thought May 16, 2024

Show notes

In a dharma talk on working with thoughts and emotions, Joseph Goldstein explains the impersonal and empty nature of the mind.

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

This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein teaches us about:

Observing how mind states and thoughts mutually condition each other
The way that thoughts carry us away into different emotional states
Looking at the direct nature and meaning of thought
Noticing the difference between being lost and being awake
Viewing our thoughts just as they arise
Not overthinking and focusing on the simplicity of a practice
The six things that are ever arising or passing: our senses
Maintaining open awareness and experiencing the flow

“Well, what is a thought? It’s quite remarkable because when we look at that level, not on the level of the story or the content, but thought as a phenomenon, we see that it is barely more than nothing. It is so phenomenal. These thoughts arise, and the content can be so compelling, but as a phenomenon, as the nature of thought, it’s just this little energy blip in the mind. If we’re not getting hooked by the content, it has no power at all.” – Joseph Goldstein

This 2019 dharma talk from Insight Meditation Society was originally published by Dharmaseed

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Ep. 199 – Self And Selfless May 02, 2024

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein meets us at the constellation of self, the duality of self, and the need for mindfulness.

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein gets into:

Duality and how it relates to our meditation practice
The fundamental split of object and subject
Limitations from perceiving ourselves as separate
Persona and the identification we have with the world
The progression from fullness/oneness to constriction
Having compassion for the shadow side
How fear desire, and attachment, make us more attached to our sense of self
Being imprisoned and conditioned by dualistic perception
The integration of mind and body and love for all experience as the connector
From the ego center to the zero center
Being totally honest with what is happening
Mindfulness as the tool to stop identification
The power of renunciation and restraint

This 2005 dharma talk was originally published by Dharmaseed

“As long as we are identified with that sense of self in the mind, that identification creates fear, attachment, separation, comparing. If there’s an “I”, if there’s a self, then we have to defend it, we have to protect it, we have to gratify it, and our whole lives revolve around this particular identification.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 198 – Facing Our Fears Apr 25, 2024

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein discusses how working with fear is absolutely essential in our practice of understanding, opening, and accepting.

This 1983 dharma talk was originally published on Dharmaseed.

This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein teaches us about:

Releasing tension through awareness
The body as an energy system
Opening up to the Buddha nature
Working with fear and emotional pain
Resistance and unwillingness to be uncomfortable
Becoming open to pain and discomfort
Insecurity and the fear of being judged
How the fear of feeling certain emotions keeps us bound to negative habits
How openness allows our hearts to be touched
Death and fear of the unknown
Being okay with being afraid
Having space for fear without demands
Lovingkindness as the antidote for fear

“What we’re doing in our practice is learning how to work with those experiences which often cause trouble, which often cause resistance, which we’re afraid of.” – Joseph Goldstein

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