Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 188 – Skillful Means for Non-Clinging Nov 24, 2023

Show notes

In this question-and-answer session, Joseph Goldstein explores skillful means for non-clinging, how to work with the comparing mind, the intricacies of walking meditation, and much more.

This dharma talk, recorded on October 20, 2023, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this episode of Insight Hour:

Joseph offers a series of tips on walking meditation
He responds to questions about working with the comparing mind and working with the mind that is desperate to fix everything
Joseph talks about how it is possible for a layperson to awaken and why enlightenment is all about lightening up
He explores the importance of not being attached to our beliefs or our disbeliefs and keeping an open mind
Finally, Joseph offers his perspective on how the Dharma has helped him in difficult times and why the Buddhist teachings are all about skillful means for non-clinging

“So when I began to hear these different teachings, rather than frame it – ‘Which is true?’ or ‘Which is right?’ – just to take the teachings as skillful means. So then the question is, skillful means for what? And here is where all the traditions of Buddhism are unified, and that is a skillful means for non-clinging. That’s the essence of the free mind in all the Buddhist traditions.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 187 - Love & Fear Nov 08, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein delves into the concepts of loving-kindness, compassion, and the fear of discomfort. He highlights the transformative power of loving-kindness, mindfulness, and compassion in overcoming fears and limitations, ultimately fostering genuine happiness.

This dharma talk, recorded on February 18, 1997, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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

In this lecture, Joseph:

Affirms that at the depths of our hearts and minds there is a basic reservoir of goodwill
Defines mettā, or loving-kindness, as the basic generosity of the heart
Takes note of the “upward spiral” of happiness that mindfulness and loving-kindness promotes
Reminds us to stay open to suffering and
Ruminates upon the empty nature of fear itself

“If you keep shining your compassion and understanding on it, your fear will soon crack and you will be able to look into its depths and see its roots.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 186 - Working With Thought And Emotion Nov 02, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein expounds upon the relationship between thought and emotion as it relates to both our spiritual practice and our daily lives.

This dharma talk, recorded on June 4, 2013, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this lecture, Joseph:

Dissects the nuanced meaning of the Pali word sati, often translated as "mindfulness"
Highlights the importance of applying mindfulness to both skillful and unskillful thoughts
Helps us understand the very nature of thought
Outlines the inherent connection between thoughts and emotional responses
Proposes that we stay open to afflictive emotions without identifying with them

"When we engage with thoughts and emotions from a place of interest and a place of investigation, a place of inquiry, we can see them all arise and pass away in this open sky of the mind." - Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 185 - Suffering And The Illusion Of Self Oct 26, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein investigates the links between suffering, compassion, and the concept of the self.

This dharma talk, recorded on July 2, 1994, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this talk, Joseph:

Breaks down the three kinds of suffering according to the Buddha
Advises us to remain open to suffering, reminding us that avoiding or resisting pain and unpleasant mind states only serves to feed them
Posits that compassion grows from letting suffering in
Proposes that we drop into the flow of existence
Asserts that the root cause of suffering is our deeply conditioned senses of self

“When we’re associated with what we don’t want, it’s suffering. And when we are separated from what we do want, it’s suffering. And this is the push-pull happening throughout our lives.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 184 – Our Unskillful Actions: Doing More Good Than Bad Oct 18, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein dissects the Buddha’s most simple but fundamental lessons: to avoid what is unwholesome, to perform good actions, and to purify the mind.

This dharma talk, recorded on September 26, 1991, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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

In this talk, Joseph:

Acknowledges that even the most simple lessons are not easy
Breaks down the three unwholesome actions of the body, the four unwholesome actions of speech, and the three unwholesome actions of mind
Touches on the Hindu concept of punya, or doing meritorious actions to plant the seeds of happiness
Maintains that there is a wisdom in fearing danger
Provides us with examples of wholesome actions that we can perform

“Avoid what is unwholesome, perform good actions, purify the mind. This is the teachings of all the Buddhas.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Ep. 183 – The Why and How of Practice Oct 12, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein dissects the concept of meditation from the what, to the why, to the how.

This dharma talk was recorded on July 8, 2007, at the Insight Meditation Society and was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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

In this talk, Joseph:

Demystifies meditation
Asks, “Why do we meditate?” and “How do we meditate?”
Emphasizes the importance of settling down the mind to achieve real clarity and stillness
Reminds us that meditation is not only about blissful feelings
Identifies the relationship between our bodies and our minds
Advocates for the acceptance and awareness of our own thoughts

“Meditation is not about whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant. It’s about how aware we are, how mindful we are.” - Joesph Goldstein

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.

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

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Ep. 182 – Equanimity: "There in the Middleness" Sep 30, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein examines the mental factor of equanimity through the lens of the Eight Vicissitudes and the brahmavihārā.

This dharma talk from April 17, 2012, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this lecture, Joseph:

Defines equanimity as neutrality of mind and the quality of evenness
Draws a distinction between indifference of mind and spacious impartiality
Examines the eight vicissitudes (gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, pleasure and pain)
Considers the spiritual implications of living in servitude to the inevitably changing conditions of our lives
Places equanimity in the context of lovingkindness, compassion, and joy, i.e. the other divine abodes, or brahmavihārā
Reminds us that no situation is outside of our practice

“When we have equanimity, when both attachment and aversion are absent, then everything in our experiences becomes clear and undisguised.”

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Ep. 181 – The Way of the Tao Sep 20, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein reflects on the meaning of emptiness on the spiritual path and examines ways in which we can work toward enlightenment.

This dharma talk was recorded on April 16, 1989, and was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this talk, Joseph touches on:

The meaning of emptiness
The such-ness of things
The 10,000 joys, the 10,000 sorrows, and opening ourselves up to the whole range of experience
The Taoist dichotomy between non-action and inaction
Taking interest in the phenomenon of thoughts, emotions, experiences, and situations
Being simple and easy in our practice

“If we’re simple and easy in our practice, our lives become simple and easy. Can you be simple and easy in your practice, just with what is?” – Joseph Goldstein

About Joseph Goldstein:

Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

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Ep. 180 – Relative and Ultimate Bodhicitta Part 2 Sep 13, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein continues his discussion of bodhicitta – the awakened heart.

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

In this lecture, Joseph:

Reminds us that obstructions and defilements of thought are not intrinsic to the mind
Provides us with a methodology for freeing ourselves from entanglement and attachment
Compares the clinging mind to ice and the luminous mind to water
Recognizes the causal relationship between mindfulness and compassion
Teaches us that how we feel and respond to situations is up to us
Maintains that cultivating compassion is a process that comes with daily practice

“The development of love and compassion is a wide, round curve that can be negotiated only slowly. Not a sharp corner that can be turned all at once. It comes with daily practice.”

This dharma talk from June 12, 2015, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Ep. 179 – Relative and Ultimate Bodhicitta Part I Aug 30, 2023

Show notes

Joseph Goldstein discusses enlightenment through the lens of the aspirational mental quality of bodhicitta – the awakened heart.

This dharma talk from June 8, 2015, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed

In this lecture, Joseph:

Teaches us that there are two understandings of bodhicitta: relative bodhicitta, which is compassion, and ultimate bodhicitta, which is selflessness
Highlights the spiritual importance of cultivating both compassion and selflessness
Ruminates on the challenges of living in our conventional, ordinarily understood reality
Reminds us that the ungovernability of life is the nexus between dukkha and freedom
Describes the union of emptiness and clarity
Recognizes the need for a gradual cultivation of awareness

“The mind’s nature is vivid as a flawless piece of crystal. Intrinsically empty, naturally radiant and ceaselessly responsive.”

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