Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Jack helps us heal conflicts, release defensiveness, and cultivate the harmony of wise relationships through the art of reconciliation, deep listening, and truth.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.“When we read about western civilization, it is in our history books as predominantly a history of conflict—who fought whom, who took over what kingdom, country, or land from someone else and conquered and triumphed. That conflict is still with us in very obvious ways, whether it is in Los Angeles, or Yugoslavia, or Somalia, Ethiopia, or Cambodia. And so, when we look at human civilization with such a long history of conflict, the question comes, can we learn another way to live as humans?” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Buddhist teachings on community, conflict, and living harmoniouslyIf modern civilization is actually all that civilizedAristotle on humanity’s weapons of wisdom and virtueThe historical evolution of human consciousness and compassionTypes of slavery, overt and hidden: physical, economic, political, clandestineThe spirituality of truly celebrating life in this present momentWise Relationship, living harmoniously, listening in a way that honors everyoneCreating a ‘wise culture’ built on honesty and integrityHow to truly apologize, forgive, reconcile, and renewWise mechanisms for diffusing conflictHow to stop being defensive and start listeningReconciling conflicts in monasteries and spiritual communitiesHow the ‘art of listening’ begins with the ‘art of letting go’Learning to cooperate in courage, fearlessness, and honoringNavigating life from our ‘unarmed truth’ and ‘Soul Force’“To be able to enter into a process of reconciliation in one’s family, community or body-politic, is to be able to learn to let go of our views, our ideas, how it should be, what we want, what we fear—which is underneath all of those things. It’s a shift of our identity from this small sense of self that we carry often with us, to something that’s greater—the common good, the good of the earth, that which is beautiful and noble no matter what happens in the world around us—to some greater identity of our being.” – Jack Kornfield“We all want that kind of respect—if you give nothing else to your lover, spouse, children, parents or colleagues, but just that quality of listening with respect—there’s this tremendous sweetness that comes, people love you for it. – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 7/27/1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Opening the doorway to transformation, Jack and Dr. Hübl explore spiritual discernment, identity, “central casting,” overcoming nervous system triggers, reframing trauma, and more.Transform your 2025 with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online program beginning Jan 2025, but join anytime.The ‘wisdom of insecurity’ is to learn that it’s okay to feel insecure—that it’s part of our human law—and to love anyway.” – Jack KornfieldIn Part 2 of this episode originally airing for Dr. Hübl’s ‘Spiritual Healing Journey Summit,’ Jack and Thomas mindfully explore:Spiritual community, idealism, disillusionment, and healing spiritual injuryJack’s experience “pressure testing” his teacher Ajahn ChahTrading our “blind faith” for “spiritual discernment”Living in joy with a free heart amidst it allRam Dass, identity, and “central casting”Seeing past our identities/roles to our Divine Nature while still fully honoring themReframing “trauma” with Buddha’s lens of sufferingHealing the nervous system and it’s triggersExpanding our loving kindness to encompass all beingsWalking through the doorway of transformation and dissolving the cosmos into loveHow to deal with our trauma and learn to live with sufferingReaching out and healing the part of the world we can touchThe Bodhisattva vow as fostering the awakening of the heartOpening to the “wisdom of insecurity”“Spiritual practice is to remember your true divine nature, and also your social security number, your particular role which ‘central casting’ has placed you in at this time.” – Jack Kornfield"Disillusionment is part of the spiritual path, baby. It is! You have to see with the eyes of the Buddha to see the truth of suffering and greed and hatred, and also see that it's not the end of the story, that that's not who you are." – Jack KornfieldAbout Thomas Hübl, PhD:Thomas Hübl, PhD, is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator who works within the complexity of systems and cultural change, integrating the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Since the early 2000s, he has led large-scale events and courses on the healing of collective trauma.He is the author of Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World and Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds. He has served as an advisor and guest faculty for universities and organizations, as a coach for CEOs and organizational leaders, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. For more info, books, podcast, and upcoming offerings, please visit thomashuebl.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack and Thomas explore how ritual serves as a powerful language for opening the heart and living joyfully through life’s challenges.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."Ritual and symbol become a gateway back to the heart to our deep connection. When we have that in spiritual life, things open up in a different way." – Jack KornfieldIn Part 1 of this episode originally airing for Dr. Hübl’s ‘Spiritual Healing Journey Summit,’ Jack and Thomas mindfully explore:How to live joyfully through difficult timesFinding the wonder of “everyday grace”Reducing suffering through spiritual practiceWestern Psychology and Eastern SpiritualityInterconnection and opening to the great web of beingRelational mindfulness and communal mindfulnessRitual as a language and gateway to the heartHow to talk with nature and speak for the treesThe transformation of having true mentors and guidesService, activism, and navigating burnoutPaying attention and listening to each other and nature"The nuclear waste of what you've been through can burn in some way that it becomes the fuel for energy and light. It gets transformed in the reactor of the heart and you have a power now." – Jack Kornfield“No amount of nanotechnology, A.I., space technology, or biotechnology is going to save us. Because the source of hatred, war, racism, conflict, exploitation, and climate disruption is in the human heart. That’s where it starts and where it grows from. Therefore, the outer developments which are becoming really remarkable have to be matched by the inner developments of humanity.” – Jack KornfieldAbout Thomas Hübl, PhD:Thomas Hübl, PhD, is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator who works within the complexity of systems and cultural change, integrating the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Since the early 2000s, he has led large-scale events and courses on the healing of collective trauma. He is the author of Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World and Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds. He has served as an advisor and guest faculty for universities and organizations, as a coach for CEOs and organizational leaders, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. For more info, books, podcast, and upcoming offerings, please visit thomashuebl.comTransform your 2025 with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online program beginning Jan 2025! Join at bit.ly/Awakening2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Shining a lamp in the darkness, Jack offers a heartwarming holiday story, guided meditation, angelic chant, and powerful intention setting ceremony for the New Year and beyond.Transform your 2025 with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online program beginning Jan 2025!“May your holidays and the turning of the seasons bring new light, great love, wisdom, and understanding into your life, to all your touch, and across this beautiful blue-green globe.” – Jack KornfieldIn part 2 of this special holiday series, Jack merrily shares:A heartwarming Christmas Dharma story to relax the mindLearning the true and boundless joy of making others happyA powerful “Just Like Me” two-person guided meditation practiceTransforming the world through seeing the beauty of those around usSetting the compass of your heart for our highest good and intentionCreating your own New Year’s vow, and becoming a lamp in the darkness for those in needA special blessing-cord ceremony—an intention setting ritual for the turning of the seasons, the New Year, and the returning of the lightThe angelic, holy, chanting of the of the mantra, “Namoh”“How do we respond to this world? You sit and you sweep the garden. You have the capacity as a human being incarnating in this life—with your measure of suffering and the beauty you have—to respond in extraordinary ways.” – Jack Kornfield“I did a blessing cord ceremony 40 years ago together with Lama Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and somebody raised their hand and said to him, ‘What exactly do these protect you from?’ And he said, ‘Why yourself, of course,’ which is a main protection that human beings need.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode was originally recorded for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation Livestream on 12/14/15. Learn more about Spirit Rock’s offerings. Join Jack’s next event.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this cozy holiday special, Jack sheds seasonal tidings on how to rediscover the secret beauty within you and share your special gifts with 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.“What you most deeply long for is who you are, is coming back to your own heart, to your own beauty, your own wellbeing that you were born with, to that secret beauty.” – Jack KornfieldIn part 1 of this special holiday video series, Jack merrily explores:The spiritual meaning of the Winter Solstice, the turning of the seasons, and the holidaysHow Jack’s teacher Ajahn Chah reacted when a Christmas Tree was put up in the MonasteryReconnecting with the great mystery of the world and with each otherHow to deal with your family with compassion, equanimity, and peaceSeeing the secret beauty behind the eyes of everyone you meetMoving past the body of fear, the small sense of selfThe paradox of spiritual practice: you’re perfect and there’s room for improvementRediscovering the love and secret beauty within youCultivating dignity, presence, generosity, clarity, integrity, meaning, compassion, trustBringing the mind and body together in the presentLoving awareness and entering the wisdom streamManifesting love and understanding into this worldA Hawaiian story on how to bring your special giftRam Dass, Mother Teresa, service, and allowing yourself to be taken care ofMoving past fear politics and becoming a force of connection and love“To meditate, more than anything, is an invitation to remember, to quiet ourselves, to touch back in to this truth, this reality beyond the busyness, fears, and confusion we have because we’re human.” – Jack Kornfield“Meditation and spiritual practice is not meant to be a grim duty, it’s meant to be a rediscovery of the love and secret beauty that’s within you.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode was originally recorded for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation Livestream on 12/14/15. Learn more about Spirit Rock’s offerings at SpiritRock.org. Join Jack’s next livestream at JackKornfield.com/eventsTransform your year with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: An Intimate Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online journey! Sign up at bit.ly/Awakening2025See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring how compassionate speech and mindful listening can transform our lives, Jack shares how we can navigate culture’s web of lies by using the energy of Wise Speech to truly awaken.Transform your 2025 with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: An Intimate Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online course beginning Jan 2025!“[Wise Speech] is really about compassion—it’s being aware of the power of speech, and using it to express what is conscious and what brings freedom.” – Jack KornfieldExploring the third step of the Eightfold Path, Jack mindfully shares on:Wise Speech / Right Speech as a factor of awakeningCompassion, non-harming, and embodying Buddha NatureRam Dass’s “Hopi-Hippie Be-In” and what it means to ‘speak the truth’Navigating culture’s and advertising’s web of liesSpeaking from your deepest truth and knowingBuddha and using the energy of speech to awakenWhat it means to truly listen to another human beingCompassionate communication and listeningDiscerning your intention and motivation when talking to peopleSpeaking like a Buddha and treasuring our speechThe simple pleasure of talking and communicationUsing your words for justice, truth, love, and wisdomLetting go of pride and needing to be rightA “Wise Speech” guided meditationChanting the seed syllable “Ah”“The key to listening and speaking wisely is the intention—our intention to learn, to discover, to hear something that we haven’t understood.” – Jack Kornfield“The possibility, if we are to live an awakened life, is to foster that speech that comes from our deeper knowing.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded in 1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Offering decompression from post-election intensity, Jack shares a guided meditation helping us maintain a mindful loving presence amidst it all.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 seasons turn, elections come and go, whole nations and civilization arise for a time and pass. You are the witness to consciousness, the loving awareness that sees the mystery of arising and passing, and holds it all with love.” – Jack KornfieldIn this fresh episode, Jack leads a guided meditation on:Decompressing from the intensity of the electionTaking your noble seat amidst life’s Eight Worldly Winds and play of oppositesFeeling a stable and centered presence wherever you areResting in a quiet, open, mindful loving awarenessFeeling a true sense of loving kindness right hereBecoming consciousness itself, vast, timeless, spaciousWitnessing the arising and passing of all, and holding it all in love“With loving kindness, notice the energy of the mind—the stream of thoughts and plans, ideas, worries, imaginings, analysis, understandings, stories, images—a river of thoughts, feelings, images, and words. You can hold it all in loving kindness and say, ‘Thank you for all that work, I’m okay just now, you can relax.'” – Jack KornfieldThis episode was originally recorded for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation Livestream on 11/11/24. Learn more about Spirit Rock’s offerings at SpiritRock.org. Join Jack’s next livestream at JackKornfield.com/eventsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reflecting on the election, Jack explores how we can most mindfully and lovingly dance with impermanence, suffering, and ‘the great turning’ of the world.This episode was originally recorded for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation Livestream on 11/11/24. Learn more about Spirit Rock’s offerings here. Join Jack’s next livestream event here.“It’s not about an election one way or the other, they come and go. There’s such huge other forces happening right now—climate change, artificial intelligence, nuclear fusion energy—huge possibilities and huge problems. As T.S. Elliot says, ‘In my end is my beginning.’ Everything that turns offers a new openness and beginning for something else.” – Jack KornfieldIn this fresh episode, Jack mindfully explores:Navigating the election and politics in a changing worldReturning to the basics of Buddhism and living a wise spiritual lifeQuieting the mind, tending the heart, listening to the cries, and seeing with the eyes of wisdomWhat Ajahn Chah’s wisdom for the election results would beOpening to change, honoring impermanence, facing sufferingAnnica – the wisdom of uncertaintyNavigating the “Great Turning” of the worldShifting from exploitive and consumer consciousness to one of interdependence and mutual careFacing our suffering, warfare, racism, aging, death, loss, and changeThe Zen view of the “dew drop” worldHow annica, dukka, anatta connect with nirvana and unshakeable freedomTo end the illusion of separationPolitics as a form of ritualized warfareStanding up like Arjuna in the Bhagavad GitaHuman history as also containing compassion, courage, and sweetnessFinding refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and SanghaLiving from unconditional love and a freedom from fearThe transformative power of communityOur inexorable connection to all the great Saints, Gods, and to the Great Mystery“You get to choose your spirit. No matter what.” – Jack Kornfield"We know that we're not separate. You know it especially when you're on the mountaintop looking down after some amazing hike, or listening to a piece of music that transports you beyond the small sense of self. You know it when you make love, or take psychedelics, or have some profound meditation, or dance until you disappear. We all know it." – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Helping us reflect on our daily habits and feelings, Jack shares how Right Attitude, Wise Aspiration, and Mindful Thought allow us to uncover the sweet joy of living in The Way.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.“With Wise Attitude we begin to discover the power of kindness, the joy in not grasping, the delight in generosity, the ease in letting go, and the immediacy of freedom and liberation that is here in every moment.” – Jack KornfieldExploring the second step of the Eightfold Path, Jack mindfully shares on:Right Attitude, Wise Thought, the second step on the Eightfold PathSeeing directly the true power of mind and heartOvercoming habitual patterns of thought, action, and attitudeThe Buddha on nobility, integrity, and the heartOvercoming greed, hatred, and delusionKnowing the sweet joy of living in The WayWise Aspiration and the path of the BodhisattvaReflecting on our attitude around deathRumi, Stephen Levine, Martin Luther King Jr, Suzuki Roshi, and Alan WattsTaking what life gives us as “grist for the mill” of awakeningExamining spiritual teachings in our own life (what works, what doesn’t?)Trading ‘protection and defensiveness’ for ‘openness and curiosity’Accepting each moment as an unrepeatable miracleBeginner’s Mind and Don’t Know MindOpenness, respect, and compassion“It is knowing what is true that brings ourselves freedom. We don’t get free by making ourselves free.” – Jack Kornfield“It is only through mercy, through the kindness of compassion, that reconciliation happens, that what’s locked in suffering begins to grow and breathe new life.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded in 1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Intersecting the Buddha’s ‘Wise Understanding’ with Alan Watt’s ‘Wisdom of Insecurity,’ Jack illuminates the path of discovering lasting happiness.For an even deeper dive down the Eightfold Path, sign up for Walking the Eightfold Path with Jack Kornfield, an online course designed to guide you through the wisdom, compassion, and freedom of Buddha’s teachings. Learn more and sign up here.“Spiritual life is not about possessing or finding security, but rather it’s discovering what Alan Watts called, ‘the wisdom of insecurity,’ the capacity for freedom and compassion of heart, no matter what the circumstances. Right Understanding is a willingness to dedicate ourself to awakening, no matter how conditions change.” – Jack KornfieldExploring the first step of the Eightfold Path, Jack mindfully shares on:The Buddha, Enlightenment, the Eightfold Path, and Four Noble TruthsHow to live a wise, mindful, happy, and loving lifeThe Middle Path as the pathway to freedomWise Understanding, the first step on the Eightfold PathSuffering, it’s causes, and how to alleviate itWhere happiness actually comes fromWorking with clinging, grasping, aging, aversion, fearImpermanence, change, and the wisdom of insecuritySpiritual Direction and the journey of the soulThe seed of awakening your Buddha NatureUnderstanding the Law of KarmaFinding nirvana through our current circumstancesHaving compassion for what puts us to sleepTending your heart to tend the whole world“Buddha saw that the cause of happiness and the cause of suffering is not so much in life itself, but in the way that we relate to life.” – Jack Kornfield“Right understanding tells us that we can dedicate our life to something beautiful.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded in 1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Discover how to shift from trauma to loving awareness through mindfulness, conscious healing, and compassionate activism with Jack Kornfield and Thomas Hübl, PhD.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.“Who you are is so much more than your trauma, you are consciousness itself.” – Jack KornfieldIn Part 2 of this episode originally airing for The Collective Trauma Summit in 2021, Jack and Thomas mindfully explore:Developing the skills to heal our traumaJack’s time with meditation master, Maha GhosanandaThe powerful connection between activism and spiritualityAvoiding burnout, finding balanceTransforming from skeptical to mysticalNavigating the traumas in the Middle EastDigesting our traumasWaking up from auto-pilotExpanding your window of toleranceHow to face racism, war, economic disparity, the environment, etcMindfulness, consciousness, and loving awareness“The whole notion that spiritual practice doesn’t have anything to do with activism is a fiction.” – Jack Kornfield“Every breath you take is the breath of the starlings and the breath of the earthworms and the soil. We’re all inter-breathing it together. That’s how it works, that’s what life is.” – Jack KornfieldAbout Thomas Hübl, PhD:Thomas Hübl, PhD, is a renowned teacher, author, and international facilitator who works within the complexity of systems and cultural change, integrating the core insights of the great wisdom traditions and mysticism with the discoveries of science. Since the early 2000s, he has led large-scale events and courses on the healing of collective trauma.He is the author of Attuned: Practicing Interdependence to Heal Our Trauma—and Our World and Healing Collective Trauma: A Process for Integrating Our Intergenerational and Cultural Wounds. He has served as an advisor and guest faculty for universities and organizations, as a coach for CEOs and organizational leaders, and is currently a visiting scholar at the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. For more info, books, podcast, and upcoming offerings, please visit thomashuebl.comOpen the Heart of Forgiveness with Jack Kornfield: A Journey of Redemption, Reconciliation and Renewal. Learn more and sign up!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 itThe merging point of Eastern Spirituality and Western PsychologyThe way intimate relationships help bring up exactly what we need to work onHow our trauma work can lead to spiritual healingThe various dimensions of healing traumaDeep and moving stories of alchemizing traumaCreating a safe container for our healing and collective healingHow interdependence in a group naturally leads to healingThe importance of community (satsang, sangha)How Stan Grof’s holotropic breathwork is a psychedelic experienceGrounding and integrating our our practice into mindful loving awarenessAn ancient Buddhist parable on merging the physical world with the spiritualOpen the Heart of Forgiveness with Jack Kornfield: A Journey of Redemption, Reconciliation and Renewal beginning Oct 21. Learn more and sign up!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Creating a free and protected space, a sacred container for your practiceHow the very difficulties in our lives are what actually awakens usUsing our hardships as a crucible for uncovering our own goodnessRumi’s flavorful and delicious “vegetable fable”Learning how to stay centered on your cushionThe mirror-like quality of meditation practiceMeeting our practice with commitment, constancy, patienceHonoring the cycles of nature and the universeFeeling our feelings to heal our griefLearning the value of staying with things, even through difficultyChoosing the Dharma over the body of fear and mind of desireNurturing the sacred garden within yourselfThe 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 8/1/1991 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Natural wisdom of the rainforest ecosystemDiscovering the truth of our inexorable interconnectionSeeing clearly the reality of change and impermanenceInterconnectedness within the flowing stream of interbeingSpiritual maturity and recognizing the patterns and cycles of lifeThe many unique expressions of Dharma, spirituality, and truth in this worldWisdom from Buddha, Dipa Ma, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, HH the Dalai Lama, S.N. Goenka, and Tibetan cave-dwelling yogisBringing your compassion to the environment, politics, social action, homelessness, education, etcMeditation as a radical act: facing head-on the forces of greed, prejudice, hatred, and delusionFinding your unique dharma and way to help the worldLife and spirituality as a process of death and rebirth over and over againUncovering a deep ‘joy for no reason’How the “light and love” in meditation is actually literalUntangling the knots of our attachments to live in inner freedomA poem dedicated to the struggles in the Middle EastDiscovering 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 KornfieldThis 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!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Our idealistic/romantic notions of the spiritual pathConsciousness, impermanence, and working with human emotionsWisdom stories of Ajahn Chah, Jack’s accomplished Thai meditation teacherMaharishi Mahesh Yogi and the legend of building a Spiritual Amusement ParkProgress and patience along the spiritual pathEnlightenment as intimacy with all thingsA guided meditation practice reflecting on life, death, and good deedsTransforming the the world with one small act of kindness at a timeHonoring our own beauty and goodnessHow compassion is characterized by true intimacyRecognizing and coming to our spiritual maturityLiving 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 KornfieldThis 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/newsletterSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Radical wisdom from the 7 Verses of Atīśa – one of the greatest Buddhist sagesA moving story about the deep transformative power encased within committing an act of truthThe nature of timeless awareness and the witnessExchanging “spiritual trading cards” with Ram DassHumor, listening, stillness, and spiritual perspectiveNot being swayed by outer circumstanceLearning what really matters in this lifeLiving with an honest and compassionate heartEmptiness and considering all phenomenon to be dreamsNot brooding over the faults of othersNoticing our inner waterfall of thoughts, feelings, sensationsBecoming medicine for others and the worldLooking through the eyes of mercyBeing grateful to everyone and everythingAlways relying on joyful and peaceful mind and heartDon’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 KornfieldThis 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/eventsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation on:Peace as the highest happinessFinding ease, stability, stillness, and presenceReceiving whatever arises with kindness and compassionInviting thoughts and emotions to quietResting in mindful loving awarenessUncovering a peaceful mind and full heart“Feel how the earth you are sitting on supports you completely in its steadiness.” – Jack KornfieldJoin 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 ETSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The art of listening to the song of life, birth and deathWhy it can be so tough to actually “Be Here Now” like Ram DassHow love connects to the present momentAlan Watts, music, dance, and harmonizing to the universeFeeling the rhythms of your breath and bodyLearning to dance to life’s dynamic musicStaying open and avoiding spiritual bypassLooking at our body and life clearly and directlyThe power of attention, noting, and spaciousness for diffusing our judgements and emotionsBuddha’s discovery of the Middle Way, and why he stopped fighting himselfDealing with the unfinished business of grief, loss, loneliness, woundsHow to handle worries or fantasies that keep looping over and overChögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the tenderness and fearlessness of an Awakened HeartWhy Buddha focused on humans as ‘five processes,’ rather than personalitiesLetting go of our rigid sense of self and diving into the fluidity of lifeNon-grasping and how even enlightenment is a problemDiscovering the true path to liberationDeath, 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 KornfieldDiscover 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.comThis 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 ETSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Working with the ‘unfinished business of the heart’ – grief, sorrows, longing, wounds, lossHonoring life’s ‘ocean of tears’ with love and kind attentionCultivating the courage to allow your heart to be brokenChögyam Trungpa Rinpoche and the tender heart of a warriorSelf-acceptance, allowing yourself to feel, and reawakening a trust in yourselfHealing the mind by seeing clearly and not taking it so seriouslyResting the in heart and letting the mind come and goDiscovering Your Buddha Nature, your fundamental ground of beingThe technique of seeing the world as enlightened, and the path as yoursThe healing encased within understanding emptiness, selflessness, and letting goMeditation 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 KornfieldJoin 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 ETThis episode recorded in 1991 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:Finding strength, wakefulness, and compassion amidst it allThe Coconut Monk and the Jesus-Buddha connectionFinding compassion and joy despite suffering and warHealing—what it is, how it arises, and how we can connect with itListening and respect as the ground for healingFinding and living a path with heartMindfulness, breath, attention, noting, and the BuddhaMeditation and having an ‘in-body experience’Kundalini and opening the energy bodyLearning to handle both pleasure and painBuddha and finding the Middle WayThe healing of reconnecting with our senses and world around usWhat addictions really mean in an addicted societyFacing our suffering as the gateway to the precious mystery of lifeReading 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 KornfieldDiscover 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:What happened to the Buddha when he sat under the Bodhi TreeWhat Buddha’s enlightenment means for the worldBodh Gaya and the possibility of awakening through natureBuddha’s path as a yogi, and how he dealt with his spiritual powersBuddha's miracle of awakening and educationReflections and questions from the Buddha for how you are livingKeeping freshness and “beginner’s mind” in your practiceParenting, schooling, and the different styles of educationFinding freedom in the difficulties and direct circumstances of your lifeThe real possibility of awakening in the midst of lifeThe Ten Paramitas, Buddhism’s Ten PerfectionsWhat walking meditation is actually aboutWhy Thich Nhat Hanh does everything slowly and mindfullyPatience, listening, and presenceSpiritual life as the education of awakeningListening 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 KornfieldThis episode recorded on 10/01/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this fresh episode, Jack mindfully explores:Navigating life skillfully through difficult timesHow we can change ourselves and the world through true listeningThe two dimensions of mindfulness: Sati (mindful presence) and Sampajanna (mindful response)How deep listening leads to compassionate responseUsing our difficulties as doorways of opportunity to help us awakenReflecting on how we respond to the troubles of the worldThe art of listening and how it brings us into the present momentHow taking a “sacred pause” leads to more possibilitiesThe childlike playfulness and joy between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond TutuJack 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 heartActivism, service, and helping with an open heartListening deeply to sense the universal truths of realityThe powerful prayer of Black Elk, the mystical Lakota medicine manListening 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 KornfieldThis 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this special television episode, Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Jack about:How western psychology and science fits together with eastern spirituality and meditationWhether Jack preferred getting his Ph.D. or his time at the Buddhist monasteryThe three aspects of Buddhist practice: generosity, ethics/virtue, training of heart/mindHow what we practice, positive or negative, grows in our lifeSpiritual bypass and mediation as an escapeVipassana meditation and seeing clearlyOvercoming the “near enemies” in BuddhismEquanimity, balance, centering, and fearlessnessMeditation in action and engaging mindfully with the worldFacing our fears and confronting ourselves in meditation practiceSelf-acceptance and learning to care for oneselfNot being so afraid of what’s painfulUncovering the basic mechanics of meditationReleasing tensions, unskillful concepts, and our limited sense of selfPsychic abilities and intuitionAwareness and moving past our thoughtsUsing 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 KornfieldAbout 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.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Mindfulness as the gateway to liberationThe Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the Middle WaySacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivityThe prayer of Mad Bear, a magical Iroquois medicine manOvercoming worry in the present momentRumi’s transformational poem, The Guest HouseAwareness of breath, body, mind states, feelings, dharma, and the laws of natureUsing mindfulness as a vehicle to discover who we really areEternity, time, timelessness, change, and becoming deathlessWhat it was like when Thich Nhat Hanh visited Spirit RockEntering the “river of life,” humanity’s collective pains, joys, etcDealing with attachment, aversion, grief, and sufferingWorking spiritually with our dreamsStepping out of the bureaucracy of ego, thought, and mindThe 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Directing the energy of your life to be awake, aware, and presentSeeing the Eightfold Path as a lotus or mandalaCarlos Castaneda, impeccability, and becoming a spiritual warriorHow to wake yourself up from sleepwalking through your lifeHaving a full heart, deep attention, and clear seeingThe two levels of spiritual friends and spiritual practiceUsing suffering to develop a wise heartRemembering death and impermanenceWhat Jack taught his daughter about deathBowing to our difficult emotions and moving onDisentangling ourselves from greed, fear, and obsessionNourishing equanimity, ease, joy, beauty, and loving kindnessTending each moment as if you were planting a seedBalance and the Buddha stringing the luteRamana Maharshi and the wisdom of letting goMaking 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Navigating the cycles of spiritual lifeSpiritual practice as a voyage, a journeyOpenness and the necessity of letting goWhat we can learn from the change of seasonsCultivating the courage to live a spiritual lifeRumi’s poem of the wisdom of the bird in the trapThe peace of rejecting nothing whatsoeverHow Jack had to work his way down the chakras instead of upEmbodying and experiencing your feelingsStillness, simplicity, intimacy and reconnecting with the earthA perspective-shifting Buddhist meditation on death and good deedsOvercoming self-judgement and unworthinessNon-attachment and commitment in relationshipsA tantric master’s wisdom on overcoming burnoutThe 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 KornfieldFor 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/newsletterThis Dharma Talk recorded on 7/14/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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.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.“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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Buddhism, virtue, and the Five PreceptsAhimsa – the blessing of non-harmingThe chilling note Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote when he escaped TibetTaking a fearless moral inventoryHonesty and the simplicity of goodnessWhat Buddha learned in his past livesDr. Martin Luther King Jr. and standing up for truthAdi-Sila – spontaneous or innate virtue, the shining of the just heartThe Tibetan Buddhist perspective on reincarnationJack’s meeting with “hugging saint,” Amma-ji, archetype of the Divine MotherFinding your Buddha Nature, Tao, and DharmaRumi’s brilliant poem about ducksInterdependence and connectednessDeep philosophical questions and contemplations from JackNapoleon, 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on 6/1/1990 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 timesWhy someone would take vows and become a monk or nuKabir's poetry, being human, and walking the spiritual pathSexuality and celibacy in spiritual communitiesRelating to both ultimate and relative realityDealing with the body in physically taxing situationsWorking with injustice, inequality, and hierarchy within monasteries and spiritual institutionsThe nature of change and how our present creates our futureOpen-heartedness and open-mindednessLiving the Dharma every second of our existenceLetting our issues be our teachersA 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 SumedhoAbout 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.orgAbout 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack and trauma expert, Peter A Levine, PhD, map the path to healing through imagination, curiosity, somatic experiencing, and loving awareness.Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Join Jack's newsletter for weekly free content from JackKornfield.com – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more! Sign up at JackKornfield.com/newsletter“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 KornfieldIn this fresh conversation, Jack and Dr. Levine dive into:Mapping trauma and the path to healing sufferingA relaxing Jack “Just Here: Guided Meditation” on loving awarenessHow An Autobiography of Trauma led to Peter’s powerful healing journeyWorking with the astrological and Jungian archetype of Chiron, the Wounded HealerSomatic Experiencing and the roots of healing trauma in the bodyThe transformative aspects of meeting trauma with loving kindness and persistenceCuriosity as a necessary factor of enlightenmentHow the gift of Jack’s childhood trauma led him to discover BuddhismImagination and Peter’s mystical meet-ups with Albert EinsteinMiracles, intuition, and psychic premonition/knowingWhat Jack shared with his scientific-materialist atheist father on his deathbedOur 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 KornfieldAbout 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.comThis 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.zaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this fresh video episode, Jack blissfully illuminates:The wisdom of the Music of the SpheresEnergies of the 2024 Solar EclipseAlan Watts on why 'life is like music'The enlightening present momentHarmonizing life's opposites like the TaoDancing with life's changing rhythmsTo be married to amazement and mysteryThe beautiful revelation of sudden awakeningBeing at the still point of the turning worldSudden realization, gradual practice, and ZenReleasing from the body of fearBuddha's gardening wisdomThe 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 KornfieldThis 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/eventsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Disentangling your illusionsOpening to the paradox of self and no-selfThe yogic practice of asking, “Who am I?”This mystical present momentHow the entire universe is inside your mindExperiencing selflessnessWhy you can’t just ‘no-self’ it awayMoving past your inner-critic, shame, and unworthinessListening to, accepting, and loving the shadowThe strength of being grounded on EarthWorking with meaninglessnessLetting go of old identitiesLove 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk estimated to be recorded on 4/23/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:Unraveling the paradox of self and no-selfThe Jewel of the Buddha's AwakeningAnattā (selflessness) and how it connects with respectTales of a Magic MonasteryLiving in the reality of expansion and contractionWhy Ajahn Chah shared 'self' and 'no self' both aren't trueThe word "happy/sad" in JapaneseOpening to our life as a flowing, moving processBecoming aware of selflessnessInterdependence, interconnection, codependent arisingLearning to respect ourself and nourish beneficial qualitiesDeveloping yourself while also "losing yourself"Discovering your True SelfThe importance of integrating our spiritual practice into our livesLearning 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 KornfieldThis 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/InteractiveCohortSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:How to let go of our greed and live in true abundanceThe Buddhist notion of "dana" – generosity, service, open-hearted caringGreed as a strategy of impoverishment, rejection, and incompletenessTransforming our 'endless wanting' into a beneficial awakened dance with the worldExpressing the Tao, the harmony of the universe, through our beingThe Dharmic alchemy of the Bodhisattva Meditation, listening, and finding out what we truly want in this lifeWhere Suzuki Roshi meets Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.How abundance of the spirit connects with simplicity rather than thingsA personal story of Jack taking his unique Bodhisattva Vows in the Rocky Mountains while teaching at Chögyam Trungpa's Naropa UniversityTaking your strong, grounded, noble seat that can handle it allHow being there for others is abundance in their lifeThe generosity and delight of authentically giving – things, space, silence, listening, attention, commitment, honesty, smiles, blessingsRam 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk estimated to be recorded on 3/1/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Overcoming aversion by "bringing it into your heart" rather than your rational mindTouching into emotions, fears, and judgements with compassion instead of aversionUsing techniques like "noting/naming" for moving past intense feelingsLoving your negatives states as you would love your own childSeeing clearly the karma, value, and consequence of your personal patternsWho would you be if you dropped your opinions, views, identity?Growing your heart to the size of the skyPracticing the 'art of letting go'Learning to live in the reality 'the Now'Why Buddha had a better time than mostPainting as a doorway to spiritual experienceTransmuting difficulties by dropping our resistance to themHow 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 KornfieldLearn 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.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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. PirsigIn this episode, Jack skillfully illuminates:Skillful ways to free yourself from stuck views and opinionsRam Dass's teaching advice to JackBalancing life's sufferings with life's joysZen wisdom on how to drop your viewsAccepting what you see and rejecting what you thinkOvercoming suffering by living with a pure heartBuddha's 'Fire Sermon' teachingsThe way attachment connects to fear, and how to get to the rootHow views and opinions keep you separate, ego-focused, and defensiveWorking with racism and fear by imbibing wakefulness and mindfulnessOvercoming opinions and and views by the method of noting/namingThis 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!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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/InteractiveCohortThis 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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Learning to be at peace with yourself and the worldHow to meditate when it feels like you can’t meditateThe way emptiness connects with compassionReconciling where peace meets strugglePeace as an internal state you can bring with youBeing Here Now, opening to life fully, and becoming intimate with all thingsHow we can find joy, liberation, and freedom in any situationDharma stories of the Buddha as well as the Bodhisattva VimalakīrtiComing to terms with the First Noble Truth of suffering, disappointment, and changeThe transformative power of meeting life exactly as it isWhat we can learn from both a “Duck Meditation,” “Goose Poem,” and a Tibetan PrayerLove 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk originally recorded on 12/01/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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-RastIn this sacred dialogue, Jack, Brother David, and Frank Ostaseski reflect on:How Christianity and Buddhism fit together spirituallyThe compassionate smile of Buddha meeting the sacred heart of Jesus ChristThe positive side of grief: opening to the collective heartDeath and grace in both traditionsDeconditioning from a difficult motherHarnessing the power of your common senseA funny story about the Pope, and how to awaken to who we already areJack’s journey to the Temple of the Coconut MonkHow to handle pain like a Burmese MasterHow to forgive yourself and overcome remorseDiffusing suicidal tendencies by cultivating self-compassionGuided 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 KornfieldThis conversation recorded on 6/30/1988 was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this fresh conversation, Jack and Louie spelunk the depths of:The connection between psychedelics and spiritualityPsychedelics as a gateway to wonder, curiosity, and the sacredHow tripping on psychedelics informed Louie’s filmmakingAlbert Einstein and psychedelics as the intersection between art and scienceThe universe and life as a constant transformation of light energyBuddha’s “Flower Sermon” and Zen Master Suzuki Roshi’s “Beginner’s Mind”Jack “exchanging maps” with famous LSD researcher, Stanislav GrofStudies showing the combination of psilocybin mushrooms and Louie’s time-lapse nature imagery as a powerful therapeutic tool for helping addiction and PTSDThe importance of “set and setting,” community, and integrationHow psychedelics actually fit into the Buddhist preceptsHonoring biology and the feminine aspects of natureThe gifts of sacred attention and loving awarenessFinding beauty wherever you are, and how Louie’s films heal by sharing patterns of nature for the soul to connect withThis 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 KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this fresh episode, Jack leads a guided meditation for:Inviting in a sense of ease and calmRelaxing into mindful loving awarenessFinding a steady, grounded, rooted postureKeeping a natural, soft, and flowing breathQuieting the mind and watching experience unfoldNoticing the arising and passing away of all phenomenaAllowing 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 HeartSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldFresh 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 KornfieldThis 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/eventsLearn 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 HeartSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 yourselfHow to live in loving kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity/peaceRam Dass, the Chicken and Rice Man, and selfless serviceHow the circle of compassion is not complete until it includes self-compassionViktor Frankl and the boundless freedom of the human spiritDavid Roche and The Church of 80% SincerityMoving beyond looks and into the reality of unconditional loveTurning off the news and doing something enjoyableHow to stop being so loyal to your sufferingThis 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 KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The Divine Abodes (Brahmaviharas) as qualities of the Awakened HeartNavigating the world from the goodness of our heartsLoving kindness, compassion, joy, equanimity/peaceWhat is possible for us as human beingsDiscovering who we really are and what really mattersStories of Jack's Buddhist teacher, Maha GhosanandaThe spirituality of neuroscience's "Mirror Neurons."Sharon Salzberg, Metta practice, and the power of attentionRam dass, and the heart as the doorway to loveLearn 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 12/10/2007 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 11/01/1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 expectationWant 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 10/10/1988 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 KornfieldThe Dharma Talk from 4/1/1988 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack sheds mindful light on:The subtle but crucial difference between compassion and codependenceTrying to fix it or save someone instead of allowing them to taste the fruits of their karmasFeeling locked into supporting someone's destructive behaviorThe lack of feeling secure leading to needing to over-controlNeeding to fix someone else's problems because we can't live with it in ourselfHow we are all accomplices to a codependent societyMother Teresa and seeking to love the world instead of trying to fix itThe necessity of balancing compassion practice with equanimity practiceThe spiritual importance of disharmony and the value of sufferingBoundaries and the ability to say "no"Ownership, possessiveness, and the trouble with believing our rolesThe Bhagavad Gita and acting from our hearts without attachment to the fruit of the actionLiving our our unique truth amidst the mysteryWant 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 9/1/1989 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 7/11/1990 at was originally published on DharmaSeed.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:How to let life breathe while setting your heart on goldThe importance of balancing our concentration, effort, and equanimityHow the quality of presence can help the gold of the heart and mind shineRiding the body’s rhythm of breath as our main focus of attention and restTo feel of how life is pulsing, moving, and flowing through our experienceWorking with our loneliness, suffering, grief, fear, and longingsAwakening into the present moment to see past the body of fearHow recognizing spaciousness and impermanence helps us overcome our difficultiesThe 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 KornfieldThis 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!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation to help us:Enter into presence, relaxation, kindness, and loving awarenessWrap the world and our experiences in the heart of loving kindnessLearn what it feels like to truly wish well for others and yourselfUse the power of our imagination to visualize and experience transformative blessingsGradually and incrementally extend our metta to encapsulate all sentient beingsOffer our hearts and direct our loving kindness to those suffering throughout the worldTake the "advanced class" by extending our metta to those causing sufferingListen to our intuition and allow our heart to direct itselfLive 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 KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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 KornfieldIn 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 KornfieldThis 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!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.