Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Honoring the release of All In This Together, Jack reflects on how stories awaken compassion, heal division, and call us back to meeting one another with respect.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our WorldToday’s podcast 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 have the opportunity to reach out and mend the fabric of life... Action that actually undoes anxiety is making even the tiniest difference to others.” –Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Jack’s recent trip with Trudy to India to see His Holiness the Dalai LamaWhat the Dalai Lama said about A.I. and compassionHaving a wise relationship with A.I. and technologyVaranasi and facing the reality of death at the burning ghatsStories as a medicine for the soulThe transformative story of Ram Dass, Maharajji, and the glance of mercyBeing fully worthy of loveLearning how to connect with genuineness, kindness, and respectArchetypal and universal teachingsBuddha’s last mealIntention as the root of karmaOvercoming conflict with respect and good intention“Even making the tiniest difference to others begins to change the direction of your life and the circumstance of the world around you.” –Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk originally took place in Nov 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk andGuided Meditation celebrating Jack’s All In This Together book release. Stay up to date with Jack's upcoming livestreams and events here.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield. “Stories are medicine.” –Jack KornfieldStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In honor of All In This Together, Jack, Anne Lamott, and Tami Simon continue their heart-opening conversation on story, tenderness, and remembering who you areJack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our WorldToday’s podcast 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.In this episode, Jack, Anne, and Tami mindfully explore:Anne Lamott’s 12-Step cruise ship seminar wisdomHow to tell or write a heart-opening storyGetting to the emotional center of it allRemembering who you really areIlluminating our common humanityLaughter as carbonated holiness and sacred groundWhat’s between the telling and the listeningHow to trade our exhaustion for peace and restMicro-dosing love and understandingThe healing power of true romantic, soul-mate loveBeing loved just as you areStories on hopeOperating from the heart caveJack’s recent visit with His Holiness the Dalai LamaStories of conflict resolutionThis conversation originally took place in Nov 2025 for Sounds True’s celebration of Jack’s All In This Together book release. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.About Anne Lamott:Anne Lamott is the New York Times best-selling author of many books, including collections of essays, novels, and long-form non-fiction, including the classic writing manual Bird by Bird and child-rearing memoir Operating Instructions. In addition to being a novelist and nonfiction writer, Lamott is also a progressive political activist, public speaker, and writing teacher. Keep up with Anne on Instagram.“Laughter is carbonated holiness, and when we’re laughing together we’re on sacred ground.” –Anne LamottAbout Tami Simon:Tami Simon is the founder of Sounds True, a multimedia company that has produced over 3,000 titles and been nominated twice for the Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing companies. Tami also hosts the popular Sounds True podcast, Insights at the Edge, with more than 15 million downloads. Tami has been instrumental in the creation of the Inner MBA Program: a nine-month interactive program featuring esteemed CEOs and conscious business and mindfulness leaders created by Sounds True, LinkedIn and Wisdom 2.0.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.“I want to tell stories that soften your heart, make you weep or laugh, help you remember who you are, and illuminate our common humanity.” –Jack KornfieldStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack opens with reflections on the cosmic dance of life before guiding listeners into a meditation on stillness, breath, and embodied presence. Drawing on ancient imagery and gentle instruction, he invites us to take our seat in the still point of the turning world.Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our WorldIn this episode, Jack explores:The meaning of solstice as a sacred pauseTaking your seat in stillnessThe breath as a living, shared processBecoming the loving witnessFinding harmony with the rhythms of lifeThis Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.“You are being breathed. The earth is breathing you, and the ocean of air is dancing with your body.”–Jack KornfieldAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As winter deepens, Jack reflects on the quiet light that does not go out—the warmth of compassion, generosity, and courage that sustains us through dark seasons. Through stories of everyday kindness and ancient wisdom, he invites us to tend the inner fire that heals and connects us.Today’s podcast 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.“That's what you carry. That's who you really are. That's what was born in you, is the great heart of compassion and tenderness.” –Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack explores:Compassion as a response to fearEveryday acts of generosityTending the inner fire during dark seasonsBeginner’s mind and seeing with wonderAdding your light to a troubled and beautiful world“The heart can’t do anything but tenderness and mercy when we really listen.” –Jack KornfieldJack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our WorldThis Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.“Perhaps there is only one person’s voice missing for peace to come into the world.” –Jack Kornfield, retelling a traditional teachingStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we fully enter the winter season, Jack reflects on the ancient meaning of solstice—the standing still—and what becomes possible when we allow ourselves to pause. In a world shaped by speed, grief, and uncertainty, he invites us into stillness as a sacred act.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World“To be able to come together and not do anything is an extraordinary thing in our culture and our time.” –Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack explores:The sacred meaning of the winter solsticeStillness as a spiritual practiceImpermanence and the uncertainty of human lifeHolding grief and beauty at the same timeBirth, death, and remembering what truly matters“Imagine this is your last day. Who would you call? What would you say? And why are you waiting?” –Jack Kornfield, reflecting on a teaching from Stephen LevineThis Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a moment when the world feels uncertain, Jack sits down with Anne Lamott and Tami Simon for an intimate, deeply human conversation about stories of the heart—how they soften us, unite us, and remind us of our own beauty.Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World“What makes me happy in working with people is to be able to remind them of how beautiful they are.” –Jack Kornfield.In this episode, Jack, Anne, and Tami mindfully explore:Writing tips, wild stories, and inspiration between Jack, Anne, and TamiThe power of taking ‘writers walks’Protest, aging, Jesus, Buddha, and vulnerable storiesAnne Lamott’s fan-girl letter to Jack from years agoReminding you of your own beautyJack’s story of having to bow his ego at the monasteryHow to hold a generous vision in dark timesUncovering the story of the heartRam Dass and learning to love everyoneDoing the work and prayer to become one of ‘all in this together’Living from the heart caveThis conversation originally took place in Nov 2025 for SoundsTrue’s celebration of Jack’s All In This Together book release. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. “The time is so ripe for us to look out with a new pair of glasses from the heart instead of from our fear, to go into what Ram Dass called the heart cave.” –Anne LamottAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“Right now we need stories that ask, even though we are going through divisiveness, climate change and A.I.—what’s the story of the heart, what’s the story of human beings going through times of tremendous change and then remembering what really matters?” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrating the release of his new book of his favorite stories, All In This Together, Jack shares wise tales on living with integrity, presence, stillness, and generosity.Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World“Whether you make art, write, tend a garden, or parent children—if you can share your dignity, generosity, understanding, integrity, vision, and make that come alive within you and others, your life becomes a blessed source of happiness.” –Jack Kornfield.In this episode Jack mindfully explores:Meaning and connectionThich Nhat Hanh’s favorite Tolstoy storyAnswering the Empress’s three life-changing questions: What is the best time to do things? Who are the best people to work with? What is the most important thing to be doing at all times?Living in the present moment and serving those around youCultivating happiness through giving our life meaningBeing a Bodhisattva and holding all life in compassionThe story of Abbott AnastasiusIntegrity and generosityWhat we teach others through our stillnessBeing a clear mirror for othersQuieting the mind, tending the heart, and remembering what mattersOpening to the vastness of life beyond the small selfYour birthright as loving awareness itself“We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather around us that they may see their own images and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps fiercer life because of our quiet.” –William Butler YeatsThis Dharma Talk originally took place in April 2019 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.“Happiness comes when we have meaning in our life.” –Jack KornfieldStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrating the release of his new book of his favorite stories, All In This Together, Jack shares why ‘sometimes we need a story more than food.’ Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World“Light the candle, make a sacred space, and talk about what it means to hold this life in compassion. And then invite people to tell the stories that they need for the healing of their own heart. That’s why ‘sometimes you need a story more than food’ (Barry Lopez)—sometimes to hear it, sometimes to tell it.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The art of awakening through stories Barry Lopez and why ‘sometimes you need a story more than food’Stories that release the weight from our souls and unburden our heartsLighting candles, making sacred space, and sharing stories togetherOvercoming the world’s conflict through the lens of storiesThe story of Terry Dobson and the compassion of Aikido The spiritual art of listening to stories—feeling the resonance and feeling into who you would beWhat can we learn from stories?Stories like storehouses—the true intelligence of a good storyRam Dass, the Dalai Lama, and inhabiting the difficulties of life with humor, honesty, and loveHow to hold conflict and that which causes suffering with compassionDelivering your special cargo, your beautiful gifts to this world “A really good story is something to mine, something to inhabit.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk originally took place in April 2019 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“One of the things that’s important when you listen to a story, is to feel where you are in that story. If you were in the story right now, where is the resonance, who would you be? Stories are like storehouses, they have intelligence in them that touches not just one channel, but our heart, memory, emotions, and our way of seeing and thinking.” – Jack Kornfield 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 Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi explore how facing suffering with love can awaken the courage to heal our world.Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book hits shelves on 11/11: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World – Preorder your copy today!“Love is this unbelievable, inexplicable force. When there’s love it’s almost that anything is possible. It’s love that binds all things.” –Prof. Rajiv S. JoshiIn this episode, Jack and Rajiv mindfully explore:Living Fully in a Time of Change: Joanna Macy’s funeral as a teaching on joy, love, and the beauty of a life well-lived.Facing Suffering with Courage: The two kinds of suffering—what we run from and what we open to with compassion.Meditation as Refuge: Expanding the heart’s window of tolerance to hold fear, grief, and love all at once.The Sweet Way of the Dharma: Remembering peace, joy, and humor even in the midst of difficulty.Smiling as Practice: Softening the heart through simple, embodied gestures of kindness.The Great Regeneration: Redefining the pandemic as a moment to reimagine our world with wisdom and care.The Interbeing of All Things: Thich Nhat Hanh’s Heart Sutra and the recognition that we already hold the solutions we seek.Love in Action: Ram Dass’s reminder to feed people, love people, and organize from the heart.Sacred Reciprocity: Healing inequality and climate change through generosity, reverence, and balance.The Middle Way in a Polarized World: Meeting conflict with understanding, presence, and possibility.Inner Climate Change: Transforming the heart to transform the earth—awakening compassion as the root of renewal.“The world is as it is—it has suffering and beauty in unbelievable measure. So the real question is: how are you going to tend your heart?” –Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk originally took place on 9/8/25 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation.About Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi: Professor Joshi is the Founder of Bridging Ventures and former Associate Dean for Climate Action at Columbia University. He helped launch Columbia’s Climate School with President Obama, and has led groundbreaking work in global collaboration, climate technology, and regenerative entrepreneurship.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“There are two kinds of suffering. The first is the kind you run away, and that follows you everywhere. The second is the kind you’re willing to turn, face, and go through, and that becomes our gateway to liberation.” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Kornfield and Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi explore ‘inner climate change,’ guiding us through meditation and reflection on transforming the world by becoming the Tree of Enlightenment.Today’s podcast 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.Jack’s new book hits shelves on 11/11: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World – Preorder your copy today!“As much as we want to transform the world, if we don’t change ourselves, we might not inspire those around us and perhaps change the system.” –Prof. Rajiv S. JoshiIn this episode, Jack and Rajiv mindfully explore:Guided meditation: A journey into becoming the Tree of Enlightenment—rooted, steady, and open to the sky. Jack and Prof. Rajiv invite us to feel the deep stillness and sacred presence of the trees, reminding us that awakening is a natural unfolding within the web of life.Buddha and trees: The Buddha’s life was interwoven with trees—born beneath one, meditating and awakening beneath another, and passing away surrounded by their quiet grace. Trees mirror the path of the awakened heart: grounded in the Earth, reaching toward the light.Trees as ancestors: They are our elders, silent teachers who breathe life into the world. Through their patience and generosity, they remind us of what it means to listen, to endure, and to belong.Collective healing: Our awakening is not only personal—it is collective. Through love across generations, we can heal the planet and one another, planting seeds of compassion that will grow long after us.Radical compassion: To live with an open heart requires both tenderness and courage. We learn to trust, to build bridges, to speak truth, and to act for justice with mindfulness and care.System change: True transformation begins within and extends outward. Each of us has a role to play in creating a world rooted in awareness, kindness, and right action.Spiritual community: Sangha becomes the living ground for our practice—a space to learn, to stumble, to grow, and to embody a new way of being together.Rajiv’s story: After his accident, Rajiv discovered that spirituality is not apart from life—it is life. Every breath, every act, every moment becomes practice when the heart is awake.This Dharma Talk originally took place on 9/8/25 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. About Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi: Professor Joshi is the Founder of Bridging Ventures and former Associate Dean for Climate Action at Columbia University. He helped launch Columbia’s Climate School with President Obama, and has led groundbreaking work in global collaboration, climate technology, and regenerative entrepreneurship.“With trust, we learn to build bridges, not walls. That skill—the capability to build bridges in the most difficult of contexts—requires the depth of compassion.” –Prof. Rajiv S. JoshiAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“The Buddha was born under a tree, grew up under the trees, practiced under trees, got enlightened under the Bodhi Tree, taught under the trees, and died beneath two sal trees that immediately came into bloom when he died. He and the trees were one.” –Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Kornfield and Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi share uplifting spiritual wisdom on how inner climate change shapes outer climate healing, the environment, and the future of humanity.Jack’s new book hits shelves on 11/11: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World – Preorder your copy today!Today’s podcast 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.“It’s very clear that no amount of technology—no amount of internet, AI, computers, nanotechnology, space exploration, or biotechnology—will put an end to warfare, racism, or climate disruption. None of these advancements will resolve the conflicts we face in the world, because their roots lie in the human heart. Without an inner transformation, no outer transformation can truly take place.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack and Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi mindfully explore:Inner Climate Change: How transforming the heart and mind shapes the outer world.Original Innocence: Returning to the heart’s wisdom that already knows what matters most.Ritual and Higher Forces: Turning to sacred connection for strength in healing the earth.Inner and Outer Healing: Burnout reveals the truth that inner practice is as vital as outer change.Steps for Transformation: Empowering women and educating children as the greatest levers of change.Beyond Despair: Despair as a failure of imagination—regeneration and renewal are possible.Wisdom of Love: Gary Snyder’s reminder to act not from fear or guilt, but from love for the world.This Dharma Talk originally took place on 9/8/25 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. “We should not forget that in each moment the hope that can manifest the future is always present.” – Prof. Rajiv S. JoshiAbout Prof. Rajiv S. Joshi: Professor Joshi is the Founder of Bridging Ventures and former Associate Dean for Climate Action at Columbia University. He helped launch Columbia’s Climate School with President Obama, and has led groundbreaking work in global collaboration, climate technology, and regenerative entrepreneurship.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.“The invitation of inner climate change is realizing our hearts already know what truly matters. From this lens, inner climate change is inseparable from outer climate healing.” – Jack KornfieldStay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Kornfield leads a guided sound journey into spacious awareness—exploring meditation, mantra, and the freedom beyond duality.Dive into Jack’s recently unearthed lost tapes from a vintage Yucca Valley retreat in 1990! Take the The Sacred Journey Home: Timeless Teachings on Freedom and Love Just Where You Are with Jack Kornfield“When we touch spaciousness, we discover that in letting go there arises a natural compassion, the great heart of a Buddha. In this, we find that the true place of peace is one of trust—an open, spacious heart in the very midst of our life.” — Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The Spacious Heart: A guided sound journey into awareness, transcending duality, and opening to the vastness of mind and heart.Beyond Duality: Discovering consciousness as boundless as the sky, where there is no inside or outside, only open spaciousness.Weather of the Heart: Seeing moods, joys, and sorrows as passing like colors in water or changes in the weather.Enlightenment as Non-Perfection: The Third Zen Patriarch’s teaching that freedom is found in letting go of anxiety about imperfection.Meeting Life with Spaciousness: Guided practice for opening to difficult emotions and situations with equanimity and compassion.Mantra and Sound: Exploring Om Mani Padme Hum, the jewel and the lotus, and the seed mantra Ah as gateways to the heart.This Dharma Talk from 7/12/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.“Your mind is not limited to your head, but rather your awareness, consciousness, expands beyond your head to be open like the sky, space without boundaries.” – Jack KornfieldAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“To me, the most amazing line in all of Zen literature is this astonishing line from the Third Zen Patriarch: To be enlightened is to be without anxiety about non-perfection.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring spaciousness as the ground of awakening, Jack Kornfield shows how peace, impermanence, and love are all born from the open heart.Today’s podcast 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.“Meditation centers, temples, ashrams, and spiritual communities are in one fundamental way, places of peace, reminders of the peace and harmony possible for us in our lives.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The Spacious Heart: The peace and pleasure found in meditation centers, temples, and ashrams, and how spaciousness becomes a refuge in our lives.Shifting Identity: The flexibility of consciousness and how opening beyond the body and self allows us to release ill-will and rest in freedom.Impermanence and Real Love: Stories from India and the Dalai Lama on happiness, letting go into love, and the humor of the “Bang Bang Bang Theory.”Beyond Self-Improvement: Spiritual practice not as fixing or perfecting ourselves, but as resting in our true nature, like the Buddha under the bodhi tree.The Seed of Equilibrium: Spaciousness as the core of awakening—learning balance in the dance of life, loving others without needing to change them, and finding coolness in nirvana.“It’s possible to shift. Consciousness is really flexible and fabulous, it can create, expand, and touch anything. When our identity opens to something greater or more timeless, when we see the fleetingness and impermanence of this body that we cling to and realize this is not who we are, then something else becomes possible.” – Jack KornfieldDive into Jack’s recently unearthed lost tapes from a vintage Yucca Valley retreat in 1990! Take The Sacred Journey Home: Timeless Teachings on Freedom and Love Just Where You Are with Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 7/12/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack shares a whimsical story on light and dark, birth and death, forgiveness and mercy, passion and sincerity, impermanence and immorality, and finding your inner light.In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Light and Darkness: Stories and teachings on finding the inner light, becoming a lamp in the darkness, and awakening through difficulty.Life, Death, and Initiation: Nachiketa’s dialogue with Lord Yama, initiation and coming of age, and the mystery of immortality and the deathless.Sincerity and Blessing: Zen teachings on proving sincerity, the boons that come with it, and the light of forgiveness and mercy.The Fire of Life: Prana, chi, and kundalini as a passion for truth; the roar of the lion and living from what we most deeply value.The Open Heart: Not casting anyone out, transforming wounds into light, and resting in the question “Who am I?”If you enjoy Jack’s storytelling, dive into Transform Your Life Through Jack Kornfield’s Most Powerful Stories – a 10-hour storytelling wisdom journey!“When we touch our true nature and discover that we can rest in love in the middle of all things, we become a lamp, we become a light. It is not far away, it is nearer than near.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 6/21/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack Kornfield explores the nature of mind, offering playful practices and profound perspectives to uncover our true home of freedom, compassion, and ease.Today’s podcast 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.Join the Year of Awakening with Jack Kornfield for a monthly group livestream Q&A hang with Jack, along with weekly modules and prompts to keep your life focused on awakening!“If we don’t know the nature of mind and the ways of mind, our life is like a boat without a rudder, and we get pulled here there by all the thoughts, images, stories, feelings, and unfinished business that arise during the day” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The purpose of meditation and BuddhismLearning the true nature of mindAn assortment of micro guided meditation practicesExperiencing Buddha’s ‘sure heart’s release”Uncovering natural happiness and freedom of heartHow we create our world with our mindDiscovering what creates suffering and what creates happinessThe mirror-like quality of meditationStanislav Grof and LSDThe playfulness and creative capacity of mindThe Buddhist creation mythCounting/noting our thoughtsBecoming aware of awarenessAjahn Chah’s meditation instructions Finding the place of natural mind and restCultivating inner listening The gradual and sudden dimensions of illuminationUntangling the unfinished business of our lives Touching the world in kindness and compassionMeeting ourselves and this world in kindness and humblenessBearing witness to the sorrows of the world while resting in the heart of the BuddhaOpening to the great mysteryBecoming The One Who KnowsThe Timeless Buddha as the ground of all being, our true home“Buddha didn’t give an answer to the great mystery, he taught us how to rest in our heart in the midst of that mystery, to find our true home, that awakened state.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 5/3/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“There is something sudden in any moment, discovering that what we sought all along was here.” – 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 inspiring poetry-infused talk, Jack weaves Rumi’s wisdom on the camel, lion, and child of the spirit into a journey from devotion, to courage, to wonder—inviting us to awaken the Buddha’s Lion’s Roar within and remember the inner royalty of the heart.Join the Year of Awakening with Jack Kornfield for a monthly group livestream Q&A hang with Jack, along with weekly modules and prompts to keep your life focused on awakening!“Poetry and the sense of beauty that art awakens is to move from a small sense of our problems and difficulties to some greater perspective of the heart.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Rumi’s wisdom on The Camel, The Lion, and the Child of the SpiritHealing our wounds, grief, and sorrowsWaking ourselves up from our tranceTouching our rage, fears, and longings with kindness and respectPoetry of compassion, mystery, tenderness, and awakeningLetting yourself love what you loveTenderness and seeing with the eyes of the Divine Mother and the great heart of compassionLiving a life of wakefulnessRumi, bravery, and becoming a lionAwakening the Buddha’s Lion’s Roar withinUncovering your inner-royaltyBeginner’s mind and becoming a “child of the spirit”Finding wonder and amazement in lifeThe mystery of sleep, dreams, and consciousnessLetting go of pity and reclaiming wonder in the presentThe power of prayer and blessing“You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk for a hundred miles on your knees through the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” – Mary OliverThis Dharma Talk from 4/15/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeedAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“To see with the eyes of a Buddha, to receive the world with the great heart of compassion, means living in the mystery of this present moment again and again.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring poetry, beauty, and art, Jack helps his dear listeners appreciate the harmonious dichotomy of all life experiences.Today’s podcast 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.Join the Year of Awakening with Jack Kornfield for a monthly group livestream Q&A hang with Jack, along with weekly modules and prompts to keep your life focused on awakening!“Poetry and beauty are not a denial of the sorrows of the world, but a grace somehow that holds and understands them—the irony and the mixture of love and terror that make up life.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:How art, beauty, music and poetry uplift the world to the sacredRumi’s poem, Tending Two ShopsLetting go of fear, opening into freedomPoetry not as a denial of life’s struggles, but as a gracious way throughBeing at home with oneselfPoetry from Siddhartha Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh, Rumi, and moreTelling the truth, becoming nobody, and walking the pathMeditation and working with our ‘inner mob’ of voicesRelating to the ‘zoo’ of our lives with meditationThe three dimensions of Rumi’s spiritual poetrySaying ‘yes’ to this too, even to what’s difficultWalking this life and path in humbleness“Sometimes the greatest political act is to turn on Mozart and turn off the news, or to walk by the ocean or in the hills during sunset, or to read a poem—to sense a possibility in the midst of all the 10,000 joys and sorrows of finding some peace or balance in this heart that can then be brought to the world around us.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk from 4/15/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“The source of much of the suffering in the world is the loss of attention, beauty, and connection with one another.” – 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 rich and often humorous talk from the 1990s, Jack explores the art of letting go as the gateway to freedom, inviting us into the coolness of nirvana, and the wholeness found only here and now.Join the Year of Awakening with Jack Kornfield for a monthly group livestream Q&A hang with Jack, along with weekly modules and prompts to keep your life focused on awakening!“This freedom is not far away, the freedom of the heart is here, and it’s inviting. Nirvana is inviting.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:The end of exile as a return to the present momentPure awareness and the cycles of lifeWhere is freedom found?Letting go vs. letting beThe dignity of just being an earthwormNirvana as a public health measureThe coolness of nirvana and release from graspingHow ‘periodic nirvana’ keeps us aliveRam Dass, Stephen Levine, surrender, and choosing your spiritBodhicitta as the heart of emptiness and compassionDon Juan’s “controlled folly” and Zen paradoxFinding wholeness in grief, struggle, and beautyEach moment as a chance for struggle or freedomThe goal of practice as keeping our beginner’s mindThis very moment as the only place of freedom“If we allow ourselves to stay in the reality of the present, not only does there come a reclaiming of this life, but we also discover this emptiness or spaciousness that holds it all. No matter how painful, beautiful, exalted, or difficult—it arises and moves in its cycle back into wholeness.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded on desert retreat in the 1990s was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“Just let go, let go, let go. I did nothing but this in my practice for years. Every time I tried to understand or figure things out, I’d say, ‘Let go, let go,’ until that desire would fade away. … Just be an earthworm who knows only two words, ‘Let go, let go…’” – 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 tender and illuminating talk, Jack shares a Zen love story and a path of mindful presence that brings us home—from the stories of the mind to the truth of the heart. Through embodied awareness, we discover that the end of exile begins with loving what is here now.Join the Year of Awakening with Jack Kornfield for a monthly group livestream Q&A hang with Jack, along with weekly modules and prompts to keep your life focused on awakening!Today’s podcast 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 end of exile is when we see all the stories of what should be, and what is, and what will be, passing through the mind, and we rest in some place of peace in the heart.” – Jack KornfieldThis week on Heart Wisdom, Jack heartfully ponders:Freedom and the spiritual pathThe Dharma’s ‘one taste’ of freedom The Sure Heart’s ReleasePresent, past, future, and Being Here NowLife’s often dreamlike qualityThe evanescent present moment Noticing the dreamlike quality of lifeAn enlightening Zen love storyUncovering your true selfOvercoming exile with softness of heartMindfulness as the end of exileEmbodied awakening and finding liberation within the body and mindAccepting and including all parts of ourselvesMindfulness and reuniting with your body and feelingsCultivating “mindfulness of mind” and forgiving its storiesWatching the mind, resting in the heartStories and poems on the end of exile in our livesFinding true kindness through accepting sorrow“The past disappears, the future isn’t here yet—all there is is this evanescent present moment that’s here for a moment and then changes.” – Jack KornfieldThis Dharma Talk recorded during a desert retreat on 04/05/1993 was originally published on DharmaSeed.About Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings. “The real koan is: who is your true self?” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

From gender equity to joyful adaptation, Jack recounts how the Dalai Lama challenged teachers to reshape Buddhism for a modern world in need of heart.This Dharma Talk recorded on 03/29/93 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.“Somebody said the Dalai Lama’s mind is like a diamond, and whichever facet, whichever direction he turns it to, it comes with clarity and beauty. Everything that he did had a sense of graciousness and beauty about it.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack holds a thought-provoking talk on:Counseling, ethics codes, and teacher-training for a new eraSectarianism vs. the shared heart of awakeningA dramatic call for gender equity: nuns, councils & training funded “on the spot”Sylvia Wetzel’s meditative reflection: What if the Dalai Lama had always been a woman?Humor & honesty: “rebirth control” and other Dalai Lama one-linersEngaged Buddhism: arms sales, poverty, over-population, climateDrafting a pan-Buddhist code of conduct; yearly councils of eldersSpirit Rock as a living experiment in consensus leadershipThe invitation: awaken the Buddha-heart in every man, woman & child“There is no price worth paying to hide what is wrong—tell the truth.” – H.H. the Dalai LamaAbout Jack Kornfield:Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.“Use your heart to awaken that spirit of the Buddha in every being you meet—that’s all that really matters.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.