Illuminating the benefits of taking spiritual retreat, Jack highlights the importance of meeting our practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning. Join Jack with Trudy Goodman, Krishna Das, Anne Lamott and more, live online from Maui in the virtual Ram Dass Legacy Retreat: Love and Renewal 11/29 - 12/3! "It's not a question of practicing and losing weight, or getting rid of our neurosis or figuring out our mother, father, husband, or wife trip; but it's really to get the bottom of the question of life itself: Who are we? What makes up our experience? And to ask that question, to come to the end of our questioning requires a kind of passion, a kind of urgency, to see, to know." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates: The history and importance of taking spiritual retreat in Eastern traditions What it was like for Jack to take spiritual retreat with Burmese Buddhist teacher, Mahasi Sayadaw, and his Thai Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah Instructions for meditation and how to apply them properly to the retreat experience Moving beyond our psychological melodrama so we can gain deeper insight into the processes of mind Gurdjieff and using the fire of practice to transform our inner-world into a single whole Using our time wisely within the great mystery of this precious human birth Meeting our meditation practice with great faith, great courage, and great questioning The Diamond Sutra and how to live with a heart of light "You say that practice is difficult. This is thinking. Practice is not difficult. If you say it's difficult this means you're examining yourself too much—examining your situation, your condition, your opinion—so you say practice is difficult. But if you keep the mind that is before thinking and planning, then practice is not difficult." – Jack Kornfield quoting a Zen Master This Dharma Talk on 10/07/78 from Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring the liberating step of Right Attitude, Jack illuminates how we can break free from our automatic habits by becoming fully conscious of them. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "There's a strength of heart that comes when we don't just follow our habit. It's a strengthening of heart that brings a sense of wellbeing or purity. Because we begin to train ourselves that we don't have to follow all our habits and all our desires." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully explores: Right Attitude / Right Thought as one of the steps on the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path The three aspects of Right Attitude: openness/exploration, renunciation/effort, love/non-harming Working with our unique personality in this incarnation The importance of adding fire to our spiritual practice Breaking free from our automatic habits by bringing conscious awareness to them Ram Dass and becoming a "connoisseur or your neurosis" Transforming our life from automatic pilot to being fully conscious The story of Larry Brilliant helping cure smallpox and what he learned about surrender and interconnectivity "I think love really manifests when things get difficult. That's when you really know it. That's the fire that melts whatever barriers we ever have in our hearts. And our hearts want to be melted. The pain isn't so bad; it's much better than having it still solid and barricaded." – Jack Kornfield Join Jack and friends live ONLINE from Maui Nov. 29 - Dec. 3 at the 3rd Annual Ram Dass Legacy Retreat in this 5-day virtual livestream event. Learn more and register here. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Connecting the Buddha's wisdom with the teachings of Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda's infamous Yaqui shaman, Jack explores how to become a spiritual warrior. Learn the Dynamic Art of Guided Meditation in this Masterclass with Jack Kornfield! Sign up for the on-demand version before Nov. 15 to take part in two live Q&A sessions with Jack! "There's a mysterious beauty that surrounds those individuals who live their lives as warriors, as men or women of knowledge." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates: How Buddha's factors of enlightenment (qualities of awakening) connect with Don Juan, Carlos Castaneda's infamous teacher and Yaqui shaman and sorcerer Don Juan's wisdom of the 'Way of the Warrior' in relation to Buddhism The qualities of living as a spiritual warrior: impeccability/wholeness, wise effort/energy, courage/investigation, controlled-folly (play/lightness), strength/concentration, and steadfastness/unshakeableness Shamanism and cutting through our sense of separation into the root of consciousness Finding inner-freedom by learning how to stop our internal dialogue "The basic difference between an ordinary person and a warrior is that a warrior takes everything as a challenge, while an ordinary person takes everything as a blessing or a curse." – Carlos Castaneda (Author of The Teachings of Don Juan: A Yaqui Way of Knowledge) This talk from 12/31/1983 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In response to the conflicts in the world, Jack offers a harmonizing guided meditation inviting us into peace, sanctuary, and the heart of refuge. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "I breath in peace and breath out peace to all those who are amidst the troubles of this world—the conflicts, the refuges, the violence and the fear. I send you a peaceful breath. May we be peaceful together." – Jack Kornfield In this timely episode, Jack leads a harmonizing guided meditation to help us: Find a mindful, balanced, and compassionate response to the conflicts and tragedy's happening throughout the world today Turn our awareness to the present moment, merging mind, body, and spirit Extend our consciousness, compassion, and mindful loving awareness around the planet, it's people, and environments Send out peaceful healing breaths to all those who are amidst the troubles of the world This episode is from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation on 10/23/2023. Learn the Dynamic Art of Guided Meditation in this Masterclass with Jack Kornfield! Sign up for the on-demand version before Nov. 15 to take part in two live Q&A sessions with Jack!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this powerful new Dharma Talk touching on current events, an emotional Jack offers a heart of refuge amidst the world's conflicts. "There's a liberation amidst birth and death, joy and sorrow, war and peace, that is beyond it all. This is the sacred openness of love and awareness itself.” – Jack Kornfield In this emotional episode, Jack touches into: The terrors of the ongoing wars in Gaza, Ukraine, Darfur How constant news media effects our emotions and wellbeing Learning to live from the 'heart of refuge' which the Buddha offers What does it mean to be a refugee? How can we help create sanctuary? The importance of outsiders opening to the suffering of all humans rather than taking sides How the Buddha's mindful loving awareness overcomes Mara's aggression, greed, and doubt The ways we can open ourselves to forgiveness, compassion, community, safety, love, and trust This episode is from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Dharma Talk and Meditation on 10/23/2023. Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack explores how meeting our lives with a directness and simplicity helps bring the mind, body, and heart into unity. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "The spirit of the practice is a unification of the mind with the body and the heart, bringing them all together into one. In that unification, or collectedness, then it becomes possible, when the mind isn't wandering in fantasy of past or future, to see directly and clearly.” – Jack Kornfield In this Dharma Talk, Jack mindfully illuminates: Buddha's simple wisdom: "In the seen, there is only the seen. In the heard, there is only the heard. In the sensed, there is only the sensed. In the thought, there is only the thought." Meeting our practice and the world with a directness and simplicity; bringing the mind, heart, and body into unity Cultivating an "excruciatingly" precise awareness and paying careful attention so we can see our life process in a new way The three-sided crystal of impermanence, unsatisfactoriness/insecurity, and selflessness Suzuki Roshi and the blissful wisdom of simplicity This Dharma Talk 9/29/1983 at the Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed. Learn the Healing Art of Guided Meditation in this Masterclass with Jack Kornfield! Sign up for the on-demand version before Nov. 15 to take part in two live Q&A sessions with Jack!  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this riveting episode, Jack shares hilarious personal stories illuminating lessons from his life as a forest monk in Thailand. "The spirt was you just did it, and you worked with whatever came up as your practice. Living the life of a monk meant taking what came to you and working with it, whether it was difficult or easy.” – Jack Kornfield  In this riveting episode, Jack dives into: What it was like living as a forest monk in Thailand at Ajahn Chah's forest monastery The wisdom he learned through experiencing Ajahn Chah's four-part teachings on surrender, opening up to see clearly, working with the mind, and gaining balance/perspective The two levels of Dharma practice: using Dharma to feel comfortable, and using Dharma to get free Ajahn Chah's rascally yet direct interactions with students, including one with Ram Dass Working with attachments and aversions in order to overcome them and grow spiritually Learning how to let go and not get caught in the mind's lures, traps, and intricacies Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern.  With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others. Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness! This episode from Insight Meditation Society on 6/7/1981 was originally published on DharmaSeed. "Meditation practice is where you are sitting. It's not to go to some other place, or have the ideal setting, or have your coffee, or have your quiet little room. Where you are is your practice." – Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Illuminating the Way of the Bodhisattva, Jack shares wisdom from St. Teresa of Calcutta, Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, Ajahn Chah, and Sueng Sahn on walking the spiritual path. This vintage episode from April 10, 1977 at Camp Cedar Glen was originally published on DharmaSeed. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom In this vintage episode, Jack mindfully illuminates: The selfless service, love, and wisdom of Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta Elizabeth Kübler-Ross's unshakeable compassion and revolutionary work around death and dying How his teacher Ajahn Chah's Thai monastery was an island of peace and possibility amidst war and conflict What the story of Korean Zen Master, Seung Sahn, getting a job at a laundry mat teaches us about non-attachment to self Compassion, the spiritual path, and the Way of the Bodhisattva Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern.  With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others. Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness! "The power that a human being who’s really committed to truth and love has to transform people around them is quite remarkable." – Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this flowing question and answer session, Jack helps his students mindfully navigate topics like loneliness, intention setting, meditating with ADD, meeting our shame with nobility, and dealing with jerks. "The spiritual path is really step by step. If you think of it as long, you can get lost and overwhelmed. But if you realize that you're not going from here to there, you're going from there to hear, the path leads you back to this moment and to a more tender heart.” – Jack Kornfield  In this question and answer session, Jack and his students mindfully explore: A do-it-yourself intention setting ceremony What it's like to practice meditation with ADD The benefits of going on spiritual retreat both in-person and online How to handle being triggered by "jerks," politics, greed, hate, and injustice Meeting our shame and regret with nobility and growth Finding patience and trust for the spiritual path Spirituality and how to deal with difficult family The importance of satsang (sangha, spiritual community) Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin this October! See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Executive Chairman of the Ford Motor Company, Bill Ford, joins Jack to discuss capitalism, Right Livelihood, and the next generation. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom “To be successful in business you have to have values, you have to stand by those values, and you can't compromise those values. But you also have to have the tools to do that. Whether it's meditation or other forms of self-exploration, you have to have a way to shed the stress and to really dive into what's important.” – Bill Ford In this episode, Jack and Bill mindfully navigate: How we can make business and work a force for good The stakes and rewards of servant leadership Capitalism, Right Livelihood, and the Next Generation Navigating tough decisions and bringing out the best in others Compassionate leadership in a cold economy Living with empathy and from our highest intention Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin this October! "What's the point of your life if there isn't some well-being woven into it? It's not meant to be a grim duty. Some people take meditation as a grim duty. That doesn't make it happy, and it doesn't actually serve you in some deep way." – Jack Kornfield This conversation was originally recorded for the Inner-MBA program presented by Sounds True. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this hilarious episode, Jack Kornfield, Trudy Goodman, and Bonnie Duran, DrPH, share stories on becoming empowered to solve your own problems. Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey! Live session begin on Sept 28th! “The Buddha's enlightenment solved the Buddha's problem, now you solve yours.” – Joseph Goldstein In this episode Jack, Trudy, and Bonnie mindfully explore: The powerful lesson encased within Bonnie's first one-on-one session with Joseph Goldstein Empowerment, personal understanding, and spiritual awakening Hilarious stories from Jack on his teacher Ajahn Chah involving enlightenment, Jesus, and the wisdom of not-knowing Trudy's two-sided spiritual lesson on aging, impermanence, and presence Dealing with uncertainty and learning to trust yourself About Bonnie Duran, DrPH: Bonnie Duran, DrPH, (mixed race Opelousas/Coushatta) is a Professor Emeritus in the Schools of Social Work and Public Health at the University of Washington (UW), in Seattle. Before, during and after completing her doctoral degree at UC Berkeley, she has worked in public health and social care research, education and practice with a focus on Native Americans/Indigenous peoples and other communities of color for over 35 years. Dr Duran has conducted studies of mental disorder prevalence, risk and protective factors, victimization, and treatment seeking/ barriers to care among people attending Indian Health Service (IHS) facilities and probability samples from the Tribal Colleges and University’s within the largest rural Tribal Nations in the U.S. In partnership with communities, she has adapted and developed Indigenous interventions for system level, community and individual health and wellbeing. About Trudy Goodman: Trudy is a Vipassana teacher in the Theravada lineage and the Founding Teacher of InsightLA. For 25 years, in Cambridge, MA, Trudy practiced mindfulness-based psychotherapy with children, teenagers, couples and individuals. Trudy conducts retreats and workshops worldwide. Learn more about Trudy’s offerings at trudygoodman.com See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reflecting on what it means to live in a wise society, Jack shares stories on how we can handle difficult topics – cancer, abortion, women's rights, prison, and war – with a mutual respect. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom “How much respect do you give to those you disagree with? And what would they feel from you? Not that you have to have the same ideas, but is there that spirit of respect? Can you see the secret beauty behind their eyes? Can you see them all with a heart open even if you disagree?” – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully explores: What the truth of interdependence means to tending a wise society How Buddha, Dharma, and meditation connect with politics and community A story of enlightenment about 'The Rabbi, the Abbot, and The Messiah' Quieting the mind, opening the heart, mutual respect, and listening deeply The compassion of Quan Yin, and the Dharma as medicine for the world Gracefully handling topics like cancer, abortion, women's rights, the prison system, and war Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey starting Sept 28th! 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 guided meditation on relaxing into the ocean of air we find ourselves in when we open to the present moment. Transform your life through Jack's Kornfield's most powerful stories in this brand new 10-hour journey starting Sept 28th! “You become a connoisseur of breathing for this moment, attentive to this remarkable breathing in and out of the atmosphere, keeping you alive, exchanging with all.” – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack leads a guided meditation helping us: Tune into embodied presence Invite in relaxation, ease and calm Become mindful of the body breathing itself Use noting to move past waves of emotions and thoughts "As you sense each breath, you can whisper softly in the background of your mind, 'Ease, calm,' and allow the embodied presence that is feeling this breath to invite you into a place of stillness, breath by breath." – Jack Kornfield This meditation was originally live-streamed by Spirit Rock Meditation Center for the Monday Night Dharma Talk on July 24, 2023. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Illuminating the concept of mudita – sympathetic joy – Jack helps us cultivate authentic happiness for those around us, and leads a guided meditation on the topic. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "Spiritual joy is the innate capacity for the heart to take pleasure and wonderment in this life and in the happiness of others, a kind of sympathetic joy." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully navigates: Mudita as a spiritual/sympathetic joy and generosity of spirit which take s pleasure in the happiness of others Rumi, the ocean of poetry, channeling, listening, and inspiration Seeing the beauty in the the light, eyes, and world around us Spirituality, happiness, and taking responsibility for your heart The Buddha's lens that joy and beauty are crucial factors of enlightenment A guided meditation partner practice to cultivate mudita (sympathetic joy) and metta (loving kindness) This Dharma Talk from 12/03/2001 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published by DharmaSeed. Grab an All-Access Plan for Jack's growing library of online courses at jackkornfield.com/all-access-pass See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Jack returns to explore the nature of Dharma as universal, immediate, timeless, beneficial, protective, and available to all. "The Dharma is universal, it's immediate, it's open-handed, it's to be experienced by each person for themselves directly, it's timeless. The truth of life is here to be discovered for any individual with eyes open to see." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully navigates: Sufis introducing the Dance of Universal Peace to Jack's retreat of Buddhists Dharma as universal, immediate, timeless, beneficial, protective, and available to all The various meanings of 'Dharma': the teachings, the physical/emotional elements of the world, personal destiny/path, and Universal Laws/Truth How Joseph Goldstein accidentally found his teacher Munindraji while on the way to take LSD under the Bodhi Tree Karma, impermanence, duality, selflessness, attachment, metta (loving kindness), and the preciousness of life The Vipassana paradox of Tibetan Dream Yoga "The Dharma protects those who follow it like a great umbrella in the rainy season." – Jack Kornfield This Dharma Talk from 12/05/1987 was originally published on DharmaSeed. Grab an All-Access Plan for Jack's growing library of online courses at jackkornfield.com/all-access-pass See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Getting vulnerable about the hungers which afflict our lives, Jack helps us into the nirvana beyond the illusion of incompleteness. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom “In Sanskrit or Pali the word is ‘Trishna,’ which means thirst, desire, wanting. It’s exaggeration, or the realm that it manifests in in the greatest way, is called ‘The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts.’ Hungry Ghosts are pictured as these beings who have huge stomaches and tiny little mouths, so that it’s never possible to get enough in there to ease that hunger.” – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack vulnerably navigates: Hunger, abundance, deprivation, indulgence, addiction, and the illusion of incompleteness Feeling idiotic, depressed, needy, judgmental, sad, lonely, hungry, etc Trishna—thirst, desire, wanting—and the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts Samsara and the propulsion of endless wanderings of seperation/seeking Ajahn Chah and being with what is, rather than struggling against it Relating wisely and tenderly to Buddha’s First Noble Truth of suffering Nirvana as the end of cyclical grasping and the illusion that we are incomplete “Nirvana is the end of cyclic existence, which is to say, the end of grasping and going around in circles looking for something that you are, but haven’t yet touched—the end of the illusion that we are incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield This Dharma Talk from 02/01/1987 was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this lively episode, Jack dives into how mindfulness, awareness and intimacy help us engage with life more fully. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "Zen master Dōgen said that to be mindful, to be awake, to pay attention, is the same as intimacy—intimacy with your lover, with your friends, or the sky and the trees, the drought, the grasses, your neighbors, the rhythms of the seasons, your children or parents." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates: Spiritual practice as a path with heart about connecting our spiritual life and worldly life Using breath to relate with nature and life as movement and a process of change Understanding the movements of mind and using mindfulness to live more fully A story involving Jack, a Zen master, and a glass of sake at Naropa How mindfulness, awareness and intimacy are synonymous The way Jack personally deals with and gets intimate with loneliness in his life Meditation as teaching the art of appreciation for what's in front of us The art of getting intimate with our fear to engage with life more fully "To enter into one thing in a very personal and immediate way—not with your mind, but your whole being—is to touch everything." – Jack Kornfield This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock in January 1989 was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Navigating the body's river of sensations, Jack helps us into the still-point of freedom amidst life's cycles of change. "If our goal in spiritual practice is some state, some open state, it would be in spiritual life like buying already open flowers instead of buds, or like adopting an adult instead of a child. To awaken the heart of a Buddha requires us to find the deepest respect and compassion for things as they are, for they way things are. There isn't anything you can hold onto in that because it's always changing. There is no enlightened retirement. The way things are includes the cycles of stillness and action, the times of raising a family or being a renunciate, making money or retiring—and finding somehow a way to be with what is, with the truth of change." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully elucidates: The Dalai Lama's view on the Big Bang Theory How when we open deeply to our feelings, we recognize the body as a flowing river of sensation The Buddha's 'Eight Worldly Winds' and using mindfulness and Right Effort to navigate life's cycles of expansion and contraction Ram Dass, Be Here Now, and the "rollercoaster of highs and lows" of spiritual practice Finding freedom in the still-point amidst the cycles of change Trusting ourselves and the universe enough to let go into the mystery "Life is a process of expansion and contraction. We breathe, and as we sit in meditation you notice there are long and short breaths, cool, fast, deeper ones and shallow ones. If you let it breath itself it has all these rhythms of the body opening and closing all the time. Then you pay attention to sensations in the body. At first it feels like tension, pain, hot, or cold, but the more deeply you listen with your inner-awareness, that which we call pain, tension, hot, or cold, becomes pulsing, throbbing, needles, pinpricks, swirling movement. The more deeply we feel, the more our body shows itself to be a river of sensation." – Jack Kornfield This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock on 4/23/1989 was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Illuminating the art of paying attention, Jack shares hilarious stories and mindful insights around how we can let go into the present. Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/heartwisdom "To learn the art of paying attention requires some practice, that we learn how to sit and steady ourselves, to steady our bodies, and listen with a steadiness of heart, to actually be with what is here in our experience—pleasant and unpleasant, beautiful and ugly. That's what sitting is about, really, is to sit and be with the 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows, to see them, feel them, and let ourselves be as we are." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack artfully illuminates: How your spiritual path is truly in your own hands; other's can point the way, but you must walk it The Buddha's four aspects of Right Effort Learning the art of paying attention, and applying this to sit with life's 10,000 joys and sorrows The Samurai way of going through the path of fire Jack's hilarious personal experience solving koans on Zen retreats Letting go into the present moment (while still acting in the world) "As one Zen master says, 'Just put it down, put everything down. Just be here and forget about the past and future. That's enough.'" – Jack Kornfield This Dharma talk from March 13, 1989 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this Independence Day focused episode, Jack reflects on how we can foster true freedom and independence through using a spiritual rudder. "The Buddha, in the last bit of his life, said, 'When I'm gone, don't follow or place all of your reliance on elders or teachers, but rather follow the Dharma, the universal law, and know these things for yourself. Know the forces of grasping, hatred, and ignorance. Really know what they are. Let yourself see them, and know that it is possible to find freedom from these. If it weren't possible I wouldn't tell you about it. Then as you live your life, be aware of what brings goodness, what brings freedom from grasping, hatred, and delusion. Nourish that which brings that freedom, sustain it and support it." – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack dives into: The ideals of the U.S., versus its reality and history What it means to be independent, what it means to be free Learning what your "spiritual rudder" is to steer you in the midst of this Kali Yuga Buddha's advice on following the Dharma, and your Way, rather than following others Our spiritual rudder as synonymous with truth, love, integrity, and our Buddha Nature True freedom as freedom from the pull and sway of outside circumstances Real loving kindness, real metta, as timeless, fearless, and free This Dharma talk given by Jack on July 4th, 1994 was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.