Podcasts about Spirit Rock Meditation Center

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 KornfieldExperience Jack's wisdom through his whimsical storytelling! Dive into Transform Your Life Through Jack Kornfield's Most Powerful Stories – a 10-hour storytelling wisdom journey!This 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.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

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.

Reminding listeners that they can be fully supported and guided by the Dharma, Gil Fronsdal discusses the Buddhist concept of taking refuge.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode of the BHNN Guest Podcast, Gil describes:The significance of going for refuge within the Buddhist tradition How taking refuge can radically reshape your life and reorient your heart towards truth and freedomAnalyzing our consciousness and what it is concerned with Taking refuge in the right things (those which can be be depended on for safety, peace, support)Bringing 100% of yourself along to the refuge without holding backWhy some people resist the concept of going for refugeMaking the intentional, willful choice to live a life aligned with truth and awakeningTrusting in the Dharma, surrendering, and knowing that it will always support youThe wise story of a monk who always maintained an attitude of trust and positivity, to his own downfall Taking refuge within ourselves and becoming independent within the Dharma rather than depending on other people The essence of the Dharma: committing to a life that doesn't cause harm Taking refuge in the potential for awakening and freedom that we all haveFinding refuge within the sangha, aka, our spiritual community Offering refuge to others and ensuring that we are a source of peace for the world around us“For me a very important aspect of this whole refuge thing is offering refuge to others, being someone that people can take refuge in, or being in the world in such a way that the world feels safe with you, supported by you, that the world has nothing to fear from you. Not just going for refuge or taking refuge, but offering refuge in return.” – Gil Fronsdal About Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders' Council. In 2011 he founded IMC's Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil's talks on Audio Dharma.This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org "To take refuge is to be interested in shaping consciousness in a very different way, shaping our heart in a very different way, so that our heart, our mind, is depending on something that is worth depending on. Depending on something which can provide a stable peace. Depending on something which is dependable. Depending on something that can protect us, support us, inspire us, and even liberate us.” – Gil Fronsdal 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.

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(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

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.

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(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

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.

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Ethan welcomes Buddhist Geeks Co-Founder, teacher, and Palestinian-American Dharma teacher Vince Fakhoury Horn. They discuss the rise of "podcast dharma" in the early 21st century, Vince's path to teaching meditation, Vince's experience of his Palestinian heritage, why it's hard to get Dharma teachers to speak out about the genocide in Gaza, The Buddhist practice of Mohsen Mahdawi, and the complex legacy of Chogyam Trungpa and Tibetan refugees in relation to the Palestinian experience.  Vince Fakhoury Horn is part of a new generation bringing dharma, meditation, & mindfulness to life in the 21st century. A computer engineering dropout turned full-time meditator, Vince spent his 20s co-founding the ground-breaking project, Buddhist Geeks, while simultaneously doing a full year, in total, of silent retreat practice. Vince began teaching in 2010 and has since been authorized in both the Pragmatic Dharma lineage of Kenneth Folk, and by Trudy Goodman (InsightLA) & Jack Kornfield of (Spirit Rock Meditation Center) in the Insight Meditation tradition. Since then he has spent thousands of hours supporting individuals, groups, & organizations in incorporating meditation practice into their lives. Please support the podcast via Substack and subscribe for free or with small monthly contributions. Paid subscribers will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group starts up again on July 10th, and a special guided meditation on Open Awareness in Everyday Life was released this week. Another bonus podcast discussed a mindful take on the Revolutionary Astrology of Summer 2025 with Juliana McCarthy and Ethan Nichtern. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Spotify,Ethan's Website, etc). Ethan's most recent book, Confidence: Holding Your Seat Through Life's Eight Worldly Winds was just awarded a gold medal in the 2025 Nautilus Book Awards. You can visit Ethan's website to order a signed copy. Please allow two weeks from the time of your order for your copy to arrive. Don't forget to sign up for the August 23 “Windhorse Meditation” Online Retreat at this link and the upcoming 5 day retreat at the lovely Garrison Institute at this link ! Check out all the cool offerings at our podcast sponsor Dharma Moon, including theBody of Meditation Teacher Training program beginning July 10th, 2025. Free video courses co-taught by Ethan and others, such as The Three Marks of Existence, are also available for download.

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(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Gil Fronsdal reflects on Anicca, the Buddhist teaching often translated as impermanence, and offers a more precise lens for Western minds to understand its meaning.Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/beherenow and get on your way to being your best self.In this episode, Gil offers wisdom on:How to create inner conditions that support the natural arising of wisdomUnderstanding inconstancy as a flow of coming and going, not a fixed state of changeA powerful fable: The Emperor of China's quest for a painting that embodies peace and wisdomCalming the agitated, restless mind through meditation and mindful awarenessDiscovering true peace and safety within ourselves, rather than chasing it in the external worldThe value of noticing the flow of change and where our minds are caughtKnowing that it is not just the world that constantly changes, but also our perception of the worldFloating in the river of change rather than trying to swim against itSeeing Anicca through the lens of insight meditation About Gil Fronsdal:Gil Fronsdal is the co-teacher for the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, California; he has been teaching since 1990. He has practiced Zen and Vipassana in the U.S. and Asia since 1975. He was a Theravada monk in Burma in 1985, and in 1989 began training with Jack Kornfield to be a Vipassana teacher. Gil teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he is part of its Teachers Council. Gil was ordained as a Soto Zen priest at the San Francisco Zen Center in 1982, and in 1995 received Dharma Transmission from Mel Weitsman, the abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center. He currently serves on the SF Zen Center Elders' Council. In 2011 he founded IMC's Insight Retreat Center. He is the author of The Issue at Hand, essays on mindfulness practice; A Monastery Within; a book on the five hindrances called Unhindered; and the translator of The Dhammapada, published by Shambhala Publications. You may listen to Gil's talks on Audio Dharma.This recording was originally published on Dharmaseed.org"The mind is like a waterfall, furious and violent. There's not much peace in it. In that state, there's not much wisdom, not much clarity. This is one of the functions of meditation: to help us quiet the mind, settle it, and show the mind that there is an alternative to being restless and agitated. Teach the mind that the safety that it's looking for is found within.” – Gil Fronsdal See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

In this encore episode, we explore the mental health benefits of yoga with guest Addie deHilster. Addie, a mindfulness meditation teacher and certified yoga therapist, discusses her work integrating movement modalities like Yin yoga to enhance mindfulness and meditation practices. We discuss how Yin yoga, described as embodied meditation, provides mental health benefits, including stress resilience and improved nervous system regulation. MEET Addie DeHilsterAddie deHilster is a Mindfulness Meditation Teacher and C-IAYT Yoga Therapist. Her passion is teaching movement practices that "unlock" mindfulness skills, and helping students gain traction in their meditation practice so they can be more present in their lives. Yin Yoga is one of the main modalities she practices and teaches, as it is an excellent doorway into embodied meditative stillness. Now based in Vancouver, Washington (USA), she previously owned and operated a community yoga studio in Los Angeles, California, for over five years. A dedicated practitioner of Buddhist Insight Meditation, she has accumulated over four months of silent retreat practice over the years. She is a graduate of the Mindfulness Mentor Training with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach, the InsightLA Mindfulness Facilitator Training, and the 2014-15 Mindfulness Yoga & Meditation Training Program at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, which is a program dedicated to weaving together the wisdom traditions of Hatha Yoga and Buddhist meditation. She has studied Yin Yoga with Bernie Clark, Paul Grilley, and Sarah Powers. Addie is the founder of the Moved to Meditate Class Library, the host of the Moved To Meditate Podcast, and she offers online Yin Yoga Teacher Trainings with a mindful, therapeutic emphasis.Find out more at Move To MeditateUnderstanding Yin YogaMental health benefits of Yin YogaConnect With Me The Yoga Therapy CollectiveYoga Basics: The Therapist's Guide to Integrating Trauma-Informed Yoga into SessionsInstagram: @chris_mcdonald58Facebook: Yoga In The Therapy PodcastJoin the private Facebook Group: Bringing Yoga Into the Therapy RoomTikTok: @YogaChris58Rate, review, and subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, and SpotifyHow To Build Competence and Confidence in Integrating Yoga Into the Therapy Room

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

How can we simplify our life and our mind amid today's overwhelming digital distractions and misinformation?Here David Lewis explores the timeless relevance of Buddhist teachings in our modern, often chaotic world. He begins by reflecting on how suffering ushers many people toward the dharma, yet his own initial curiosity was about the nature of reality and truth, which he found deeply resonant in Buddhism's investigative spirit. David highlights the Buddha's emphasis on self-reliance with his famous advice, “Be a lamp unto yourself,” encouraging us to seek refuge not outside but within our own experience. He unpacks the concept of taking refuge in the Triple Gem—Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha—explaining that this means recognizing our own potential for awakening, leaning on supportive community, and embracing the truth as revealed through direct experience, not just intellectual belief. He stresses the importance of curiosity as the magnet of dharma practice, and how meditation and mindful attention help us simplify life amid today's overwhelm, which he compares to a modern form of suffering or “unreliability.”As the world competes for our attention, David advises grounding ourselves in reality through direct sensory experience, mindfulness, and meditation—a radical act of reclaiming our attention and cultivating peace. He encourages us to let go of what obstructs our happiness, describing renunciation not as a loss but gaining freedom from craving and distraction. He reminds us that the practice is less about acquiring something new and more about creating space for stillness and clarity. ______________ David Lewis has been following the dharma path for 50 years. He has a degree in comparative religious studies and is a graduate of Spirit Rock Meditation Center's Advanced Practitioners Program. David shares the dharma at several sanghas, including Mission Dharma, Insight Upper Market, and the Gay Buddhist Fellowship in San Francisco.  ______________ To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can: Donate Learn how to participate live Find our schedule of upcoming speakers Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996 CREDITSAudio Engineer: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter

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.

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Jack shares stories and insights from a rare gathering with the Dalai Lama on what really makes a teacher, and how compassion—not titles—spreads the Dharma.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.This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack thoughtfully explores these themes & topics:Spring renewal at Spirit Rock & the wider Buddhist boom1,000 U.S. meditation centers — a movement far bigger than any one sanghaThe Mahāparinirvāṇa Sūtra on gathering “in harmony and concord”The Dalai Lama: compassion over conversion; students over titlesWhat really authorizes a teacher? (Hint: their students' freedom)“Spy on your teachers” — trusting slowly & wiselyThe scent-test of liberation: recognizing authentic peace“Bodhisattva off-duty?” — practice everywhere, even with late-night TV temptationsSpiritual life as engagement with, not escape from, difficultyInterdependence: why true emptiness embraces every creatureSpeaking out against spiritual misconduct & retraumatizationThe wounded student, the wounded teacher — bringing psychology into DharmaThis Dharma Talk recorded on 03/29/93 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.“The Dalai Lama said, ‘Nirvana has a wonderful scent—like flowers.' You can tell it when you're around someone connected with nirvana. You can tell it around places where there's that fragrance of peace, well-being, and liberation.” – Jack Kornfield“Deep down, what matters is only the spirit of compassion—only what benefits beings in every form, in every realm on this earth. Don't think about how to spread Buddhism. It doesn't matter if there are even one or two more Buddhists. The only thing that matters is the well-being of each person and the well-being of the earth that we live on.” – Jack Kornfield quoting H.H. the Dalai LamaPhoto via Wikimedia CommonsAbout 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.“Only the benefit you bring to others proves the depth of your own practice.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

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(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

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(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

(Spirit Rock Meditation Center)

Sharing deep spiritual secrets of love and attachment, Jack transforms our unhealthy attachments into Wise Relationships through vulnerability, inner joy, and shared humanity.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 secret is, the opposite of attachment is not detachment, but love. Because true love does not seek to possess or control, it doesn't separate or fear what is there. True love is the ability to be present without grasping. From this place, love offers its blessings.” – Jack KornfieldIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Transforming unhealthy clingings into Wise AttachmentNot getting stuck in our ideas and views The global price of collective addiction and attachmentMoving past our attachment to our sense of separatenessThe big spiritual question—who are we really?His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and keeping a healthy curiosity around deathLowering our defenses and helping others lower their defenses around usParenting with trust and connection rather than clinging and controlThe good side of attachment—connection, well-being, mirroringTransforming low-self-esteem and the body of fear into self-confidence and opennessUsing spiritual practice to open to a love that includes our full humanityFinding the true possibilities that the spiritual path offersResting in our being—how not to seek and chase, and how not to run away and hideTouching our incompleteness, our brokenness, with compassionExpanding our heart and connecting with our shared humanityUncovering within us our inner knowing, The One Who KnowsHow to be true to yourself, and make a light of yourselfMeditation as an invitation into vulnerabilityMoving from unhealthy attachment into Wise RelationshipHow Being Here Now, our capacity to be present, transforms our lifeNirvana as the absence of struggle with the world as it asPlease help support Jack's daughter Caroline's Oasis Legal Services in their mission to help persecuted LGBTQ+ Asylum Seekers gain citizenship and safety in the U.S.“We want to be loved, we want to be held, and it's so hard to be vulnerable. Meditation is an invitation to that vulnerability, the rawness and openness of the heart. Not because it's good for us, but because it moves us back to the truth that we are held. If we can sit and open, we'll discover that this universe that has given birth to us really does hold us.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode recorded on 03/08/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed. “Nirvana, which is the absence of suffering, doesn't mean that the world goes away. Nirvana is the absence of struggle with the world as it is.” – 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.

Exploring the ancient Zen teaching of the Great Way, Jack guides us toward freedom from attachment, clarity beyond preferences, and the liberating joy of letting go.“The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When attachment and hatred are both absent, everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction; however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinion for or against anything.” – Third Zen AncestorIn this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Finding freedom from attachment by learning to let goCan we meditate society's problems away?What does it mean to seek wisdom, compassion, freedom?The Third Patriarch of ZenFinding the Great Way and seeing the truthMoving past our opinions and preferencesHow our desires blind us and manufacture our realitySuffering, impermanence, grasping, and not relying on realityThe path to liberation from our grasping and fearsThe joy of letting go of our attachments and relaxing into what isTraining ourselves to have an obedient mind of the BuddhaIs there appropriate or wise attachment?Clarifying the full spectrum of attachmentHow to get out addiction and the Realm of the Hungry GhostsDealing with attachment to our isolation, our separatenessCommitment as a healthy devoted attachment Seeking a Wise Relationship to ourselves, others, and the worldThe slippery slope of pleasure, into desire, into habit, into needWise attachment vs unwise attachmentThe full spectrum of attachment and love“Go where you wish—cave, monastery, India, Tibet, do what you like—your mind goes with you, that's the problem.” – Jack KornfieldThis episode recorded on 03/08/1993 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 members, 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.“Often we think attachment is only to other people and things, but often what we are attached to is our own isolation, our own separateness.” – Jack KornfieldSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.