Joseph Goldstein is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (where he is one of the resident guiding teachers) and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts.  He is the author of

Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening,

A Heart Full of Peace,

One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism,

Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, and

The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (Shambhala Dragon Editions).

He has also coauthored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.

Summary and Transcript of this interview

Interview recorded 11/23/2013.

YouTube Video Chapters:

00:00:00 - Joseph Goldstein: Insight Meditation and the Enlightened Mind

00:03:22 - The Nature of the Mind

00:06:25 - The Purpose of Skillful Means

00:09:08 - The Hindu View of Enlightenment

00:12:15 - Stages of Awakening and Mistaking Preliminary Enlightenment

00:15:31 - The Reassurance of Being Done with Spiritual Practice

00:18:13 - Levels of Ignorance and Obstructive Forces

00:21:10 - The Effort and Investigation of Awakening

00:23:45 - The Importance of a Teacher and Study in Spiritual Practice

00:26:55 - Recognition and examination of the mind

00:30:08 - The Role of Monastics in Deepening Practice

00:32:57 - The Manifestation of Awakening in Behavior

00:35:22 - The Importance of Traits and States of Consciousness

00:38:06 - The Universal Experience of Enlightenment

00:41:13 - The Correlation Between Ethical Behavior and Enlightenment

00:44:08 - Wrathful Compassion and Ethical Grey Areas

00:46:27 - Manifestation of Compassion in Different Ways

00:49:28 - The Power of Mindfulness

00:51:49 - What is Mindfulness?

00:54:31 - Mindfulness as an Ethical Dimension

00:56:54 - The Analogy of the Changing Images

00:59:37 - The Unmanifest Quality

01:02:51 - The Purpose of Mindfulness

01:05:39 - The Effort and Nature of Mindfulness

01:07:45 - Mindfulness and the Effortless Approach

01:09:40 - Balancing Effort and Relaxation

01:12:18 - The Buddha Boy and the Atman-Anatman Debate

01:14:35 - Tathagata and Tattvamasi: Exploring the Difference

01:17:26 - Compassion as the Manifestation of Non-Clinging

01:20:34 - The Power of Bodhicitta and Awakening for the Benefit of All

01:23:23 - Conclusion and Next Week's Interview