Be Here Now Network

Teaching us about breath work and presence, Jack Kornfield guides a mindfulness meditation and discusses the beauty of listening.

"You are not the body, you are the mindful loving awareness that notices this body with kindness and care." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield offers us:

A guided mindfulness meditation

Tools to relax and experience presence

Breathing techniques for full body awareness

Ways to develop the capacity to listen

Advice on working with trauma

Ways to thank our fears

Moving out of constriction and into connection with reality, Sharon Salzberg reunites with Raghu to talk about her new book, Real Life.

"When we are out of harmony with the truth, we are not realistic. Everything is distorted, we reach for happiness in all the wrong places, we let other people define us instead of finding out who we truly are." – Sharon Salzberg

In this episode we hear Sharon Salzberg and Raghu Markus explore:

How to 'get real' and see the truth

Constriction versus connection

Being bound by habitual patterns

One-pointedness

Dealing with greed, hatred, delusion

How to avoid spiritual bypassing

Toxic optimism

A reinterpretation of Dharma

About Sharon Salzberg:

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness.

Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.

Learn more about Sharon and pre-order her new book at www.sharonsalzberg.com

After swaddling listeners in devotional chanting, Krishna Das describes thinning the ego and diving into the ocean of love.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

"That's what these practices are for, ultimately, so we can experience the depth of love and peace within us. There is no button to push, it is a question of developing trust in yourself, confidence in yourself, and practicing regularly." – Krishna Das

In this episode, Krishna Das chants and explores:

Suffering, Relativity, and Subjectivity

Thinning out the Ego

The wisdom of Neem Karoli Baba

Slowing down and practicing self-care

Letting go of separateness in the ocean of love

Attachment versus the field of love

Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein explore the emergence of Western Buddhism and balancing faith with wisdom.

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 the Buddhist tradition it's said that one of the prayers one might make is: May I be born in circumstances that I may experience the Dharma that will bring me to awaken the heart of boundless compassion and discover inner freedom." – Jack Kornfield

"That kind of questioning which isn't cynical and isn't arrogant but is really wondering, really wanting to know the truth for oneself, I think of as an essential component of faith." – Sharon Salzberg

"Even in those first few minutes, what I discovered was there was a way to look into the mind as well as looking out through it. To me that was revelatory." – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode Jack Kornfield, Sharon Salzberg, and Joseph Goldstein touch on:

The formation of the Insight Meditation Society

The emergence of Western Buddhism

The balance of faith and wisdom

Starting small with meditation

Being the product of our conditioning

Having compassion for the human predicament

Joseph Goldstein helps us understand the quality of samadhi, which he describes as embodied presence, and talks about the different methods we have available for cultivating it.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/insighthour

“We settle back into the body, into the awareness of the body, and we allow the tensions and the knots, we allow them to unfold. We create the space, we create the space of awareness in which they will unwind. And this becomes a great healing process.” – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode, Joseph talks about:

Understanding the meaning of the quality of samadhi, which is also known as concentration

How the development of samadhi is the cultivation of embodied presence

How ethical conduct is the foundation of samadhi

Different ways to cultivate and deepen the quality of samadhi, including through direct awareness of a single object and through an open, choiceless awareness

The many methods he has used in his own practice to develop samadhi, including slowing down and being mindful of your body movement

Ways we can contemplate the body both internally and externally, which can help us understand how our practice is for the benefit and welfare of all beings

This dharma talk from October 6, 2004, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

Centering on her new book, The Laugh of Love, Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye and Raghu discuss forgiveness and the wisdom we gain from our ancestors.

"The older I get, the more I realize being a good therapist has nothing to do with all these acronyms behind my name. I know my grandmother didn't even graduate from high school, but she had a degree in the soul." – Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye

In this episode Dr. Sabrina N'Diaye and Raghu discuss:

Understanding trauma

Dialoguing with our ancestors

Dr. Sabrina's writing process

The magic of forgiveness

Deriving lessons from painful experiences

Applying ancestral wisdom to therapy practice

Making a commitment to compassion

About Sabrina N'Diaye:

Dr. Sabrina N’Diaye is an integrative psychotherapist and founder of the Heart Nest Center for Peace and Healing in Baltimore. There, she lovingly serves women, couples, other healers, and small groups. Her approach to healing is a blend of wisdom, science, and ancient spiritual practices. She is a student of the late Sufi Master Sidi Muhammad al-Jamal of Jerusalem and incorporates Sufi healing into her with individuals, families, and communities. Keep up with Dr. N'Diaye on Instagram or her website and stay tuned for her upcoming book, The Laugh of Love.

Illuminating the stories of Rama and Sita, Dr. Robert Svoboda offers a thorough explanation of the esoteric Ramayana.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenow

"That very ego that Kundalini is now trying to transform into pure Shakti that will focus on the soul, is being corrupted by that remnant of the ego that wants to maintain a limited individuality." – Dr. Svoboda

In this episode Dr. Robert Svoboda gives a comprehensive talk on:

- The spiritual progress of an individual soul

- The trials and tribulations of Rama and Sita

- Focusing on the Supreme Reality

- Shakti and the Ego

- The esoteric meaning in ancient texts

- Awakening Kundalini

In this episode of Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein explores what compassion is, the wisdom that gives rise to it, and how we can manifest it in the world.

This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/insighthour

“When compassion and wisdom are both present in our lives, even to a small extent, there’s really a remarkable transformation, because they bring a creative power to the way we live, the way we act, the way we relate. When wisdom and compassion are both there, they help us go beyond the conventional response.” – Joseph Goldstein

In this episode, Joseph talks about:

- How wisdom and compassion work together

- What compassion is and the wisdom that gives rise to it

- The four insights that can help us keep our hearts open in the midst of the great suffering in the world

- How compassion grows and deepens within us

- The different ways compassionate action manifests in the world

- The Bodhisattva Vows and the act of dedicating one’s life and practice to the benefit of all beings

This dharma talk from July 23, 2004, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield teaches us about fostering femininity in our dharma practice.

"Part of what's happening to practice is that it is becoming balanced with a greater emphasis of the feminine...instead of independence there's more teaching of interdependence, of relationship to one's body, relationship to the earth." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode Jack Kornfield discusses:

- The relationship of birth and death

- Loving deeply by opening our hearts, bodies, and mind

- Moving from the masculine to the feminine

- The power of forgiveness

Devotional Musician Jai Uttal joins Raghu to chat about his new album which explores the deepest spiritual longings of the human psyche.

"The Bhakti's of the past, their songs are so deeply personal and intimate in their relationship to God; it's stepping into that stream, as gracefully as possible." – Jai Uttal

In this episode Jai Uttal and Raghu weave together:

Devotional Music

The art of translation

Inherited sentiments and emotions

The beauty of expressing our deepest experiences

Intimacy with God

The Yoga of Devotion

Following the path of the heart