Exploring how to let go of victim consciousness and awaken inner resilience, Jack shares how to rest in awareness and live from the trusting heart.

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Join Jack's New Free Course, Stand Up For Compassion: A Free Course and Resource for Navigating Uncertain Times. 

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Liberation, resilience, and the Trusting Heart
• The physical nature of time within the infinite nature of awareness
• Change, aging, and the weirdness of looking in the mirror
• Meditation and working with the drama that arises
• Remembering who we truly are, no matter how lost we get
• Moving past victim consciousness, shame, and blame
• Dropping our negative stories and starting to live with nobility
• How we are so much more than our suffering
• How to stop being loyal to our stories about ourselves and the world
• Navigating these "latter day degenerate times with cherry blossoms everywhere”
• The goal of practice as keeping our beginners mind
• Letting go of fear and opening to adventure
• Not confusing no-self with low-self esteem
• "No self, no problem"
• The strength, aliveness, and fullness of true emptiness
• The Dharma of a zoo in a hurricane
• The Trusting Heart as natural as the Tao, as resilient as water, and as forgiving as the earth
• The resiliency, compassion, and intuition of the Witness
• Recognizing how good you're actually doing

"When we become still, when we're not trying to be something, when we're in the moments of the trusting heart—what's left is not imitation or artificial, it is as natural as the Tao, as resilient and flexible as water, and as forgiving as the earth." – Jack Kornfield 

This Dharma Talk was recorded at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and originally published on DharmaSeed.

“Is this who you really are—the victim, the abandoned one, the lonely one? Is that really who you are? If you speak it out loud, 'I'm the victim,' it gets embarrassing because something in there can't say it very long. Over time we've become really loyal to this story, but actually, something in us knows that it's not the whole game. There comes tremendous freedom when we begin to experience this." – Jack Kornfield

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 a resiliency in us as human beings which becomes trustworthy when we let go of the small sense of self and become the spacious, open, witness to all things." – Jack Kornfield

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Who are we really? Jack Kornfield peels back the veil on our identity roles to uncover the deeper truth that we really are. 

Join Jack's New Free Course, Stand Up For Compassion: A Free Course and Resource for Navigating Uncertain Times. 

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Opening to a new vast, gracious, and spacious perspective on life
• Stepping out of your ordinary habits and roles to see something in a new way
• How to navigate the reality that death is stalking us
• Meditation as a practice of letting things go
• The spirituality of the nature of change and the present moment
• Ram Dass and the mystery of identity, change, and awareness
• Seeing past our roles to the deeper reality of who we are
• Looking into the mystery of: Who I Am?
• Touching the secret beauty you were born with
• Jack's experience communicating with Koko the Gorilla
• Seeing past the illusion of separateness and the small self
• Meditation as a sacred space of non-consumption
• Remembering and healing through listening and letting go
• Seeing the entire arc of life with the eyes of the Divine
• Overcoming the forces of greed, hatred, and fear
• Untangling the places that cause suffering and confusion
• Opening to the birthright of your freedom
• Living the pattern of mystery that is this life
• Recognizing the total interconnection of all of life

"Part of what makes meditation so extraordinary is that to simply sit and not try to make anything happen, or get anywhere, or do something—is to step out of our identity and our roles in the small sense of self." – Jack Kornfield 

This Dharma Talk was recorded at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and originally published on DharmaSeed.

“Meditation offers us a sacred space of non-consumption. There's nothing to do, no grade, no accomplishment, nothing you have to become. It is the sacred space to listen and remember, and touch the freedom of heart or spirit that is possible in any circumstance." – Jack Kornfield

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 years 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 how to stay buoyant and balanced on life's great ocean of change, Jack sets our spiritual compass for letting go into what is.

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.

Join Jack's New Free Course, Stand Up For Compassion: A Free Course and Resource for Navigating Uncertain Times. 

"What we're asked to do here is a very deep thing, which isn't to change ourselves, but to give ourselves to our life, to practice with continuity and care, bowing, opening. It's really like being in labor, if you've ever had a child or been there for childbirth, it's a birth of your life, a birth of yourself, over and over, letting go to what is." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• The Tibetan story of Avalokitesvara, Green Tara, and White Tara
• The spiritual wisdom of a duck resting on the ocean
• Floating softly on life's constant ocean of change
• Experiencing ourselves as an always flowing river of life
• Bowing to the truth of impermanence
• Selflessness, emptiness, and openness
• Seeing through the dreamlike mirage of 'who you think you are'
• Letting go into the ever-changing process of life
• Honoring the truth of what's here and now
• Suffering, opening your heart, and connecting to all beings
• Awakening the great heart of compassion
• Ram Dass and the gift of service
• Meeting death with curiosity, play, and wisdom
• Rebirthing ourselves over and over again
• Giving ourselves over sincerely to our life, letting go into what is
• Awakening the great wisdom and heart of the Buddha in every circumstance
• How surrender leads directly to freedom

This Dharma Talk recorded on 1/3/93 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

“The more we pay attention, the more we sense ourselves as a river of life." – Jack Kornfield

Interested in learning more on this topic? Check out our most recent Here and Now episode for Ram Dass’ perspective on the ocean of change. 

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 years 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 invites us to stop fighting what is and begin bowing to it—awakening the timeless wisdom and compassionate heart of a Buddha, right here and now, in the midst of our joys, sorrows, and the suffering of the world.

This Dharma Talk recorded on 1/3/93 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack gives perspectives on:

• Evaluating our spiritual practice
• Joanna Macy and healing the environment
• The rollercoaster ride of meditation
• Awakening right here and right now
• The transformative power of bowing to it all
• The Buddhas of all the universes
• Suffering and the truth of Nirvana, timeless delight
• Facing the reality of the human realm—joy and sorrow, birth and death
• Looking at the difficulties facing the planet today—war, famine, racism, greed, environmental concerns
• Stop fighting what is true; the end of denial
• Bowing to suffering, attachment, and change
• Insight—seeing things just as they are

"We awaken the wisdom and the great, compassionate heart of a Buddha right where we are. Where else could it be?" – Jack Kornfield

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Leading a guided meditation helping us witness the play of our human existence from the loving awareness that we truly are, Jack invites us to uncover true freedom as our birthright.

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, Jack delves into:

• The true purpose of meditation and spiritual practice
• Coming fully into the reality of the present moment
• Becoming mindful loving awareness itself
• Witness the play of our human experience
• Uncovering true freedom as your innate birthright
• Experiencing the present moment as loving awareness
• Responding to the world with mindful loving courage

“Come into this present moment with mindful loving awareness, notice the play of our human experience, and discover we can take our seat with a compassionate and gracious heart with a freedom that is your birthright.” – Jack Kornfield

This recording is from Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Talk and Meditation on 3/3/25. 

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This episode was recorded on 3/03/25 as a part of Spirit Rock’s Monday Night Dharma Talk Series

“You are the imaginal cells. You are the ones who are called to hold the vision of a wise society where people respect each other, where we care for the vulnerable, where we understand the universal teaching, ‘Hatred never ceases by hatred, but by love alone is healed.’ This is you.'” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Staying centered amidst life’s struggles Stopping blame and “right and wrong
• Navigating Late-Stage Capitalism in the 21st Century
• The Great Turning as an opportunity to reset our lives as human beings
• The Great Turning as a birth process—messy, painful, dangerous, and beautiful
• Remembering your fearlessness amidst politics and news media Becoming “imaginal cells” of the butterfly
• Trusting the constant renewal of life and nature Black Elk, Gary Snyder, and the power of loving the earth
• Meditation and sitting with heartbreak
• Dissolving guilt, fear, and doomscrolling
• Carrying your light with nobility, respect, and dignity
• Trusting the big picture, the vast cosmic view
• Remembering who you are and living from it
• The possibility of a new underground railroad
• Recognizing that we are the imaginal cells of the world

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in this online masterclass beginning April 7!

“Here we are, 21st century, late-stage capitalism, which has gotten to the place where there’s further extremes of rich and poor for exploitation. We’re at the time what Joanna Macy calls the Great Turning—the great opportunity really for us to reset our lives as human beings.” – Jack Kornfield

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Jack reveals how awakening your Soul Force—your inner strength, wisdom, and compassion—allows you to heal the world by offering your unique gift with courage and love.

Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Uncovering your unique gift and bringing it to the world
• Simple reflections of love amidst the reality of death
• How the sword is always beaten by the spirit
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's "Soul Force"
• The power of facing our fear of death
• Becoming a Spiritual Warrior of compassion
• Cultivating the confidence to face any challenge
• Speaking up for what matters to your heart
• The cause of evil and how to stop it at it's root
• The cause of abuse and how to stop it at it's root
• Learning how to respond to the suffering of the world
• Discovering freedom in yourself and the world around
• Cultivating the ability to face ourselves, our pains and sorrows
• Facing the truth of birth and death
• The revolutionary act of connecting with nature
• Connecting with the truth of the world
• Bearing witness and finding your heart's unique response
• Entering the world with freedom and love
• How each and every action counts
• A charming and funny Q&A section
• Chanting the mantra, "Ah"

"Each of us has our own unique gift to bring when it's the right time. It can't be an imitation. You can't do it like Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or whoever you might admire—it has to be your way." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk from 12/7/1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on Dharmaseed.

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Exploring the spiritual paradox of individual and universal responsibility, Jack helps us find balance between meditation and service in our daily lives.

This Dharma Talk from 12/7/1992 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on Dharmaseed.

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• The paradox of individual and universal responsibility
• What's the better spiritual practice—meditation or service?
• What exactly is individual, and what is the universe?
• Joanna Macy's painful yet healing trip to Chernobyl
• Becoming stewards of each other, the earth, and the future
• Distinguishing between freedom and it's near enemies
• Near enemies as fostering separation; freedom as interdependence
• How to respond to suffering authentically and helpfully
• Creating change blossoming from the human heart
• The radical act of "doing nothing and facing yourself"
• Dealing with the homelessness problem, warfare, environmental destruction
• Balancing "Don't just do something, sit there," and "Don't just sit there, there isn't time."
• Choosing between inner practice and outward service
• Following a true path with heart in this lifetime
• Vimala Thakar, Ajahn Chah, and Maha Ghosananda as beacons of peace
• The power of helping feed the hungry
• Navigating the up and down, inner and outer, cycles of spiritual life

"Every act counts. Each one of us has the power to affect the world." – Jack Kornfield

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Fostering the mind-body-heart connection, Jack shares how the healing breath reawakens the body and reconnects us with life.

This episode 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 of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Using breath to live wisely and simply in this complex human existence
• Good spiritual community as an island of peace and sanity
• Seeing past negative fear politics and news media
• A Charm to Use Against the Language of Politics
• The Buddha on mindfulness of your life breath
• Noting the subtle nuances of the breath in meditation
• "Buddha in the palm of your hand" technique
• Training the restless puppy of the mind
• Using breath to reconnect body, heart, and mind
• Short and simple guided breath practices
• What the Cross and the Circle represent
• Directing your breath to feel and open emotional wounds and dis-ease
• Reawakening your body, and reconnecting with life, through breathing

"Most of the destruction that modern society has caused in the world is the result of the mind being disconnected from the heart and the body." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk originally taking place on 11/2/1992 at Insight Meditation Society was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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Standing up for compassion in this powerful new Dharma Talk, Jack offers a steady spiritual rudder for navigating turbulent politics with the heart of a Bodhisattva.

Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in this online masterclass beginning April 7!

“It’s a time to get quiet and remember that you’re here for a beautiful purpose, oh Bodhisattvas. What better thing to do with your life?” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:

• Navigating this world's maelstrom of change from a deep spiritual rudder
• Returning from his trip to Asia; landing in Los Angeles on fire
• Samsara and the nature of uncertainty
• Creating a wise society based on mutual care
• Trading our personal and cultural anxiety for imagination and hope
• Alison Luterman's heart-opening poem, Praise the Broken Promise of America
• Using the Dharma to move past Liberal versus Conservative
• How to help the vulnerable in the world
• Remembering your best values as things change
• Grounding yourself, steadying your heart, and remaining hopeful
• Bringing peace to this world, developing metta, and supporting what's good
• Taking the long view, living with integrity, virtue, and imagination
• Joining together with your community to stand up for compassion
• Being hopeful and helpful through difficult times
• Living like a Bodhisattva—offering support, compassion, loving kindness

“Take the long view—your intention, heart, and mind in all the cycles of birth and death. That deep intention of wisdom creates what’s possible for a wise society. It becomes a rudder through difficult times.” – Jack Kornfield

“When a society treats its members with respect, cares for the weak and vulnerable among them and tends the natural world around… it can be expected to prosper and not decline.” – Mahāparinibbāna Sutta

This Dharma Talk was originally recorded for the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Monday Night Talk and Meditation on 2/10/25.

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