Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Exploring healing through meditation, Jack shares on kundalini, addiction, suffering, and the transformation of having an ‘in body experience.’

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.

“You have heard of ‘out of the body experiences,’ but what we’re after is something more unusual and important, an ‘in the body experience.'” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully illuminates:

• Finding strength, wakefulness, and compassion amidst it all
• The Coconut Monk and the Jesus-Buddha connection
• Finding compassion and joy despite suffering and war
• Healing—what it is, how it arises, and how we can connect with it
• Listening and respect as the ground for healing
• Finding and living a path with heart
• Mindfulness, breath, attention, noting, and the Buddha
• Meditation and having an ‘in-body experience’
• Kundalini and opening the energy body
• Learning to handle both pleasure and pain
• Buddha and finding the Middle Way
• The healing of reconnecting with our senses and world around us
• What addictions really mean in an addicted society
• Facing our suffering as the gateway to the precious mystery of life
• Reading children’s direct messages to God

“There’s a healing that comes just in reconnecting with the senses and the world around us.” – Jack Kornfield

“As we begin to practice together, we can sense that meditation and spiritual work is to bring a heartfelt awareness to our life, and out of this there comes an awakening or opening, which we call healing.” – Jack Kornfield

Discover your great joy and love in Jack’s life-changing new online journey – The Awakened Heart: Discovering Great Joy and Love – Sign up by Sept 9 to take part in two live Q&A's with Jack.

This episode recorded in late December 1991 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.

Deeply unveiling the Buddha’s transformative miracle of awakening, Jack provides a comprehensive guide to finding freedom in everyday life.

Discover your great joy and love in Jack's life-changing new online journey beginning Sept 9 – 'The Awakened Heart: Discovering Your Great Joy and Love'

“We’re asked to discover in this dance the possibility of awakening in the midst of our life, to turn what we do into something sacred.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• What happened to the Buddha when he sat under the Bodhi Tree
• What Buddha’s enlightenment means for the world
• Bodh Gaya and the possibility of awakening through nature
• Buddha’s path as a yogi, and how he dealt with his spiritual powers
• Buddha's miracle of awakening and education
• Reflections and questions from the Buddha for how you are living
• Keeping freshness and “beginner’s mind” in your practice
• Parenting, schooling, and the different styles of education
• Finding freedom in the difficulties and direct circumstances of your life
• The real possibility of awakening in the midst of life
• The Ten Paramitas, Buddhism’s Ten Perfections
• What walking meditation is actually about
• Why Thich Nhat Hanh does everything slowly and mindfully
• Patience, listening, and presence
• Spiritual life as the education of awakening
• Listening deeply for the Tao, Dharma, truth

“Spiritual life kindles in us an interest, an attention, a passion to awaken.” – Jack Kornfield

“Meditation is the art of doing what we do and bringing our senses, our heart, our whole being to that.” – Jack Kornfield

This episode recorded on 10/01/1990 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 fresh Dharma Talk, Jack reveals how listening from the heart can empower you to transform yourself and the world.

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.

“Difficult times call on our best spirit.” – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• Navigating life skillfully through difficult times
• How we can change ourselves and the world through true listening
• The two dimensions of mindfulness: Sati (mindful presence) and Sampajanna (mindful response)
• How deep listening leads to compassionate response
• Using our difficulties as doorways of opportunity to help us awaken
• Reflecting on how we respond to the troubles of the world
• The art of listening and how it brings us into the present moment
• How taking a “sacred pause” leads to more possibilities
• The childlike playfulness and joy between His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu
• Jack tells a transformational and moving story of Dr. Yeshi Dhonden, the miraculous Tibetan physician.
• How all the problems and conflicts of the world are symptoms, and the solution is in the human heart
• Activism, service, and helping with an open heart
• Listening deeply to sense the universal truths of reality
• The powerful prayer of Black Elk, the mystical Lakota medicine man
• Listening inwardly, tending the heart, and honing your intuition

“The very difficulties you have are the place that truly awakens the heart.” – Jack Kornfield

“Quiet the mind, take time, tend the heart, listen inwardly, listen to one another, listen to the earth—and you will know what to do.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk originally took place for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation on 4/15/24. To join his next livestream, please check out Jack’s events calendar.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this special episode originally airing on television’s Thinking Allowed series, Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Jack Kornfield about meditation, mindfulness, and self-acceptance.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack’s newsletter for weekly free content from JackKornfield.com – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more! JackKornfield.com/newsletter

“The purpose of meditation is to make people happy.” – Jack Kornfield

In this special television episode, Jeffrey Mishlove interviews Jack about:

• How western psychology and science fits together with eastern spirituality and meditation
• Whether Jack preferred getting his Ph.D. or his time at the Buddhist monastery
• The three aspects of Buddhist practice: generosity, ethics/virtue, training of heart/mind
• How what we practice, positive or negative, grows in our life
• Spiritual bypass and mediation as an escape
• Vipassana meditation and seeing clearly
• Overcoming the “near enemies” in Buddhism
• Equanimity, balance, centering, and fearlessness
• Meditation in action and engaging mindfully with the world
• Facing our fears and confronting ourselves in meditation practice
• Self-acceptance and learning to care for oneself
• Not being so afraid of what’s painful
• Uncovering the basic mechanics of meditation
• Releasing tensions, unskillful concepts, and our limited sense of self
• Psychic abilities and intuition
• Awareness and moving past our thoughts
• Using meditation to relate deeper to your inner life

“Meditative awareness has a healing quality to it.” – Jeffrey Mishlove

“One of the tenets of Buddhism is that the heart, body, and mind can all be trained. That is, if you practice something, it will gradually grow in your life.” – Jack Kornfield

About Jeffrey Mishlove:

Jeffrey Mishlove, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist, an accomplished radio and television interviewer, and one of the most erudite and articulate personalities on television. Jeffrey holds the only doctoral diploma in parapsychology to be awarded by an accredited American university. Learn more about Dr. Mishlove and his ongoing offerings and interviews at newthinkingallowed.com

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unraveling the mystery of who you truly are, Jack reveals mindfulness as the gateway to liberation within the ever-changing river of 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.

“Mindfulness, in the Buddhist tradition, is said to be the gateway to liberation, the gateway to that which is eternal, to the timeless or the deathless.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• Mindfulness as the gateway to liberation
• The Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the Middle Way
• Sacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivity
• The prayer of Mad Bear, a magical Iroquois medicine man
• Overcoming worry in the present moment
• Rumi’s transformational poem, The Guest House
• Awareness of breath, body, mind states, feelings, dharma, and the laws of nature
• Using mindfulness as a vehicle to discover who we really are
• Eternity, time, timelessness, change, and becoming deathless
• What it was like when Thich Nhat Hanh visited Spirit Rock
• Entering the “river of life,” humanity’s collective pains, joys, etc
• Dealing with attachment, aversion, grief, and suffering
• Working spiritually with our dreams
• Stepping out of the bureaucracy of ego, thought, and mind
• The freedom of identifying with “the witness”
• Liberation as both practical and radical

“Reality comes out of nothing, exists according to certain patterns, and then disappears. To know this frees us. To not know it, we are bound. This recognition brings us face to face with the mystery.” – Jack Kornfield

“To become mindful is to become free, to have the capacity to step out of the rat race, the speed, the complexity and be who we are, be true to our hearts. There comes a great balance and ease with that. In any moment, we stop the war, we stop the conflict, we come back to be as the Buddha sits, as the Buddha walks, as the Buddha speaks, where we are, just present and alive.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 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 how to direct energy in a wise way, Jack shares how embracing Sacred Effort nourishes joy, ease, beauty, equanimity, mindfulness, and loving kindness in your life.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack’s newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter for weekly free content – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more!

"Right Effort, or Wise Energy, most fundamentally is the effort to pay attention, the effort to be present, awake, and see what is true in front of us. Out of all the kinds of efforts we can make, the most fundamental wise effort in spiritual life is to be where we are and see it clearly, to be conscious, or mindful." – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• Directing the energy of your life to be awake, aware, and present
• Seeing the Eightfold Path as a lotus or mandala
• Carlos Castaneda, impeccability, and becoming a spiritual warrior
• How to wake yourself up from sleepwalking through your life
• Having a full heart, deep attention, and clear seeing
• The two levels of spiritual friends and spiritual practice
• Using suffering to develop a wise heart
• Remembering death and impermanence
• What Jack taught his daughter about death
• Bowing to our difficult emotions and moving on
• Disentangling ourselves from greed, fear, and obsession
• Nourishing equanimity, ease, joy, beauty, and loving kindness
• Tending each moment as if you were planting a seed
• Balance and the Buddha stringing the lute
• Ramana Maharshi and the wisdom of letting go
• Making your life and activity an expression of the Tao

"The teaching of Right Effort or Wise Effort is a reminder of our nobility. It is a reminder of the human inspiration of spirit not just to get through our lives, but to honor it, to respect it, to be present for it, to delight in it." – Jack Kornfield

"Unclench the heart, steady yourself, and be present for things as they are, and then your activity becomes an expression of your awakening, it becomes a vehicle for the Tao." – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 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.

Revealing how to smoothly navigate the cycles of spiritual life in openness, stillness, and intimacy, Jack explores the transformative beauty of living the Dharma.

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.

“There are different cycles. They are natural for us. We breathe in and out. Our heart opens and closes. Your heart isn’t supposed to stay open all the time, even flowers close at night. So don’t get some idea you’re supposed to be some certain state or some certain way. It’s more about flexibility, listening, and honoring what cycle you are in in your life.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• Navigating the cycles of spiritual life
• Spiritual practice as a voyage, a journey
• Openness and the necessity of letting go
• What we can learn from the change of seasons
• Cultivating the courage to live a spiritual life
• Rumi’s poem of the wisdom of the bird in the trap
• The peace of rejecting nothing whatsoever
• How Jack had to work his way down the chakras instead of up
• Embodying and experiencing your feelings
• Stillness, simplicity, intimacy and reconnecting with the earth
• A perspective-shifting Buddhist meditation on death and good deeds
• Overcoming self-judgement and unworthiness
• Non-attachment and commitment in relationships
• A tantric master’s wisdom on overcoming burnout
• The Dalai Lama’s surprising advice to Jack

“When you look back over your life, what really matters is, ‘How well have I loved?’ And that love is never done in generalities. It’s always done in a moment with a tree, or a spider, or a person that you meet, or a person close to you.” – Jack Kornfield

“In some way in life, that’s all that people around us want if you look—people mostly just want to be listened to and acknowledged.” – Jack Kornfield

For free teachings and meditations from Jack delivered to your inbox weekly, along with new courses, upcoming events, and more, sign up for Jack's newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter

This Dharma Talk recorded on 7/14/1990 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.

Jack Kornfield delves into the simplicity of goodness and virtue in a talk spanning Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Amma-ji, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Napoleon, and Rumi.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Sign up for Jack’s newsletter for weekly free content from JackKornfield.com – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more.

“I believe within us, within the human heart and human consciousness, is an innate love of honesty and a joy in virtue, straightforwardness, and the simplicity of goodness.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• Buddhism, virtue, and the Five Precepts
• Ahimsa – the blessing of non-harming
• The chilling note Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche wrote when he escaped Tibet
• Taking a fearless moral inventory
• Honesty and the simplicity of goodness
• What Buddha learned in his past lives
• Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and standing up for truth
• Adi-Sila – spontaneous or innate virtue, the shining of the just heart
• The Tibetan Buddhist perspective on reincarnation
• Jack’s meeting with “hugging saint,” Amma-ji, archetype of the Divine Mother
• Finding your Buddha Nature, Tao, and Dharma
• Rumi’s brilliant poem about ducks
• Interdependence and connectedness
• Deep philosophical questions and contemplations from Jack
• Napoleon, the sword, and the spirit

“Meditation or spiritual life asks us to look at our actions and pay attention to how we actually live.” – Jack Kornfield

“We’re all in it together, we’re all connected, we all support one another.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 6/1/1990 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.

Teaching a nature retreat amidst softly chirping birds and cooling rain, Jack, Pema Chödrön, and Ajahn Sumedho illuminate joyful insights of monastic 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.

"Mostly what draws people to monastic life in the healthiest and best sense is its joy." – Jack Kornfield

In this special outdoor retreat, Jack, Pema Chödrön, and Ajahn Sumedho explore:

• Chanting the powerful seed syllable mantra, "Ah"
• Joys and misconceptions of monastic life in modern times
• Why someone would take vows and become a monk or nu
• Kabir's poetry, being human, and walking the spiritual path
• Sexuality and celibacy in spiritual communities
• Relating to both ultimate and relative reality
• Dealing with the body in physically taxing situations
• Working with injustice, inequality, and hierarchy within monasteries and spiritual institutions
• The nature of change and how our present creates our future
• Open-heartedness and open-mindedness
• Living the Dharma every second of our existence
• Letting our issues be our teachers
• A surprise Q&A appearance from Heart Wisdom family, Brother David Steindl-Rast, along with Ajahn Sundara, and Sister Columba

"Quite clearly the future is the result of how we work with our minds now. To the degree that we open our hearts and minds to the present moment, that creates our future." – Pema Chödrön

"I like to reflect that the Buddha only taught two things: suffering and the end of suffering." – Ajahn Sumedho

About Pema Chödrön:

Pema Chödrön is a Buddhist teacher in the lineage of Chögyam Trungpa. She served as the director of Karma Dzong, in Boulder, until moving in 1984 to rural Cape Breton, Nova Scotia to be the director of Gampo Abbey. Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche asked her to work towards the establishment of a monastery for western monks and nuns. Check out her new book, How We Live Is How We Die, and learn more at PemaChodronFoundation.org

About Ajahn Sumedho:

Ajahn Sumedho is a prominent teacher in the Thai Forest Tradition of Theravāda Buddhism. He was ordained in 1967, trained under Ajahn Chah, and has been instrumental in helping bring Buddha's teachings to the West. Learn more about Ajahn Sumedho in Teachings of a Buddhist Monk, including a forward by Jack.

This Dharma Talk recorded on 5/26/1990 on the land which would become 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.

Jack and trauma expert, Peter A Levine, PhD, map the path to healing through imagination, curiosity, somatic experiencing, and loving awareness.

Want fresh Jack teachings delivered to your inbox? Join Jack's newsletter for weekly free content from JackKornfield.com – guided meditations, Dharma Talks, articles, and more! Sign up at JackKornfield.com/newsletter

“Healing has to be coming together through the minute particulars in the body and in the story that’s actually our experience and not some idea about it.” – Jack Kornfield

In this fresh conversation, Jack and Dr. Levine dive into:

• Mapping trauma and the path to healing suffering
• A relaxing Jack “Just Here: Guided Meditation” on loving awareness
• How An Autobiography of Trauma led to Peter’s powerful healing journey
• Working with the astrological and Jungian archetype of Chiron, the Wounded Healer
• Somatic Experiencing and the roots of healing trauma in the body
• The transformative aspects of meeting trauma with loving kindness and persistence
• Curiosity as a necessary factor of enlightenment
• How the gift of Jack’s childhood trauma led him to discover Buddhism
• Imagination and Peter’s mystical meet-ups with Albert Einstein
• Miracles, intuition, and psychic premonition/knowing
• What Jack shared with his scientific-materialist atheist father on his deathbed
• Our inseparable connection and recognition that it’s always “us” in this web of life

“The whole notion that we are separate is a fabrication. We are in a field of consciousness.” – Jack Kornfield

About Peter A Levine, PhD:

Dr. Peter A. Levine has worked in the field of stress and trauma for over 40 years, is the developer of the Somatic Experiencing method, and founder of the Ergos Institute of Somatic Education. To connect more with Peter’s teachings, pick up a copy of his illuminating book, An Autobiography of Trauma: A Healing Journey, and sign up for his upcoming classes and programs at SomaticExperiencing.com

This conversation was originally filmed on 5/24/24 by the Ergos Institute of Somatic Experiencing as a community health somatic support benefit for MathMoms in Cape Town, South Africa. Learn more about this compassionate initiative here at mathmoms.co.za

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.