Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein

Joseph Goldstein delves into the concepts of loving-kindness, compassion, and the fear of discomfort. He highlights the transformative power of loving-kindness, mindfulness, and compassion in overcoming fears and limitations, ultimately fostering genuine happiness.

This dharma talk, recorded on February 18, 1997, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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In this lecture, Joseph:

• Affirms that at the depths of our hearts and minds there is a basic reservoir of goodwill
• Defines mettā, or loving-kindness, as the basic generosity of the heart
• Takes note of the “upward spiral” of happiness that mindfulness and loving-kindness promotes
• Reminds us to stay open to suffering and
• Ruminates upon the empty nature of fear itself

“If you keep shining your compassion and understanding on it, your fear will soon crack and you will be able to look into its depths and see its roots.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Joseph Goldstein expounds upon the relationship between thought and emotion as it relates to both our spiritual practice and our daily lives.

This dharma talk, recorded on June 4, 2013, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this lecture, Joseph:

• Dissects the nuanced meaning of the Pali word sati, often translated as "mindfulness"
• Highlights the importance of applying mindfulness to both skillful and unskillful thoughts
• Helps us understand the very nature of thought
• Outlines the inherent connection between thoughts and emotional responses
• Proposes that we stay open to afflictive emotions without identifying with them

"When we engage with thoughts and emotions from a place of interest and a place of investigation, a place of inquiry, we can see them all arise and pass away in this open sky of the mind." - Joseph Goldstein

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Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern. 

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Joseph Goldstein investigates the links between suffering, compassion, and the concept of the self.

This dharma talk, recorded on July 2, 1994, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this talk, Joseph:

• Breaks down the three kinds of suffering according to the Buddha
• Advises us to remain open to suffering, reminding us that avoiding or resisting pain and unpleasant mind states only serves to feed them
• Posits that compassion grows from letting suffering in
• Proposes that we drop into the flow of existence
• Asserts that the root cause of suffering is our deeply conditioned senses of self 

“When we’re associated with what we don’t want, it’s suffering. And when we are separated from what we do want, it’s suffering. And this is the push-pull happening throughout our lives.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Joseph Goldstein dissects the Buddha’s most simple but fundamental lessons: to avoid what is unwholesome, to perform good actions, and to purify the mind.

This dharma talk, recorded on September 26, 1991, was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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In this talk, Joseph:

• Acknowledges that even the most simple lessons are not easy
• Breaks down the three unwholesome actions of the body, the four unwholesome actions of speech, and the three unwholesome actions of mind
• Touches on the Hindu concept of punya, or doing meritorious actions to plant the seeds of happiness
• Maintains that there is a wisdom in fearing danger
• Provides us with examples of wholesome actions that we can perform

“Avoid what is unwholesome, perform good actions, purify the mind. This is the teachings of all the Buddhas.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Joseph Goldstein dissects the concept of meditation from the what, to the why, to the how.

This dharma talk was recorded on July 8, 2007, at the Insight Meditation Society and was originally published on Dharma Seed.

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In this talk, Joseph:

• Demystifies meditation
• Asks, “Why do we meditate?” and “How do we meditate?”
• Emphasizes the importance of settling down the mind to achieve real clarity and stillness
• Reminds us that meditation is not only about blissful feelings
• Identifies the relationship between our bodies and our minds
• Advocates for the acceptance and awareness of our own thoughts

“Meditation is not about whether it’s pleasant or unpleasant. It’s about how aware we are, how mindful we are.” - Joesph Goldstein

Discover the transformative practice of teaching mindfulness in a new FREE 30-page ebook by Senior Buddhist teacher and Emmy award-winning musician, David Nichtern. 

With its blend of humor, wisdom, and accessible approach, The Art of Teaching Mindfulness ebook is a must-read for anyone interested in sharing the life-changing practices of mindfulness with others.

Already downloaded by over 15k people, visit dharmamoon.com/ebook to get YOUR free copy of The Art of Teaching Mindfulness!

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Joseph Goldstein examines the mental factor of equanimity through the lens of the Eight Vicissitudes and the brahmavihārā.

This dharma talk from April 17, 2012, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this lecture, Joseph:

• Defines equanimity as neutrality of mind and the quality of evenness
• Draws a distinction between indifference of mind and spacious impartiality
• Examines the eight vicissitudes (gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute, pleasure and pain)
• Considers the spiritual implications of living in servitude to the inevitably changing conditions of our lives
• Places equanimity in the context of lovingkindness, compassion, and joy, i.e. the other divine abodes, or brahmavihārā
• Reminds us that no situation is outside of our practice

“When we have equanimity, when both attachment and aversion are absent, then everything in our experiences becomes clear and undisguised.”

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In this episode, Joseph Goldstein reflects on the meaning of emptiness on the spiritual path and examines ways in which we can work toward enlightenment.

This dharma talk was recorded on April 16, 1989, and was originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this talk, Joseph touches on:

• The meaning of emptiness
• The such-ness of things
• The 10,000 joys, the 10,000 sorrows, and opening ourselves up to the whole range of experience
• The Taoist dichotomy between non-action and inaction
• Taking interest in the phenomenon of thoughts, emotions, experiences, and situations
• Being simple and easy in our practice

“If we’re simple and easy in our practice, our lives become simple and easy. Can you be simple and easy in your practice, just with what is?” – Joseph Goldstein

About Joseph Goldstein:

Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and loving-kindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

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Joseph Goldstein continues his discussion of bodhicitta – the awakened heart.

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In this lecture, Joseph:

• Reminds us that obstructions and defilements of thought are not intrinsic to the mind
• Provides us with a methodology for freeing ourselves from entanglement and attachment
• Compares the clinging mind to ice and the luminous mind to water
• Recognizes the causal relationship between mindfulness and compassion 
• Teaches us that how we feel and respond to situations is up to us
• Maintains that cultivating compassion is a process that comes with daily practice

“The development of love and compassion is a wide, round curve that can be negotiated only slowly. Not a sharp corner that can be turned all at once. It comes with daily practice.”

This dharma talk from June 12, 2015, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed.

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Joseph Goldstein discusses enlightenment through the lens of the aspirational mental quality of bodhicitta – the awakened heart.

This dharma talk from June 8, 2015, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed

In this lecture, Joseph:

• Teaches us that there are two understandings of bodhicitta: relative bodhicitta, which is compassion, and ultimate bodhicitta, which is selflessness
• Highlights the spiritual importance of cultivating both compassion and selflessness
• Ruminates on the challenges of living in our conventional, ordinarily understood reality
• Reminds us that the ungovernability of life is the nexus between dukkha and freedom
• Describes the union of emptiness and clarity
• Recognizes the need for a gradual cultivation of awareness

“The mind’s nature is vivid as a flawless piece of crystal. Intrinsically empty, naturally radiant and ceaselessly responsive.”

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Joseph Goldstein explores the nexus between thought patterns, sense pleasures, renunciation, addiction, and the wisdom of "No".

This dharma talk from October 24, 2012, was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society and originally published on Dharma Seed.

In this lecture, Joseph:

• Encourages us to examine the content and nature of our own thoughts
• Maintains that our actions are conditioned by how we think about ourselves and how we think about the world
• Advocates for cultivating wholesome thoughts and letting go of unwholesome ones.
• Considers the rewards of renunciation
• Emphasizes the importance of saying “no” on the spiritual path

“So often in spiritual practice and in our path and in spiritual scenes, we emphasize the yes. It’s the yes of acceptance, the yes of openness, the yes of receptivity, the yes of fullness of experience. So this is all an essential part of our practice. This yes is often the antidote to self judgment, self criticism, to contraction, to limitation. It’s like we’re learning to open, we’re saying yes to experience yes to the world.

But there is also a wisdom in ‘no,’ recognizing that some things are not skillful, are not helpful, they’re not leading to happiness or to our well being. And in these times, we can practice saying, ‘no thanks,’ I’ll pass on this one.” – Joseph Goldstein

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