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.

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

In this talk, Joseph:Demystifies meditationAsks, “Why do we meditate?” and “How do we meditate?”Emphasizes the importance of settling down the mind to achieve real clarity and stillnessReminds us that meditation is not only about blissful feelingsIdentifies the relationship between our bodies and our mindsAdvocates 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!

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

Ep. 183 – The Why and How of Practice

Joseph Goldstein has been a leading light for the practice of Insight and Loving Kindness meditation since his days in India and Burma where he studied with eminent masters of the tradition. In his podcast, The Insight Hour, Joseph delivers these essential mindfulness teachings in a practical and down to earth way that illuminates the practice through his own personal experience and wonderful story telling. 


Society & Culture

Personal Journals

History

Philosophy

Places & Travel

Religion & Spirituality

Other

Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

Joseph Goldstein meets us at the constellation of self, the duality of self, and the need for mindfulness.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self.

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein gets into: Duality and how it relates to our meditation practiceThe fundamental split of object and subjectLimitations from perceiving ourselves as separatePersona and the identification we have with the worldThe progression from fullness/oneness to constrictionHaving compassion for the shadow sideHow fear desire, and attachment, make us more attached to our sense of selfBeing imprisoned and conditioned by dualistic perceptionThe integration of mind and body and love for all experience as the connectorFrom the ego center to the zero centerBeing totally honest with what is happeningMindfulness as the tool to stop identificationThe power of renunciation and restraintThis 2005 dharma talk was originally published by Dharmaseed

“As long as we are identified with that sense of self in the mind, that identification creates fear, attachment, separation, comparing. If there’s an “I”, if there’s a self, then we have to defend it, we have to protect it, we have to gratify it, and our whole lives revolve around this particular identification.” – Joseph Goldstein




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

Ep. 199 – Self And Selfless

Joseph Goldstein discusses how working with fear is absolutely essential in our practice of understanding, opening, and accepting.

This 1983 dharma talk was originally published on Dharmaseed.

This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein teaches us about: Releasing tension through awarenessThe body as an energy systemOpening up to the Buddha natureWorking with fear and emotional painResistance and unwillingness to be uncomfortableBecoming open to pain and discomfortInsecurity and the fear of being judgedHow the fear of feeling certain emotions keeps us bound to negative habitsHow openness allows our hearts to be touchedDeath and fear of the unknownBeing okay with being afraidHaving space for fear without demandsLovingkindness as the antidote for fear“What we’re doing in our practice is learning how to work with those experiences which often cause trouble, which often cause resistance, which we’re afraid of.” – Joseph Goldstein

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

Ep. 198 – Facing Our Fears

Offering instruction for metta practice, Joseph Goldstein explains the many flavors of loving-kindness that we can try.

This 2018 talk was originally published on Dharmaseed.

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein explicates: The unconditional quality of mettaHelping each other see our individual lovelinessUsing mantra to evoke the feeling of loving-kindnessMetta as a tool for deep concentrationExperimenting with the different ways metta can be applied in meditationThe three aspects of practicing of loving-kindnessA 12-minute guided metta practice to settle into the feeling of well-wishing“There are two main purposes for doing metta meditation. One is metta, or loving-kindness, which can be used as a vehicle for developing concentration. So, not only for the metta quality itself, but it is a technique or a method for developing strong concentration, even to the point of absolution.” – Joseph Goldstein




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

Ep. 197 – Flavors of Loving-Kindness

Guiding us in three short, guided meditations, Joseph Goldstein helps us break down our identification with the body and the self.

This talk from the Insight Meditation Society was originally published on Dharmaseed.

 In this episode of Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein guides us in: Accessing deeper meditative states outside of a retreatTurbo-charging our practice through shorter meditations we can do in our daily livesFinding the mental areas where our mistaken sense of self is createdListening to sounds and considering the ‘knowing’ rather than being a “knower”Breaking through the identification we have with the bodyDirectly experiencing bodily sensations and their changing natureWatching our thoughts and being aware in their moment of arisingEnlivening our understanding of the Buddha’s teaching through a combination of practices“This exercise allows us to see the selfless nature of thought and gives us the ability to choose which are helpful, which are not. Which do I act on, which do I let go of.” – Joseph Goldstein

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

Ep. 196 – Guided Meditation: Busy Life, No-Self

Focusing on equanimity and compassion, Joseph Goldstein teaches about staying open and responsive to collective and individual suffering.

This talk from the Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on Dharmaseed.

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

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein divulges : How to stay open and responsive while experiencing both individual and global challengesCompassion and equanimity as tools to work with difficultiesThe definition of equanimity and seeing all things as a wholeEquanimity as the basis of wise discernment and skillful responsivenessRe-framing difficult experiences as an opportunity to practice opennessAn invitation to look within rather than blaming outside forcesExamining what emotions are underneath our reactionsLetting go of the illusion of being in controlAccepting our feelings instead of allowing them to limit usFreeing ourselves through the awareness of impermanenceHow compassion arises out of our willingness to come close to sufferingSorrow as the near enemy of compassionHaving humility on our path to explore equanimity and compassion“Equanimity gives us the foundation, the ability to approach the suffering without reactivity. And compassion, precisely arises out of the willingness to come close to suffering.” – Joseph Goldstein




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

Ep. 183 – The Why and How of Practice

Download our free app to listen on your phone