In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack embraces the great mystery of life and all it offers.
Show Notes
Sitting in the Mystery (Opening) – Jack explores the continuous change we find ourselves a part of in life, the inevitable turning of it all. In this whirlwind of samsara, we are offered the opportunity to take a pause and reflect back on the mystery of we find ourselves a part of.
“To come and meditate is to come and center ourselves. To step out of the busyness of our lives and come back to the mystery of our own breath, our own body, our own life in this great turning whirlwind; to find some still point in the center of it.”
Honoring Ourselves (16:30) – While our true nature is like that of the Buddha, we still must honor our uniqueness and individuality.
“You have to remember both your Buddha nature and your social security number. You have an individuality which is your unique race, history, tribe, the lessons you have learned and family that you have come from. But it is not all of who you are, you are greater than that. When it is misunderstood and people cling to it then you get racism, tribalism, and all the kinds of things where people forget that identity is only a limited part of who they are.”
Tending to the Mystery (24:30) – Jack examines how mindfulness practice teaches us to have wise relationships with the world and everything in it.
“When we pay attention to the stream of thoughts without getting lost in it, then it becomes possible to have wise relationship with those around us and the mysterious world we move through. With wise speech, wise action and wise livelihood there comes a kind of intimacy. Mindfulness is intimacy, to become intimate with the world.”
What Matters is Love (41:10) – We have the choice to allow our fear and pain to define us or to embrace the nature of loving awareness that is at the heart of all beings. Jack discusses what really matters and the importance of embracing that truth.
“You too have a choice. Your history is your history, it needs to be attended to and honored, but it is not who you are. Who you are is so much bigger than that.”
For more exploration of the mystery of life, check out this episode of the Ram Dass Here and Now podcast.
Amazon Recommendations
Subscribe to Jack Kornfield – Heart Wisdom: iTunes – RSS
Image via marukopum