Jack is joined on stage by Chade-Meng Tan for an exploration of how spiritual practice and the search inside ourselves can guide us through our human predicament.
Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader, movie producer, and philanthropist. Meng led the creation of a groundbreaking mindfulness-based emotional intelligence course at Google called Search Inside Yourself and is work has received eight nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize. Learn more about Meng at chademeng.com.
Our Human Predicament
The Buddha recognized something very important about what happens when we practice the teachings of the Dharma. The closer to the Dharma we get, the more our inherent suffering will diminish. Jack looks at how we can begin searching for our suffering by searching inside ourselves.
“This is the predicament we find ourselves in. We have this magnificent human incarnation. Yet at the same time, it is not terribly reliable.” – Jack Kornfield
Happiness From The Inside Out (15:15)
Meng reflects on the benefits of each of the branches of Buddhist practice. He shares the layers of his own practice and how each of them affects his happiness, equanimity, and joy.
The Steps Of Practice (28:13)
We explore the steps of practice that lead to the ultimate end of Dharma. Meng looks at the way that way our emotions change as we begin to alleviate our own suffering through practice.
“Once you are able to quiet the mind, you have a highly sustainable source of happiness. My friends, that is a life-changing insight. That suggests that happiness is not something we pursue, happiness is already there. Happiness is something we access, something we allow. Once you understand that, it changes everything in life. This is only the first step of practice – and it gets better.” – Chade-Meng Tan
Taking It Easy On Ourselves (48:00)
There is a particularly difficult road ahead for Westerners as we begin the path of practice. Jack speaks about the quality of self-hatred and lack of compassion we tend to reserve for ourselves. Looking at how necessary it is to practice loving-kindness for ourselves if we ever hope to find happiness, peace, and love for others.
Subscribe to Jack Kornfield – Heart Wisdom: iTunes – RSS
Image via marukopum