Jack Kornfield illuminates the fertile darkness of winter solstice as he talks about why it’s the perfect time to start anew and let what truly matters in your heart come into the light.
The Gaze of Love
Welcome to the fertile darkness of winter solstice. Jack explores the cultural anxiety of the present moment, and how we all have the capacity to be present for it through our Buddha-nature. He talks about his time with Ram Dass at the Open Your Heart in Paradise Retreat, and how Ram Dass cast a gaze of love upon everyone there.
“You can play with awareness itself, and with a lens of the heart you can start to see the beauty in everybody.” – Jack Kornfield
Lama Surya Das talks about how we are all Buddhas by Nature on Awakening Now Ep. 75
The Cheapest Room in the House (17:27)
Jack recounts his time with Father Greg Boyle, who runs a gang-intervention program. He talks about how we can see the humanity in every person if we look with our heart, and how fear is the cheapest room in the house. We must be unafraid to be happy, unafraid to love.
“We’re all both very fortunate, and we’re unfortunate. That’s how it is being a human being. But in the middle of that, we each have the possibility for greater compassion, greater love, greater presence, greater wakefulness, greater freedom in ourselves.” – Jack Kornfield
Start Anew (35:43)
We must also be unafraid to make a difference in the world. Jack talks about joining something that matters and planting your unique seeds. He explains why winter solstice is the perfect time to start anew and ends the show with a LovingKindness practice.
“With this solstice and with the darkness, it’s called fertile darkness, the things that really matter in your heart can come more into the light.” – Jack Kornfield
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