Jack returns for an illuminating Dharma Talk exploring the deep human longing for the wedding of body and spirit.
This Dharma Talk from Spirit Rock Meditation Center on 09/11/2000 was originally published on DharmaSeed.org
“The invitation of spiritual life, of awareness or mindfulness—we could call it a sacred attention—is not to hurry up, fix, or make this human realm perfect or better. Nor is it to ignore it, but rather to awaken to what is each day as we meet it in our bodies, in our hearts, in our minds, in our family, in our community on this earth – to see it how it is, and to illuminate it with the heart, to illuminate it with our understanding and compassion, to find the basket of spirit that is here, and let that spirit shine in this human realm.” – Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack dives into:
- An old African wisdom story of a shepherd, his cattle, a dark forest, a lover, and a magic basket
- Life, death, void, silence, and opening to the great mystery
- Perception, consciousness, and Buddha’s wisdom that mind is the principle element of creation
- Listening, truth, timelessness, and The One Who Knows
- The balance and connection between spirit and form
- Rumi and the deep human longing to wed body and spirit
- Buddha and the teachings of compassion
- Breath, wholeness, and the eternal present
- Moving past the fear body by breaking through the myth of seperation
“We can see that the sense that we are separate from all things is a myth, is a fiction. This body, heart, and mind are interconnected. This breath, this being of cells that replenish themselves everyday is the water that rains and the food of the earth…. You begin to sense the whole idea of, ‘This is me, and that is other,’ is simply untrue. And with this, the small sense of self drops away. We all know this, the beauty of when the body of fear drops away and we realize not just as an idea, but as an experience, that love connects us with everything.” – Jack Kornfield
About Jack Kornfield:
Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as. a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.
Listen to more from Jack:
Tune into Ep. 109 of Heart Wisdom: This Too Shall Pass
Learn about Living with a Peaceful Heart in Ep. 91 of Heart Wisdom
Check out Ep. 90 of Heart Wisdom to learn about Healing Through Loving Awareness
Listen to more Stories That Open the Mind, Mend the Heart and Lead to Joy with Jack Kornfield in Ep.92 of Heart Wisdom
Tune into Ep. 102 of Heart Wisdom: The Wisdom of the One Who Knows
Check out Ep. 1 of Heart Wisdom to gain wisdom on Impermanence
Graphics by Benjavisa Ruangvaree Art