Getting vulnerable about the hungers which afflict our lives, Jack helps us into the nirvana beyond the illusion of incompleteness.
This Dharma Talk from 02/01/1987 was originally published on DharmaSeed.
“In Sanskrit or Pali the word is ‘Trishna,’ which means thirst, desire, wanting. It’s exaggeration, or the realm that it manifests in in the greatest way, is called ‘The Realm of the Hungry Ghosts.’ Hungry Ghosts are pictured as these beings who have huge stomachs and tiny little mouths, so that it’s never possible to get enough in there to ease that hunger.” – Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack vulnerably navigates:
- Hunger, abundance, deprivation, indulgence, addiction, and the illusion of incompleteness
- Feeling idiotic, depressed, needy, judgmental, sad, lonely, hungry, etc
- Trishna—thirst, desire, wanting—and the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts
- Samsara and the propulsion of endless wanderings of separation/seeking
- Ajahn Chah and being with what is, rather than struggling against it
- Relating wisely and tenderly to Buddha’s First Noble Truth of suffering
- Nirvana as the end of cyclical grasping and the illusion that we are incomplete
“Nirvana is the end of cyclic existence, which is to say, the end of grasping and going around in circles looking for something that you are, but haven’t yet touched—the end of the illusion that we are incomplete.” – Jack Kornfield
Grab an All-Access Plan for Jack’s growing library of online courses at jackkornfield.com/all-access-pass
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.
Dive into Jack’s ongoing dharma offerings and transformational online courses on the new JackKornfield.com
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
Photo via Sergey Chumakov