Unraveling the mystery of who you truly are, Jack reveals mindfulness as the gateway to liberation within the ever-changing river of life.
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“Mindfulness, in the Buddhist tradition, is said to be the gateway to liberation, the gateway to that which is eternal, to the timeless or the deathless.” – Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:
- Mindfulness as the gateway to liberation
- The Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the Middle Way
- Sacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivity
- The prayer of Mad Bear, a magical Iroquois medicine man
- Overcoming worry in the present moment
- Rumi’s transformational poem, The Guest House
- Awareness of breath, body, mind states, feelings, dharma, and the laws of nature
- Using mindfulness as a vehicle to discover who we really are
- Eternity, time, timelessness, change, and becoming deathless
- What it was like when Thich Nhat Hanh visited Spirit Rock
- Entering the “river of life,” humanity’s collective pains, joys, etc
- Dealing with attachment, aversion, grief, and suffering
- Working spiritually with our dreams
- Stepping out of the bureaucracy of ego, thought, and mind
- The freedom of identifying with “the witness”
- Liberation as both practical and radical
“Reality comes out of nothing, exists according to certain patterns, and then disappears. To know this frees us. To not know it, we are bound. This recognition brings us face to face with the mystery.” – Jack Kornfield
“To become mindful is to become free, to have the capacity to step out of the rat race, the speed, the complexity and be who we are, be true to our hearts. There comes a great balance and ease with that. In any moment, we stop the war, we stop the conflict, we come back to be as the Buddha sits, as the Buddha walks, as the Buddha speaks, where we are, just present and alive.” – Jack Kornfield
This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.
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.
Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of new dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.
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 by Kelvin Valerio from Pexels