Exploring the spiritual paradox of individual and universal responsibility, Jack helps us find balance between meditation and service in our daily lives.
Learn the Dynamic Art of Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield in this online masterclass beginning April 7!
“The only way that freedom, justice, goodness can come to human beings is not by political or economic change, which never works, but by the transformation of the heart.” – Jack Kornfield
In this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack mindfully explores:
- The paradox of individual and universal responsibility
- What’s the better spiritual practice—meditation or service?
- What exactly is individual, and what is the universe?
- Joanna Macy’s painful yet healing trip to Chernobyl
- Becoming stewards of each other, the earth, and the future
- Distinguishing between freedom and its near enemies
- Near enemies as fostering separation; freedom as interdependence
- How to respond to suffering authentically and helpfully
- Creating change blossoming from the human heart
- The radical act of “doing nothing and facing yourself”
- Dealing with the homelessness problem, warfare, environmental destruction
- Balancing “Don’t just do something, sit there,” and “Don’t just sit there, there isn’t time.”
- Choosing between inner practice and outward service
- Following a true path with heart in this lifetime
- Vimala Thakar, Ajahn Chah, and Maha Ghosananda as beacons of peace
- The power of helping feed the hungry
- Navigating the up and down, inner and outer, cycles of spiritual life
“How can you divide meditation and service? As a lover of life, I can make no distinction, I can keep out of no field of life.” – Vimala Thakar
“Every act counts. Each one of us has the power to affect the world.” – Jack Kornfield
This Dharma Talk from 12/7/1992 at Insight Meditation Society 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.
Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a years worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield