Joseph Goldstein discusses how working with fear is absolutely essential in our practice of understanding, opening, and accepting.
This 1983 dharma talk was originally published on Dharmaseed.
“What we’re doing in our practice is learning how to work with those experiences which often cause trouble, which often cause resistance, which we’re afraid of.” – Joseph Goldstein
This week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein teaches us about:
- Releasing tension through awareness
- The body as an energy system
- Opening up to the Buddha nature
- Working with fear and emotional pain
- Resistance and unwillingness to be uncomfortable
- Becoming open to pain and discomfort
- Insecurity and the fear of being judged
- How the fear of feeling certain emotions keeps us bound to negative habits
- How openness allows our hearts to be touched
- Death and fear of the unknown
- Being okay with being afraid
- Having space for fear without demands
- Lovingkindness as the antidote for fear
“Our path of practice, when rightly understood, is not the practice of the mind reaching out for anything, it’s not reaching out to become, rather it is a settling back and an opening up to our own nature, to the Buddha nature.” – Joseph Goldstein