Embracing Life Through Loving-Kindness with Jack Kornfield, Ph.D.

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Every life brings sufferings and setbacks. When life deals its most terrible blows, however, we also receive its greatest gift: We stop to consider the purpose of being human, and begin to discover what is important and meaningful in life. We learn compassion, which frees us from selfish confusion and allows us to act simply and effectively. What Buddhists call “loving-kindness” begins to find an opening into our lives. It is in the midst of our everyday distractions and concerns that this principle becomes most meaningful. Hear about how this truly can happen, in our own lives, in the words of Jack Kornfield, one of the most beloved and well-known teachers of Vipassana Buddhism. Presented here is not only inspiration that brings out the deep “yes” from our hearts, but practical advice for how to carry out this inspiration to heal our daily life. And, as Kornfield reminds us, “The healing of ourselves is the same as the healing of the world.” (hosted by Michael Toms)

Bio

Jack Kornfield, Ph.D. is an internationally renowned meditation teacher and one of the leaders in introducing Buddhist practice and psychology to the West. After graduating in Asian studies from Dartmouth College, he joined the Peace Corps and later trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma, and India. Kornfield is a cofounder of Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. A husband, father, and activist, he also holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and regularly gives seminars to mental health professionals.

He’s the author of:

• A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life (Bantam 1993)
• The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace (Bantam 2008)
• The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology (Bantam 2008)

To learn more about the work of Jack Kornfield go to www.jackkornfield.org.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• How to foster loving-kindness in our own life
• What is the meaning of true compassion and awakened spiritual potential
• What are the near enemies that masquerade as virtues
• What are the two basic questions that arise at the end of life
• How parenting can be a spiritual practice
• What are the gifts we can find in great loss and sorrow
• What are some questions children ask God
• What are some practices to develop forgiveness and loving-kindness
• How may we mature beyond spiritual idealism

Host: Michael Toms      Interview Date: 3/17/1994      Program Number: 2452

Music Included

From Album: Wisdom of The Wood
Artist: various
1991 Narada Lotus #ND 61029

From Album: Suite St Petersburg
Artist: Kostia
Narada #ND 61040
Tracks: Sunrise, Secret Garden