Ep. 325 – Being Here Now in Loving Awareness: Staying Present in a World of Upheaval

How do we hold life’s unbearable beauty and ocean of tears? Exploring the education of the heart, Jack Kornfield shares Buddhist wisdom for meeting troubled times with steadiness, compassion, and courage. This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield explores: Holding the beauty and suffering of the world together Why technological progress needs an accompanying education of the heart Joanna Macy’s Great Turning and the shift toward interconnection Ajahn Chah’s unexpected guidance on understanding anger Becoming a calm and centered presence during a crisis Supporting Bill Ford through the 2008 financial meltdown The Four Noble Truths and the possibility of inner freedom Beginning loving-kindness where the heart opens naturally Moving beyond self-judgment into mindful loving awareness Finding sacred connection in ordinary encounters Love, compassion, shared joy, and spacious awareness Remaining present through illness, grief, and loss The Dalai Lama’s determination to preserve his happiness Mindfulness when the past is painful and the future uncertain The Bodhisattva path and writing a personal vow of care “The outer technology of the world has to be matched by an inner technology of the heart.” –Jack Kornfield This episode was originally recorded at Stanford University for The Ho Center for Buddhist Studies’ T.T. & W.F. Chao “Buddhism and Contemporary Society Series” About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield, PhD, trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now! “The Bodhisattva says, ‘my road, my life, my energy is all committed to alleviating suffering and the well-being of whoever I meet, whatever I see.’” –Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring love as a spiritual practice, Jack Kornfield shares how Ram Dass grew into a living field of love and how we can cultivate that same loving awareness within ourselves. This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield explores: Ram Dass becoming the loving presence people always imagined him to be Krishna Das, Maharaj-ji, and the power of seeing others with the eyes of love Why love is not merely something that happens to us Cultivating lovingkindness through intentional spiritual practice Sharon Salzberg’s discovery that metta practice was transforming her heart Practicing lovingkindness for strangers in everyday life Seeing the original innocence and Buddha nature within others The Dalai Lama’s teaching on befriending the enemy How love transforms into compassion, joy, and equanimity Impermanence and the preciousness of what we love Moving beyond judgment into loving awareness Embracing the body, heart, and mind with kindness Listening for what is asking for love “Ram Dass became love. He wasn’t just a teacher anymore. Whoever you were and whatever was brought to him, he would sit in a field of love and see you with the eyes of love.” –Jack Kornfield This episode was originally recorded as part of Jack Kornfield and Trudy Goodman’s course, How to Thrive in Love: Buddhist Secrets to Transform Your Relationships. Learn more and join! About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now! “The good news is you don’t run out of love. When you offer and share it, it actually grows. How cool is that?” –Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Through a humbling story of Sri Nisargadatta and a guided meditation on loving awareness, Jack shows how love can become large enough to hold the full mystery of our human experience. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self. This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield explores: Eclipses, the mystery of the cosmos, and the Music of the Spheres Finding balance as an ongoing dance rather than a destination Why love does not require us to eliminate fear A humbling encounter with Sri Nisargadatta and the wisdom of remaining a student Resilience as a love large enough to hold our imperfect humanity Moving beyond servant leadership to become a servant of love Uncovering what your heart is asking you to serve Remembering the wisdom and compassion already living within us Resting in the spaciousness of loving awareness “What does the heart ask you to serve?” –Jack Kornfield This episode was originally recorded as part of Jack’s yearlong program, Living the Dharma in a Troubled World, with monthly livestream Q&As and themed lessons. Learn more and join! About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now! “That’s part of what brings resilience: not the ideal of how we’re supposed to be, but the fact that love can be big enough to hold it all.” –Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein explore how loving awareness helps us meet each moment as a friend, soften into aging and impermanence, and rediscover connection through simple acts of generosity and love. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self. This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares: Meeting each moment fully and as a friend by relaxing the body, quieting reactivity, and bringing kindness to whatever arises Sylvia’s honest and humorous reflections on aging, mortality, losing independence, and adapting to life in a senior living community Transforming crankiness and loneliness How small acts of generosity—sharing figs, holding a stranger’s hand, or simply noticing another person—can transform crankiness, fear, and loneliness Bringing mindfulness and loving-kindness together, staying amazed by life’s impermanence, and recognizing love as our deepest response to being alive This episode was originally recorded for a special Spirit Rock Monday Night Meditation and Talk in July 2026 celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th Birthday. Watch the next one at SpiritRock.org About Sylvia Boorstein: Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught Dharma and mindfulness since 1985. A psychologist, author, and gifted storyteller, she makes Buddhist teachings accessible by emphasizing that everyday life is mindfulness practice. Her work integrates meditation, kindness, engaged citizenship, and social activism. Learn more about Sylvia at SylviaBoorstein.com. “May I meet this moment fully means: Here I am. I’m awake. What’s going on? And may I meet it as a friend means: May I meet it with my body relaxed, my mind relaxed, and be able to really see what’s happening—not pushing it away. May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend” –Sylvia Boorstein About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now! “Incarnation has praise and blaming, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, light and dark—and it’s always changing. Then the heart becomes at ease and says, ‘Oh, here we are. Isn’t this amazing?’ The deepest response to it is to love it, because it’s what we’ve got.” –Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th birthday, Jack and Sylvia reflect on 49 years of friendship, meditation, and Dharma practice—and how awakening ultimately expresses itself through kindness, connection, and a willingness to stay amazed. Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self. This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares: Sylvia’s journey through the Buddhist teachings of impermanence, suffering, and selflessness, and how intellectual understanding gradually becomes lived realization Jack and Sylvia’s 49 years of friendship, from her early meditation and kundalini experiences to their travels, teaching, and shared life in the Dharma How decades of mindfulness and metta practice made Sylvia not only kinder, but happier and more responsive to the needs of others Meeting ourselves and one another with loving awareness, remembering our interconnectedness, and staying amazed by the mystery of being alive This episode was originally recorded for a special Spirit Rock Monday Night Meditation and Talk in July 2026 celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th Birthday. Watch the next one at SpiritRock.org About Sylvia Boorstein: Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught Dharma and mindfulness since 1985. A psychologist, author, and gifted storyteller, she makes Buddhist teachings accessible by emphasizing that everyday life is mindfulness practice. Her work integrates meditation, kindness, engaged citizenship, and social activism. Learn more about Sylvia at SylviaBoorstein.com“We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.” "The shortest way to say what happened to me in 49 years is: I became kind. Seymour said, ‘No, you were always kind.’ And I said, ‘Well, then I became kinder.’ And the big surprise for me after all this time is that I’m also happier.” – Sylvia Boorstein About Jack Kornfield: Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now! “We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.” –Jack Kornfield See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.