Setting the Compass of Your Heart: What Really Matters with Jack Kornfield

Ep. 244 | In the second dialogue of The Jeweled Path Series, Karen Johnson and Hameed Ali continue to animate the Diamond Approach teaching with their remarkable stories and insights, loosely following the structure of Karen’s biography of the Diamond Approach, The Jeweled Path. Karen and Hameed delve into the subject of inquiry: the unique way it is practiced on the Diamond Path, it being a rare marriage of mind and heart, and the compelling way it opens the door for presence to make itself known. As Hameed puts it, “This type of inquiry pierces the veils of all the ways consciousness comes forward—in body, mind, and heart.” “The most necessary question is, ‘What’s happening NOW?’” Karen continues, vividly bringing forth what it feels like to be on the brink of Now, the departure point for experiencing further dimensions of consciousness. It is a marvel how these two spiritual teachers are so much in sync discussing deeply profound subjects like the relationship of the human soul, ego, and consciousness, what it means to become a “pearl beyond price,” and how the soul is what gives true nature life. They are joined in their deep love and appreciation for consciousness itself—its beauty, multidimensionality, and the force of its teaching—and express how touched they are by its desire to break through to us and communicate. Karen and Hameed say our souls are a substance of consciousness, and the way this conversation stirs and moves our heart, it would seem that the luminous beingness deep in our soul is listening in. Recorded September 10, 2026. “If you are interested in what is happening right NOW, that now is the point of departure that enables another dimension to come into play.” Topics & Time Stamps Introducing the 2nd episode of The Jeweled Path Series with Karen Johnson & Hameed Ali, co-creators of the Diamond Approach (00:46) How did Karen & Hameed come upon the practice of inquiry, the central process of the Diamond Approach? (02:00) Inquiry, initially called “investigation,” was impacted by Socratic inquiry, psychoanalysis, group work, Gestalt, plus the scientific method (04:45) An often-read Sufi story underscored the importance of loving truth for its own sake (07:03) Hameed’s stalwartness with journaling provided the canon for the teaching (10:04) The marriage of mind and heart brought out a new, felt language of being (11:09) Inquiry allows us to explore ever deeper strata of consciousness (13:19) Practicing presence: opening to the subtle sensations of consciousness itself (15:25) What inspired Karen to delve below the horizontal surface of the experience? (16:56) This type of inquiry pierces the veils of all the ways consciousness comes forward: body, mind & heart (19:19) Interest in the “now” is what enables another dimension to come into play (20:28) Our loving desire is what opens to the force of true nature (24:19) Krishnamurti also inquired into the now, but he didn’t consider the influences of the past (26:32) When do you stop? When have you reached home? Or do you keep going? (30:09) The losses get greater and greater along the path, not less (33:33) Only in hindsight was it clear a teaching was developing (39:46) Human consciousness can be formed as ego but also expand into something in and of itself (44:38) The human soul is that which gives true nature life (46:34) The awakening of a force in Karen, opening her consciousness (50:31) The qualities of presence stayed with Karen as they came: strength, will, love, intelligence, joy (55:57) Appreciating the beauty of what consciousness is and can be (1:01:58) It took getting into the absolute to be able to recognize individual consciousness: the vajra body and the soul (1:02:40) The Hu symbol portrays the complete human being (1:07:45) Faisal Muqaddam, third spiritual explorer along with Karen & Hameed (1:12:02)

Ep. 243 | In this outstandingly useful and timely conversation, Dr. Roger Walsh (more often the co-host of the Deep Transformation podcast) is our expert guest, sharing his passion for brain health and his knowledge about what we can do to keep our brains active, high-functioning, and well. With a Ph.D. in neuroscience and several awards for brain research, Roger was also on the first research team to discover the older brain’s neuroplasticity, and he has been excited about the possibilities and developmental implications of this ever since. Whether we’re talking about the body’s physical capabilities or the brain’s cognitive ones, Roger explains that a lot of what we thought was “normal” aging is actually “disuse atrophy”—in other words, use it or lose it—and beyond that, cultivate it and enhance it! Roger would like to write a book on all the helpful information he has learned about brain health, but with people he cares for beginning to acknowledge they are wrestling with cognitive decline, he decided it’s time to get this information out now. After establishing the brain’s inherent potential for growth, Roger dives into the practicalities—outlining actions we can take that research shows will make a significant difference in either enhancing our cognitive functioning, increasing our longevity, reducing the risk of dementia, supporting a life of physical and mental well-being, or all of the above. From the startlingly beneficial effects of green tea to the harmful effects of plastics, pesticides, and wildfire smoke, Roger covers all the bases: exercise and diet, supplements and sleep, environmental risks and medical interventions, friendships and nature, meditation and service—in a way that feels inspiring and doable. This is brain health for everyone in a comprehensive nutshell, presented with Roger’s signature clarity, astuteness, warmth, and humor. Listen and reap the benefits. Recorded September 3, 2026. The information about brain care in this dialogue is not meant to constitute personal medical advice for any individual. Rather, it is information that listeners can take to their personal physician to discuss and assess with the physician. “If you’ve got to pick one thing, exercise is probably the best thing we’ve got for maintaining the brain and the body.” Topics & Time Stamps Introducing Roger Walsh, an MD with a PhD in neuroscience, several awards for brain research, author & professor emeritus of psychiatry, philosophy & anthropology (00:35) What we thought of as normal aging is actually “disuse atrophy” (02:10) What’s good for the body is good for the brain (05:37) Changing our cultural stereotype of aging (08:36) What affects us most: lifestyle choices + the genes we are born with (09:26) Neuroplasticity is the context our potential swims in (10:34) Care & maintenance of the brain falls into 5 major categories (11:42) Meditation’s significant benefits are both physical & mental (14:07) Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes: first comes exercise (16:18) For depression, exercise is both prophylactic & about as effective as antidepressants (19:29) Initiating new habits is the hardest part (21:24) The importance of friendships (24:17) The effects of our continuously fragmented attention (26:22) Sleep clears toxins—including plaques & tangles that can cause Alzheimer’s (29:02) The bad effects of light pollution (30:32) Purpose, service & contribution: people who serve live longer, happier, healthier lives (31:52) Being in nature cleanses psychic toxins: we are biophilic (38:19) Fluid intake has immediate as well as long-term benefits (47:55) Following the 3 main principles of diet (50:07) Environmental risks: we live in a chemical soup (54:11) Inhaling wildfire smoke particles moves them right into our brains (58:18) The overwhelming amount of plastic everywhere—including in our brains (1:00:18) Pesticides should be banned (1:03:27) Coffee, alcohol & the enormous benefits of green tea (1:04:21) Supplements: lithium, magnesiu

Ep. 242 | What a gift to have Karen Johnson and A. H. Almaas (Hameed Ali) together in conversation to explore their extraordinary journeys of awakening and share the remarkable ways presence found to transform their hearts and minds—all of which culminated in the contemporary spiritual path known as the Diamond Approach. Karen’s book, The Jeweled Path (the basis for this Jeweled Path Series), chronicles Karen and Hameed’s spiritual adventures from the beginning: what happened in their childhoods, how they first met, the emerging realization that what they were experiencing was shaping into a unique path of awakening that others could follow and benefit from also, through the establishment of the Ridhwan School, home of the Diamond Approach. In this dialogue, Karen tells how incredible spiritual experiences would come to them right in the midst of life—in the grocery store, on the way to work, in a bar… And we hear the resonant story of when Hameed poured a life-changing transmission of presence into her hand. Karen and Hameed’s vivid descriptions of what they experienced—“explosions of consciousness,” “streams of awakening,” “becoming a body of light, fullness, and presence, nowness embodied”—are awakening transmissions in their own right. And the point they drive home—that they were not the founders of the Diamond Approach, rather the teaching found them—has the magical effect of opening us to see reality in a different way. Listening to Karen and Hameed discuss their experiences, insights, and the emergence of the Diamond Path is simply an amazing experience on its own. Recorded August 13, 2026. “The interesting thing about presence is, if you talk about it when it’s not there, it’s just an idea—because presence is only now.” Topics & Time Stamps Introducing Karen Johnson, co-founder of the Diamond Approach, who joins Hameed Ali in The Jeweled Path Series which focuses on her book The Jeweled Path: The Biography of the Diamond Approach to Inner Realization (00:42) How did it come about that Karen & Hameed were able to found a spiritual path together? (01:51) The personal element in the Diamond Approach allows for the spiritual possibilities of relationship (10:01) Hameed & Karen’s conversations evolved into the student/teacher practice of inquiry so essential to the Diamond Approach (15:42) How Hameed switched from training to be a scientist to investigating the nature of reality (17:16) Hameed kept disciplined notes which allowed them to track their experiences, make sense of them over time, and realize this teaching was for others too (20:51) For Hameed, it wasn’t one awakening but a stream of awakenings (22:39) If Hameed talked about an experience, Karen would start to feel it (28:28) Karen’s experience of Hameed pouring a transmission into her hand (30:36) For some an awakening flushes out blocks & barriers, for others not (34:18) Hameed was able to collect presence in his hand and then give it away (36:53) For Karen, the transmission wasn’t just an experience, it was realizing: this is what you are (37:47) When a bubble of pure awareness came to Karen & Hameed in a bar (38:49) What is a transmission? (40:56) How Hameed’s motorcycle accident brought in the diamond structure (46:08) This is a spiritual path of felt understanding, not merely intellectual understanding (49:24) A teacher isn’t just transmitting all the goodies, they’re also transmitting all the grit (51:19) Hameed would receive transmissions from other teachings encompassing their whole path (52:32) Hameed & Karen were sure they would find explanations for their experiences in other teachings (54:40) Other twosome spiritual relationships: Aurobindo & the Mother, the founders of A Course in Miracles, Rumi & Shams, and more (56:19)

Ep. 241 | A deeply engaging conversation in which Alexander Love, adult development expert and coach, and author of the soon-to-be-published trilogy Evolutionary Gestures, introduces us to the post-tragic perspective, with all of its potential to nourish, ground, and open us to a world of possibilities. Alexander explains that post-tragic is not a developmental stage per se, but a dimension available to anyone willing to do the work. It’s part of a triad—pre-tragic innocence, tragic disillusionment, and post-tragic possibilities—encountered in every wisdom tradition, the hero’s journey, and every good story. Post-tragic is not about leaving the tragedy (trauma, pain, loss) behind, but about turning toward it and dropping into a dimension of being that can interface with it in a new way, from a place that isn’t divided or broken. It’s also about asking, what happens next, after the tragedy? How does the story proceed? Shattering our certainty, a tragic event in our lives makes our world more diaphanous, Alexander continues, opening the way for us to lean further into the mystery. Here we encounter the vastness of possibility, the mystery being the first imagined wholeness, the seed of all potentiality, and we begin to see the sacred and the beauty in everything. Though the healing notion of facing our trauma and working through it is not new, the pre-tragic, tragic, post-tragic framework shared by Alexander is compelling. With it, he has painted in the entire landscape around the core tragedy or trauma, giving us the full picture, the before and after, and connected us with a dimension of compassion and forgiveness that is liberating and full of promise. A wise, gentle, intense, warm, humble conversation. Recorded April 23, 2026. “It’s not forgive and forget… It’s remember deeply. Become so intimate with what happened, feel every aspect of it, and let it be transformed by love.” Topics & Time Stamps Introducing Alexander Love, adult development expert, coach, acupuncturist & founder of eos, an organization focused on deep transformation (00:52) What brought Alexander to the field of adult development? (02:03) The sacred gap: the space between knower and known (03:46) The alternative to uncertainty and chaos is leaning into the mystery (05:53) Turning away from our traumas deepens our sense of separation (06:59) Meeting with his father’s murderer: an infinite degree of forgiveness is available (09:32) What is forgiveness? (13:00) How do we get closer to our pain? (16:52) Pre-tragic, tragic & post-tragic: innocence, disillusionment, possibility (19:38) Protecting children so they can internalize a sense of fundamental goodness (24:20) With tragic disillusionment our meaning becomes shattered (26:01) Both pre-tragic innocence & tragic disillusionment are within us (33:06) Orienting towards tragedy from an unbroken dimension of being; transmuting our pain by developing relationship (34:15) The arc of transformation requires going beyond awareness of our patterns to embracing them (39:13) The first 3 phases of transformation: fusion, differentiation, relationship (42:20) The post-tragic architecture includes finding sacred beauty in the world (44:20) Primordial purity: even with all the suffering, there is perfection (50:17) The tragic fracturing of meaning makes the world more diaphanous (52:05) Post-tragic possibility is a depth dimension, it’s not just “growing up” (54:04) Compassion is embracing another’s suffering with a quality of loving presence that transmutes the suffering (58:49) The Mystery is the first imagined wholeness, the seed of potentiality (1:04:47) An invitation to be curious, to ask how we are using our capacity to witness (1:07:15) Alexander’s book-in-progress, The Evolutionary Gestures Trilogy (1:13:20) We need a new chapter in history to address the complexity and the horrors of this time (1:17:10)

Ep. 240 | Co-host Roger Walsh found the novel concepts that A. H. Almaas presents in The Inner Journey Home’s Appendix G so intriguing, he asked Hameed for one last discussion to complete Deep Transformation’s systematic exploration of Hameed’s magnum opus. In Appendix G (and in this conversation), Hameed says that while there are many valid paths of awakening, different paths do not culminate in the same realization or experience. In other words, the Chinese proverb that says there are many ways to the top of the mountain, but the view is always the same is not accurate. Each spiritual teaching has its own logos, Hameed explains, its own “logic of experience and logic of practice that will naturally unfold the consciousness to open up to the secrets of reality and the depth of it, according to that particular logos.” This makes it possible for all different types of people, also from very different cultures, to “open to the perfection of reality in a way that liberates and makes sense to them.” The logos of a spiritual teaching is not created by anyone, Hameed continues. This is reality practicing its intelligent, creative, and loving magic by manifesting through an individual or community to provide us with different ways of realizing true nature. When we find the right path, the teaching will “click,” Hameed says, and with time and practice, we may crack the code of the logos of our chosen path and fulfill our spiritual destiny. The conversation weaves in and out of the fascinating implications of Hameed’s teaching, clarifying why Eastern and Western spiritual teachings are so different, and what differentiates the logos of the Diamond Approach. In wrapping up, Roger and John acknowledge that their intensive study of The Inner Journey Home provided them with a transmission—and a transformation. Hameed agrees; by deeply contemplating this book, he says, we open ourselves to the transmission, to the understanding and experiencing of what is presented. Recorded July 16, 2026. “Each path takes a human being deeper, vaster, bigger places… each particular logos can be seen as an expression of the optimizing force of the universe and logos.” Topics & Time Stamps Introducing dialogue #20 in the A. H. Almaas Wisdom Series, focusing on Appendix G of The Inner Journey Home: “Logoi of Teachings” (00:54) Defining “logos”: reality has an order to it, it’s not haphazard (03:13) Each teaching has its own logos, its own order & logic (08:34) Comparing the goals of Mahayana Buddhism & Advaita Vedanta: clarity & emptiness versus beingness (11:27) Getting beyond the idea of the “transcendental unity of religions” (14:59) For the logos to reveal the mystery of the teaching, you have to crack the code (19:31) The optimizing force of the logos: some are aligned with it, most people are not (21:56) Why are Eastern traditions very different from Western traditions? (25:40) Most masters don’t explore other teachings (28:07) Matching the teaching to the student (35:23) The challenge is to find the wisdom path that speaks to you so you can fulfill your spiritual destiny (39:38) Krishnamurti and the pathless path (42:08) The logos manifests through an individual or community; it’s not created by anyone (44:44) The logos of the Diamond Approach does not cloak reality by calling it illusion (45:55) The absolute: the dimension of mystery (49:05) Different traditions emphasize different spiritual qualities; some don’t even mention qualities (51:51) The logos of the shamanic realm (56:18) What differentiates the Diamond Approach’s logos from other traditions? (57:45) Contemplating The Inner Journey Home deeply, it becomes a transmission (1:04:48) The Deep Transformation journey with Hameed will continue (1:09:27)