Exploring Identity and Anxiety Through the Lens of Enlightenment

This chapter explores the intricacies of human identity and imagines a conflict-free world while addressing the modern stressors of anxiety. Using a Buddhist archetype, it emphasizes the importance of confronting fears to achieve clarity and enlightenment.

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Jack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to have introduced Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West.

Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein, and Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. Current projects include CloudSangha.co, which offers practice groups for all; The Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, which has trained 7,000 mindfulness teachers in 75 countries; and Wisdom Ventures, a fund investing in companies that promote compassion.

His books have been translated into 22 languages and sold 2 million copies. They include The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology; A Path with Heart; After the Ecstasy, the Laundry; Buddha’s Little Instruction Book; The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace; and his most recent book, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are.

Jack is also co-founder of Cloud Sangha, and they offer a quick and free mindfulness test to gauge your mindfulness levels. As a conscious online community, Cloud Sangha brings people together to create meaningful human connections and integrate mindfulness into everyday life.

Please enjoy!

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[07:47] Stan Grof.

[14:53] Yogic swoons and anesthetic autopiloting.

[18:28] What’s the point of consciousness?

[25:47] A big story or no story at all?

[31:44] The Cosmic Game.

[34:56] How would the Buddha deal with anxiety?

[43:50] The stories anxiety tells.

[46:41] Mystics and the mystery.

[52:04] Jhana practice and the dimensions of meditation.

[57:23] Achieving altered states: a matter of confidence or capacity?

[1:01:30] What is love?

[1:09:54] Wise guys.