Monastic bowing: learning respect

In a moment when the world feels uncertain, Jack sits down with Anne Lamott and Tami Simon for an intimate, deeply human conversation about stories of the heart—how they soften us, unite us, and remind us of our own beauty.

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.

Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World

“What makes me happy in working with people is to be able to remind them of how beautiful they are.” –Jack Kornfield.

In this episode, Jack, Anne, and Tami mindfully explore:

• Writing tips, wild stories, and inspiration between Jack, Anne, and Tami
• The power of taking ‘writers walks’
• Protest, aging, Jesus, Buddha, and vulnerable stories
• Anne Lamott’s fan-girl letter to Jack from years ago
• Reminding you of your own beauty
• Jack’s story of having to bow his ego at the monastery
• How to hold a generous vision in dark times
• Uncovering the story of the heart
• Ram Dass and learning to love everyone
• Doing the work and prayer to become one of ‘all in this together’
• Living from the heart cave

This conversation originally took place in Nov 2025 for SoundsTrue’s celebration of Jack’s All In This Together book release. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here. 

“The time is so ripe for us to look out with a new pair of glasses from the heart instead of from our fear, to go into what Ram Dass called the heart cave.” –Anne Lamott

About Jack Kornfield:

Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.

Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.

Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.

“Right now we need stories that ask, even though we are going through divisiveness, climate change and A.I.—what’s the story of the heart, what’s the story of human beings going through times of tremendous change and then remembering what really matters?” –Jack Kornfield

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