The Tim Ferriss Show

#684: Jack Kornfield — How to Reduce Anxiety and Polish the Lens of Consciousness

Jul 28, 2023

Jack Kornfield, a renowned Buddhist monk and meditation teacher, shares his wisdom on navigating anxiety and cultivating compassion. He highlights the power of loving-kindness meditation and breathwork in transforming our relationship with anxiety. Kornfield discusses the importance of community and storytelling in personal growth, urging listeners to embrace vulnerability. He offers practical techniques to find peace within and emphasizes that anxiety is a common human experience, inviting a kinder mindset towards ourselves. His insights encourage emotional healing and connection.

02:25:03

Episode guests

Jack Kornfield

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Quick takeaways

Acknowledging and accepting anxiety as a natural response can create a compassionate attitude towards it and aid in managing it effectively.

Mysticism is not limited to any particular religion or tradition and can be accessed through curiosity, openness, and deep introspection.

Jhana practice, a form of deep concentration meditation, can lead to states of increased tranquility, clarity, and bliss, but it is not the only path to enlightenment or wisdom.

Wisdom comes from cultivating awareness, understanding, empathy, and compassion in all dimensions of life and integrating spiritual experiences into daily living.

Deep dives

Understanding Anxiety and its Management

Anxiety is a common human emotion and can be influenced by various cultural, physiological, and individual factors. The first step in managing anxiety is to acknowledge and accept its presence. Recognizing anxiety as a natural response and thanking it for trying to protect you can create a compassionate attitude towards it. Grounding techniques like focusing on the senses and connecting with nature can also help manage anxiety. Questioning the thoughts associated with anxiety and exploring their validity can provide perspective. Engaging in self-inquiry and having inner conversations with anxiety can reveal valuable insights and intentions for personal growth. Overall, experiencing and understanding anxiety can lead to increased self-awareness and navigating the uncertainties of life more effectively.

Acknowledging Anxiety and Finding Liberation through Buddhist tools for managing anxiety.

04:00

Be Grateful to Everyone: Let Suffering Teach You Compassion

00:40

Opinions/view attachment create trouble for us.“Don’t know mind”, “beginner’s mind”

01:18

All you are is your consciousness, your attention

01:55

Intro

2min

Product Endorsements for Elite Hydration and E-Commerce Solutions

4min

Exploring Consciousness Through Breathwork

26min

Exploring Identity and Anxiety Through the Lens of Enlightenment

7min

Embracing Anxiety with Compassion

48min

The Power of Community in Personal Growth

15min

Compassion in Collective Grief

9min

Cultivating Loving-Kindness

25min

Cultivating Compassion and Curated Content

9min

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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.