Joseph Goldstein is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (where he is one of the resident guiding teachers) and the Barre Center for Buddhist studies, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening,
A Heart Full of Peace,
One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism,
Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, and
The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (Shambhala Dragon Editions).
He has also coauthored books with Sharon Salzberg and Jack Kornfield. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.
Summary and Transcript of this interview
Interview recorded 11/23/2013.
YouTube Video Chapters:
00:00:00 - Joseph Goldstein: Insight Meditation and the Enlightened Mind
00:03:22 - The Nature of the Mind
00:06:25 - The Purpose of Skillful Means
00:09:08 - The Hindu View of Enlightenment
00:12:15 - Stages of Awakening and Mistaking Preliminary Enlightenment
00:15:31 - The Reassurance of Being Done with Spiritual Practice
00:18:13 - Levels of Ignorance and Obstructive Forces
00:21:10 - The Effort and Investigation of Awakening
00:23:45 - The Importance of a Teacher and Study in Spiritual Practice
00:26:55 - Recognition and examination of the mind
00:30:08 - The Role of Monastics in Deepening Practice
00:32:57 - The Manifestation of Awakening in Behavior
00:35:22 - The Importance of Traits and States of Consciousness
00:38:06 - The Universal Experience of Enlightenment
00:41:13 - The Correlation Between Ethical Behavior and Enlightenment
00:44:08 - Wrathful Compassion and Ethical Grey Areas
00:46:27 - Manifestation of Compassion in Different Ways
00:49:28 - The Power of Mindfulness
00:51:49 - What is Mindfulness?
00:54:31 - Mindfulness as an Ethical Dimension
00:56:54 - The Analogy of the Changing Images
00:59:37 - The Unmanifest Quality
01:02:51 - The Purpose of Mindfulness
01:05:39 - The Effort and Nature of Mindfulness
01:07:45 - Mindfulness and the Effortless Approach
01:09:40 - Balancing Effort and Relaxation
01:12:18 - The Buddha Boy and the Atman-Anatman Debate
01:14:35 - Tathagata and Tattvamasi: Exploring the Difference
01:17:26 - Compassion as the Manifestation of Non-Clinging
01:20:34 - The Power of Bodhicitta and Awakening for the Benefit of All
01:23:23 - Conclusion and Next Week's Interview