Ep. 249 – Mindfulness: The Gateway to Liberation

Jul 30, 2024

Jack Kornfield, a leading figure in mindfulness and Buddhist teachings, delves into how mindfulness serves as a gateway to liberation. He discusses the Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the importance of sacred attention. Listeners learn about the power of the silent witness amidst suffering and how embracing impermanence can deepen self-awareness. Kornfield explores practical methods for cultivating mindfulness in daily life, transforming personal emotions, and fostering connection with the timeless essence of existence.

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ADVICE

Mindfulness as Liberation

Practice mindfulness; it's the gateway to liberation and the timeless.
Cultivate sacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivity to each moment.

ANECDOTE

Mad Bear's Prayer

Jack Kornfield recounts Mad Bear's prayer of gratitude at a conference.
Mad Bear thanked earthworms, grasses, wind, trees, stones, and birds, shifting the conference's focus.

ADVICE

Present Moment Freedom

Don't dwell on the past or future; embrace the present moment.
Find freedom by resting in the now, where your true self resides.

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Unraveling the mystery of who you truly are, Jack reveals mindfulness as the gateway to liberation within the ever-changing river of life.

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“Mindfulness, in the Buddhist tradition, is said to be the gateway to liberation, the gateway to that which is eternal, to the timeless or the deathless.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Mindfulness as the gateway to liberation
The Buddha’s Eightfold Path and the Middle Way
Sacred attention, receptivity, and sensitivity
The prayer of Mad Bear, a magical Iroquois medicine man
Overcoming worry in the present moment
Rumi’s transformational poem, The Guest House
Awareness of breath, body, mind states, feelings, dharma, and the laws of nature
Using mindfulness as a vehicle to discover who we really are
Eternity, time, timelessness, change, and becoming deathless
What it was like when Thich Nhat Hanh visited Spirit Rock
Entering the “river of life,” humanity’s collective pains, joys, etc
Dealing with attachment, aversion, grief, and suffering
Working spiritually with our dreams
Stepping out of the bureaucracy of ego, thought, and mind
The freedom of identifying with “the witness”
Liberation as both practical and radical

“Reality comes out of nothing, exists according to certain patterns, and then disappears. To know this frees us. To not know it, we are bound. This recognition brings us face to face with the mystery.” – Jack Kornfield

“To become mindful is to become free, to have the capacity to step out of the rat race, the speed, the complexity and be who we are, be true to our hearts. There comes a great balance and ease with that. In any moment, we stop the war, we stop the conflict, we come back to be as the Buddha sits, as the Buddha walks, as the Buddha speaks, where we are, just present and alive.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 3/1/1992 was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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