Exploring the ancient Zen teaching of the Great Way, Jack guides us toward freedom from attachment, clarity beyond preferences, and the liberating joy of letting go.

“The Great Way is not difficult for those who have no preferences. When attachment and hatred are both absent, everything becomes clear and undisguised. Make the smallest distinction; however, and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart. If you wish to see the truth, then hold no opinion for or against anything.” – Third Zen Ancestor

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

Finding freedom from attachment by learning to let go
Can we meditate society’s problems away?
What does it mean to seek wisdom, compassion, freedom?
The Third Patriarch of Zen
Finding the Great Way and seeing the truth
Moving past our opinions and preferences
How our desires blind us and manufacture our reality
Suffering, impermanence, grasping, and not relying on reality
The path to liberation from our grasping and fears
The joy of letting go of our attachments and relaxing into what is
Training ourselves to have an obedient mind of the Buddha
Is there appropriate or wise attachment?
Clarifying the full spectrum of attachment
How to get out addiction and the Realm of the Hungry Ghosts
Dealing with attachment to our isolation, our separateness
Commitment as a healthy devoted attachment
Seeking a Wise Relationship to ourselves, others, and the world
The slippery slope of pleasure, into desire, into habit, into need
Wise attachment vs unwise attachment
The full spectrum of attachment and love

“Go where you wish—cave, monastery, India, Tibet, do what you like—your mind goes with you, that’s the problem.” – Jack Kornfield

This episode recorded on 03/08/1993 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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 members, 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.

“Often we think attachment is only to other people and things, but often what we are attached to is our own isolation, our own separateness.” – Jack Kornfield

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Ep.39 The Sensation Of Death