Ep, 247 – Living the Dharma

Revealing how to smoothly navigate the cycles of spiritual life in openness, stillness, and intimacy, Jack explores the transformative beauty of living the Dharma. This episode 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. “There are different cycles. They are natural for us. We breathe in and out. Our heart opens and closes. Your heart isn’t supposed to stay open all the time, even flowers close at night. So don’t get some idea you’re supposed to be some certain state or some certain way. It’s more about flexibility, listening, and honoring what cycle you are in in your life.” – Jack Kornfield In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:Navigating the cycles of spiritual lifeSpiritual practice as a voyage, a journeyOpenness and the necessity of letting goWhat we can learn from the change of seasonsCultivating the courage to live a spiritual lifeRumi’s poem of the wisdom of the bird in the trapThe peace of rejecting nothing whatsoeverHow Jack had to work his way down the chakras instead of upEmbodying and experiencing your feelingsStillness, simplicity, intimacy and reconnecting with the earthA perspective-shifting Buddhist meditation on death and good deedsOvercoming self-judgement and unworthinessNon-attachment and commitment in relationshipsA tantric master’s wisdom on overcoming burnoutThe Dalai Lama’s surprising advice to Jack “When you look back over your life, what really matters is, ‘How well have I loved?’ And that love is never done in generalities. It’s always done in a moment with a tree, or a spider, or a person that you meet, or a person close to you.” – Jack Kornfield “In some way in life, that’s all that people around us want if you look—people mostly just want to be listened to and acknowledged.” – Jack Kornfield For free teachings and meditations from Jack delivered to your inbox weekly, along with new courses, upcoming events, and more, sign up for Jack's newsletter at JackKornfield.com/newsletter This Dharma Talk recorded on 7/14/1990 was originally published on DharmaSeed. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.