Illuminating different ways to free the mind, Joseph Goldstein integrates relative and ultimate truth, revealing the emptiness of thoughts.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self

This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses

• Integrating the elements of both relative and ultimate truth in our lives
• The natural compassion that emerges when we let go of self-identification
• Why our perception of reality isn’t always reliable or accurate
• Our attachment to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant
• Considering if the mind can remain unafflicted while the body is suffering
• Shifting awareness from what we want to how the wanting mind feels
• Our capability to train the mind in a way that leads to greater freedom
• Letting thoughts arise without interference or judgment
• Developing nonreactivity through seeing how quickly thoughts arise and pass
• Realizing that the past and future are only constructs of the mind

This talk was originally published on Dharmaseed

“Our only experience of the past and future is as a thought in the mind. This is tremendously liberating to see because most of us carry the concepts of the past and future as a huge burden in our lives. All the worries, anxieties, hopes, fears—all of those are arising because we’re not seeing that they’re just concepts.” –Joseph Goldstein

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In part 2 of this Q&A session, Joseph Goldstein explores how to reach equanimity through investigating our mental states, recognizing when to let go, and approaching suffering skillfully.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein offers his perspective on:

• Letting go of obsessive thoughts through insight and investigation
• How the seven factors of enlightenment work together to support awakening
• Knowing when to let go and when to investigate experiences for deeper wisdom
• Staying open to emotions while avoiding unskillful reactivity
• Social activism on the Buddhist path and engaging with the world in a skillful way
• Finding inner balance in the midst of turmoil, conflict, and suffering
• Maintaining a deep historical perspective on the rise and fall of all civilizations
• Remembering how small our concerns are in the face of the stars and the vastness of all things
• How equanimity enables us to be peaceful, to connect with suffering, and to offer compassion
• Considering if we can approach daily life with a motivation to help others and the world
• Going into the depths of non-self and allowing our life to be a representation of compassionate action

This talk was recorded at Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center and distributed by Dharma Seed

“In the midst of everything that’s going on, to come back to some greater place of equanimity, one way is just a deep historical perspective on things. This stuff has been going on forever. It’s not new to this time. It’s just part of the long historical unfolding and is inevitable. It’s not an aberration, this has been happening, always.” – Joseph Goldstein

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In part 1 of this Q&A session, Joseph Goldstein gives Buddhist-flavored insight on accepting impermanence, developing our practice, and loving selflessly.

This episode is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/insighthour and get on your way to being your best self

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein offers his perspective on:

• The path from accepting impermanence to happiness
• Letting go of clinging and becoming attuned to the truth of change
• The stages we go through in Vipassana meditation practice
• Understanding meditation experiences—why difficult moments don’t mean a “bad” practice
• How developing a regular practice helps us approach life more equanimously
• Feeling the whole mind-body process within practice and how this helps us let go of our sense of self
• Walking meditation as an effective tool for immediate selflessness
• The challenge of engaging with the world without getting lost in it
• Seeing the clear possibility of loving without attachment and with pure generosity of the heart

This talk was recorded at Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center and distributed by Dharma Seed

“On a conceptual level, being afraid of impermanence is like being afraid of gravity. It’s the way things are. The more we can see that and open to it, we get over that conditioned fear and we’re just in the experience and the acceptance of the flow. It’s actually quite easeful.” – Joseph Goldstein

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.