Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

As winter deepens, Jack reflects on the quiet light that does not go out—the warmth of compassion, generosity, and courage that sustains us through dark seasons. Through stories of everyday kindness and ancient wisdom, he invites us to tend the inner fire that heals and connects us.
Today’s podcast 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.
“That's what you carry. That's who you really are. That's what was born in you, is the great heart of compassion and tenderness.” –Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack explores:
Compassion as a response to fear
Everyday acts of generosity
Tending the inner fire during dark seasons
Beginner’s mind and seeing with wonder
Adding your light to a troubled and beautiful world
“The heart can’t do anything but tenderness and mercy when we really listen.” –Jack Kornfield
Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
This Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.
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, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.
“Perhaps there is only one person’s voice missing for peace to come into the world.” –Jack Kornfield, retelling a traditional teaching
Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As we fully enter the winter season, Jack reflects on the ancient meaning of solstice—the standing still—and what becomes possible when we allow ourselves to pause. In a world shaped by speed, grief, and uncertainty, he invites us into stillness as a sacred act.
Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
“To be able to come together and not do anything is an extraordinary thing in our culture and our time.” –Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack explores:
The sacred meaning of the winter solstice
Stillness as a spiritual practice
Impermanence and the uncertainty of human life
Holding grief and beauty at the same time
Birth, death, and remembering what truly matters
“Imagine this is your last day. Who would you call? What would you say? And why are you waiting?” –Jack Kornfield, reflecting on a teaching from Stephen Levine
This Dharma Talk originally took place in Dec 2025 for the Spirit Rock Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.
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, 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.
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In a moment when the world feels uncertain, Jack sits down with Anne Lamott and Tami Simon for an intimate, deeply human conversation about stories of the heart—how they soften us, unite us, and remind us of our own beauty.
Today’s podcast 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.
Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
“What makes me happy in working with people is to be able to remind them of how beautiful they are.” –Jack Kornfield.
In this episode, Jack, Anne, and Tami mindfully explore:
Writing tips, wild stories, and inspiration between Jack, Anne, and Tami
The power of taking ‘writers walks’
Protest, aging, Jesus, Buddha, and vulnerable stories
Anne Lamott’s fan-girl letter to Jack from years ago
Reminding you of your own beauty
Jack’s story of having to bow his ego at the monastery
How to hold a generous vision in dark times
Uncovering the story of the heart
Ram Dass and learning to love everyone
Doing the work and prayer to become one of ‘all in this together’
Living from the heart cave
This conversation originally took place in Nov 2025 for SoundsTrue’s celebration of Jack’s All In This Together book release. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.
“The time is so ripe for us to look out with a new pair of glasses from the heart instead of from our fear, to go into what Ram Dass called the heart cave.” –Anne Lamott
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, 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.
“Right now we need stories that ask, even though we are going through divisiveness, climate change and A.I.—what’s the story of the heart, what’s the story of human beings going through times of tremendous change and then remembering what really matters?” –Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Celebrating the release of his new book of his favorite stories, All In This Together, Jack shares wise tales on living with integrity, presence, stillness, and generosity.
Today’s podcast 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.
Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
“Whether you make art, write, tend a garden, or parent children—if you can share your dignity, generosity, understanding, integrity, vision, and make that come alive within you and others, your life becomes a blessed source of happiness.” –Jack Kornfield.
In this episode Jack mindfully explores:
Meaning and connection
Thich Nhat Hanh’s favorite Tolstoy story
Answering the Empress’s three life-changing questions: What is the best time to do things? Who are the best people to work with? What is the most important thing to be doing at all times?
Living in the present moment and serving those around you
Cultivating happiness through giving our life meaning
Being a Bodhisattva and holding all life in compassion
The story of Abbott Anastasius
Integrity and generosity
What we teach others through our stillness
Being a clear mirror for others
Quieting the mind, tending the heart, and remembering what matters
Opening to the vastness of life beyond the small self
Your birthright as loving awareness itself
“We can make our minds so like still water that beings gather around us that they may see their own images and so live for a moment with a clearer, perhaps fiercer life because of our quiet.” –William Butler Yeats
This Dharma Talk originally took place in April 2019 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.
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, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.
“Happiness comes when we have meaning in our life.” –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.

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

Celebrating the release of his new book of his favorite stories, All In This Together, Jack shares why ‘sometimes we need a story more than food.’
Today’s podcast 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.
Jack’s new book is out now!: All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World
“Light the candle, make a sacred space, and talk about what it means to hold this life in compassion. And then invite people to tell the stories that they need for the healing of their own heart. That’s why ‘sometimes you need a story more than food’ (Barry Lopez)—sometimes to hear it, sometimes to tell it.” – Jack Kornfield
In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:
The art of awakening through stories
Barry Lopez and why ‘sometimes you need a story more than food’
Stories that release the weight from our souls and unburden our hearts
Lighting candles, making sacred space, and sharing stories together
Overcoming the world’s conflict through the lens of stories
The story of Terry Dobson and the compassion of Aikido
The spiritual art of listening to stories—feeling the resonance and feeling into who you would be
What can we learn from stories?
Stories like storehouses—the true intelligence of a good story
Ram Dass, the Dalai Lama, and inhabiting the difficulties of life with humor, honesty, and love
How to hold conflict and that which causes suffering with compassion
Delivering your special cargo, your beautiful gifts to this world
“A really good story is something to mine, something to inhabit.” – Jack Kornfield
This Dharma Talk originally took place in April 2019 for Spirit Rock Meditation Center’s Monday Night Dharma Talk and Guided Meditation. Stay up to date with Jack’s upcoming livestreams and events here.
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, 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.
“One of the things that’s important when you listen to a story, is to feel where you are in that story. If you were in the story right now, where is the resonance, who would you be? Stories are like storehouses, they have intelligence in them that touches not just one channel, but our heart, memory, emotions, and our way of seeing and thinking.” – Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.