Heart Wisdom with Jack Kornfield

Jack Kornfield and Sylvia Boorstein explore how loving awareness helps us meet each moment as a friend, soften into aging and impermanence, and rediscover connection through simple acts of generosity and love.
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.
This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:
Meeting each moment fully and as a friend by relaxing the body, quieting reactivity, and bringing kindness to whatever arises
Sylvia’s honest and humorous reflections on aging, mortality, losing independence, and adapting to life in a senior living community
Transforming crankiness and loneliness
How small acts of generosity—sharing figs, holding a stranger’s hand, or simply noticing another person—can transform crankiness, fear, and loneliness
Bringing mindfulness and loving-kindness together, staying amazed by life’s impermanence, and recognizing love as our deepest response to being alive
This episode was originally recorded for a special Spirit Rock Monday Night Meditation and Talk in July 2026 celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th Birthday. Watch the next one at SpiritRock.org
About Sylvia Boorstein:
Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught Dharma and mindfulness since 1985. A psychologist, author, and gifted storyteller, she makes Buddhist teachings accessible by emphasizing that everyday life is mindfulness practice. Her work integrates meditation, kindness, engaged citizenship, and social activism. Learn more about Sylvia at SylviaBoorstein.com.
“May I meet this moment fully means: Here I am. I’m awake. What’s going on? And may I meet it as a friend means: May I meet it with my body relaxed, my mind relaxed, and be able to really see what’s happening—not pushing it away. May I meet this moment fully. May I meet it as a friend” –Sylvia Boorstein
About Jack Kornfield:
Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies. Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now!
“Incarnation has praise and blaming, gain and loss, pleasure and pain, light and dark—and it’s always changing. Then the heart becomes at ease and says, ‘Oh, here we are. Isn’t this amazing?’ The deepest response to it is to love it, because it’s what we’ve got.” –Jack Kornfield
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Celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th birthday, Jack and Sylvia reflect on 49 years of friendship, meditation, and Dharma practice—and how awakening ultimately expresses itself through kindness, connection, and a willingness to stay amazed.
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.
This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:
Sylvia’s journey through the Buddhist teachings of impermanence, suffering, and selflessness, and how intellectual understanding gradually becomes lived realization
Jack and Sylvia’s 49 years of friendship, from her early meditation and kundalini experiences to their travels, teaching, and shared life in the Dharma
How decades of mindfulness and metta practice made Sylvia not only kinder, but happier and more responsive to the needs of others
Meeting ourselves and one another with loving awareness, remembering our interconnectedness, and staying amazed by the mystery of being alive
This episode was originally recorded for a special Spirit Rock Monday Night Meditation and Talk in July 2026 celebrating Sylvia Boorstein’s 90th Birthday. Watch the next one at SpiritRock.org
About Sylvia Boorstein:
Sylvia Boorstein, PhD, is a founding teacher of Spirit Rock Meditation Center and has taught Dharma and mindfulness since 1985. A psychologist, author, and gifted storyteller, she makes Buddhist teachings accessible by emphasizing that everyday life is mindfulness practice. Her work integrates meditation, kindness, engaged citizenship, and social activism. Learn more about Sylvia at SylviaBoorstein.com“We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.”
"The shortest way to say what happened to me in 49 years is: I became kind. Seymour said, ‘No, you were always kind.’ And I said, ‘Well, then I became kinder.’ And the big surprise for me after all this time is that I’m also happier.” – Sylvia Boorstein
About Jack Kornfield:
Jack Kornfield, PhD trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, India, and Burma. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a founding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. He is one of the key teachers to introduce mindfulness practice to the West, has taught internationally since 1974, and is the author of 16 books which have sold 2 million copies.
Stay connected with Jack and explore his latest offerings at JackKornfield.com. Sign up for his free weekly email teachings, explore his transformational online courses, access his complete course library through the All Access Pass, or join his monthly livestreams and online community. Jack’s latest book, All In This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World is out now!
“We remind each other of our freedom and our possibility. We are so deeply interwoven in the energy field of consciousness itself, and when you know it, whatever you do becomes benevolent in some really deep way.” –Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Exploring the gifts hidden within our most difficult emotions, Jack Kornfield shares how anger, judgment, and despair can be transformed into compassion, courage, and selfless service.
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.
This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:
The path of selfless service
A meditation on kindness and loving awareness
Meeting anger without judgment or fear
The care and passion hidden beneath anger
Moving from despair toward imagination and possibility
Activism rooted in stillness, wellbeing, and love
Moral beauty and compassionate courage
Transforming judgment into tenderness and metta
“Do you know why you’re so angry? Because you care. Because you care that much. And when you start to tune into the fact that you do care, that’s the fuel.” –Jack Kornfield
This teaching was originally recorded during a live session for Jack's Living the Dharma in a Troubled World yearlong program. Join these monthly livestream Q&A sessions here. As a special offer for Heart Wisdom listeners, use code Dharma10 or Dharma10p (payment plan) at checkout for 10% off this program.
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.
“We’re learning how to be free as human beings—not to skip over being human, but actually to have a big enough heart to say, ‘Yes, this is part of our legacy.’” –Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Reflecting on Spirit Rock's new stupa, Jack Kornfield shares how sacred places help us remember the timeless awareness, compassion, and freedom at the heart of our being.
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.
This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield shares:
The meaning and purpose of Buddhist Stupas
Sacred symbols and spiritual remembrance
Consciousness beyond the personal self
Community, lineage, and blessing
Bringing practice into the world
Lovingkindness as a way of life
This teaching was originally recorded during the blessing of Spirit Rock's new stupa and the celebration of Jack Kornfield's 80th birthday. The full event was produced by Spirit Rock and has been adapted for Heart Wisdom. For information about visiting Spirit Rock or attending an in-person or online retreat, please visit Spiritrock.org.
“You are not this body or these feelings. They come and go. Who you are is so much bigger than this. In fact, who you are is awareness, consciousness itself. When you start to realize that, it becomes the gateway to freedom, to liberation, and tremendous joy in the middle of it all.” –Jack Kornfield
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.
“You quiet the mind and open the heart. Then you get up and sweep the garden of the world.” –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 Spirit Rock's new stupa and 40 years of practice, Jack Kornfield reflects on spiritual community, resilience in times of suffering, and the timeless wisdom that helps us meet life with an awakened heart.
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.
This week on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield explores:
Spiritual community as a refuge in difficult times
Compassion and resilience amid global suffering
Remembering our fundamental goodness
The transformative power of meditation practice
Kindness as the fruit of a lifetime of practice
Discovering awareness as our natural state
This teaching was originally recorded during the blessing of Spirit Rock's new stupa and the celebration of Jack Kornfield's 80th birthday. The full event was produced by Spirit Rock and has been adapted for Heart Wisdom. For information about visiting Spirit Rock or attending an in-person or online retreat, please visit Spiritrock.org.
“The land, the practices, and the community—these are the things that help us remember who we really are.” –Jack Kornfield
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.
“Who you are is magnificent. Part of our practice and our gathering is honoring that truth and affirming your basic goodness and beauty, saying: this is who you are, and you can live this in the world.” –Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.