Heart Wisdom

Who are we? In this dharma talk, we examine the mystery of identity and how meditation can open us up to the freedom of resting in timeless awareness. What is this life? What happens when we die? We explore the sacred questions that are, in some ways, the basis of...

In this episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, we explore the concept of dukkha (suffering), which is the Buddha’s First Noble Truth, and how we can open our hearts to all the joy and suffering of our incarnation. There’s a whole, huge category of dukkha, that is the...

In this special episode of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, we honor the life and wisdom of my early Vipassana teacher, S.N. Goenka. In every generation, there are a few visionary and profound masters who hold high the lamp of the Dharma to illuminate the world. Like the...

Poet Alison Luterman joins me and we take turns reading poetry and talking about the power of words and creativity. Alison Luterman is a poet, essayist and playwright. Her books include the poetry collections Desire Zoo, The Largest Possible Life, and See How We...

How do we live with climate change? How do we practice with it? How do we respond to it? In this talk we explore our deep connection to the natural world. We look at climate change through the lens of the Four Noble Truths.

This talk begins with a reflection on identity and the strangeness of being human in this particular incarnation. We investigate the different aspects of mindfulness, differentiating between mindfulness of attention and mindfulness of the vast mystery of life. We live...

Sometimes you need a story more than food. Sometimes to hear a story and sometimes to tell it. We all carry personal stories we long to write and family stories that haunt us. Of course, stories have value. As a teacher and storyteller, I have come to respect their...

Equanimity is the willingness to be in life, but to be spacious and open, to have a vast perspective and say, "Yes, here I am, showing up, caring and loving, but I’m not in control of this game." When we stop even for a moment, when we meditate, when we take a walk in...

How can we cultivate the qualities of mindful loving awareness? How do we listen to the pulse of the world? How do we listen to one another? Mindfulness becomes a gateway for our healing and liberation. This is a radical act. The Buddha said there is a healing that...

In this podcast I'm joined by Chade-Meng Tan for an exploration of how spiritual practice and the search inside ourselves can guide us through our human predicament. Chade-Meng Tan (Meng) is an award-winning engineer, international bestselling author, thought leader,...

As you practice in Dharma you get a sense that the allowing of things is what brings freedom. In this episode, we begin with a reflection on the paradoxical course of awakening laid out by The Buddha in the Satipatthana Sutta. We look at the path of liberation offered...

One of the important qualities of a meditative life, or opening one’s self to a spiritual dimension, is that it is an opening to beauty, an opening to some sense of rhythm and happiness in the world. To the extent that we can tend all of the parts of ourselves, to...

Even in the most difficult times, it is possible to see something much bigger. We need to be able to envision another world—a world that is not ruled as much by greed or hatred or fear. It won’t change until we envision this. What level do you want to dance on? As Ram...

If the liberation of consciousness is the goal of spiritual practice, then why is it such a taboo to talk about actually reaching enlightenment in this life? We can unpack the concept of enlightenment by looking at the many enlightenments written about in Buddhist...

A conversation with Sylvia Boorstein around taking the Bodhisattva vow and staying in touch with our Buddha nature as we navigate our journey of awakening. As you sit, the unfinished business of your life comes – you start to become mindful of the things that are held...

We have the capacity to see this world in an illuminated way, and yet we do not see the mystery and magic of it. There is a need to understand these ancient stories as not just historical. We keep telling them because they resonate in a different way in the heart and...

A number of the Buddhist texts begin with this phrase. ‘Oh nobly born, oh you who are the sons and daughters of the awakened ones, the Buddhas and the bodhisattvas. Do not forget who you really are, do not forget your true nature.’ They begin with this beautiful...

It is one thing to study the texts or to do various practices or come on a retreat to learn the Dharma tradition, but the most important kind of communion is to experience it; to embody it and discover it in your own heart, mind and being. Of course, the essence of...

This week on the Heart Wisdom Podcast, we explore a particularly beautiful practice, known as the Big Sky Meditation, that guides us into a quality of presence that is entered through the doorway of sound. Enter the Big Sky (Opening) – Meditative practice comes alive...

Ajahn Chah was a Thai Buddhist monk. He was an influential teacher of the Buddhadhamma and a founder of two major monasteries in the Thai Forest Tradition. Respected and loved in his own country as a man of great wisdom, he was also instrumental in...

We revisit the adventure from the Upanishads of Nachiketa and his odyssey to meet with the Lord of Death. We look at the wisdom to be gained through the examination of Nachiketa’s initiation into his journey of awakening. Nachiketa accepted this journey, what he did...

As we reflect on the difficult and divisive time that the world finds itself in, let's look at the ways that inner development, through mindfulness and meditation practice, can enable us to form solutions to these challenges with compassion and equanimity. No matter...

These teachings welcome you all, whatever particular body you were born into. Whatever your class or sexual orientation or race. The gates of the Dharma are open and inviting. Gate of Awareness (5:30) – The goal of mindfulness and meditation practice isn’t about...

When we start to pay attention with mindfulness, we start seeing the illusion of separateness. This is also known as the small sense of self or the body of fear, what interferes with us seeing each other with the eyes of love and understanding. The outer developments...

Perfections of the Heart (Opening) – We reflect on the Buddhist teachings known as the Ten Paramitas, also known as the Ten Perfections of the Heart. We look at the importance of the Paramita of Metta (Loving-kindness) along the path of awakening and share a simple...

Tending the Garden of the Heart (Opening) – Our mindfulness and meditation practice is a practice of gardening the heart. What can happen to the suffering in the world if we spread the seeds of compassion and love? "There are ways where we step out of the small sense...

"In the ever-changing circumstance of the world – those outer circumstances are not what makes you happy. They will for a while, there is a certain kind of pleasure there, but the deepest happiness doesn’t come from outer circumstances. If we cling to greed, fear and...

From the beginning in Buddhist psychology, compassion and awareness are what went together. In order to be present for experience there has to be some element of kindness, otherwise you are judging it. But if you bring them together as loving awareness, then you are...

Whether it shows outwardly or is held inwardly, we all inevitably will face difficulty and suffering in life. Adhiṭṭhāna, one of the 10 pāramitās or “perfections,” represents the bodhisattva’s resolve to become fully awakened regardless of the challenges. Adhiṭṭhāna...

Through our various spiritual practices we are bearing witness to our human incarnation in a way that is unlike any other. We can find joy, even in the face of life’s greatest difficulties. The journey of awakening is one that lightens the heart and brings untold joy,...

Loving-awareness allows a profound shift of identity from a small limited sense of self to one of spacious wisdom. Exploring questions about freedom and identity are at the core of Buddhist practice. Examine how these two themes are intertwined and look in the mirror...

Without mindfulness, we exist in the cycle of living known as samsara. We examine how the different levels of mindfulness practice allow us to shed this fear-based way of being and live free of the trappings of delusion, greed and fear. Whether you are a long-term...

By acknowledging the inherent impermanence in life, we can become comfortable with uncertainty and better navigate our incarnations as they are given. The word Dharma means truth; it means the universal law. Dharma says that hatred never heals by hatred, but by love...

While our true nature is like that of the Buddha, we still must honor our uniqueness and individuality. To come and meditate is to come and center ourselves. It's helpful to step out of the busyness of our lives and come back to the mystery of our own breath, our own...

Ingrained in most modern cultures is the idea that progress is about speed and growth. This mindset of “more, better, faster” can have a negative effect on our development and quality of life. Remember the rhythms of life that you were born into; return to them. Live...

Inner development is needed to address some of our species biggest issues like warfare, racism, and addiction. To do this we must practice Right Effort to direct our attention and energy inward to affect the roots of these issues. We have an innate amount of energy,...

Letting go of our attachment and desire for control opens us to the vastness that this incarnation has to offer. How do we go about opening ourselves completely to life and love? The practice of non-attachment opens us to the vastness that life presents. Our suffering...

Explore the three-fold training in Buddhism which shows us the vastness and love within when we quiet ourselves. “When you live with integrity, when you speak what is true and you act in ways that do not cause harm, it changes your sense of self. You quiet yourself...

A Bodhisattva is one who has tread the path to freedom laid out by the Buddha and dedicates their life to sharing that with the world. On this episode of Heart Wisdom, Jack shows us ways to find the Bodhisattva within us all and the gateway to...