Ep. 266 – The Beauty of a Wholesome Mind with Sharon Salzberg

Featuring a Q&A with special guest Sharon Salzberg, Joseph Goldstein shares the beauty of having a wholesome mind rather than a mind that clings.Today's 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 & Sharon explore:How all practice is in service of non-clinging Attachment to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant Types of speech to avoid: gossip and useless talkSpeaking in a way that unites people rather than divides themShifting our focus and delighting in positive outcomes Seeing the beauty of the dharma, the beauty of a wholesome mindDeepening our relationship with ourselves and our emotions About Sharon Salzberg:Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed five million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. Learn more about Sharon and her books at www.sharonsalzberg.com and check out Insight Meditation Society.This talk was given at the Insight Meditation Society and distributed by Dharma Seed“I made an experiment for a period of time where I wasn’t going to speak to someone about someone else. 95% of my speech was eliminated. It was astounding to me how much of my speech was about that. It’s not to say that’s never appropriate, or that speaking about others in a certain context is always unskillful, but sometimes it is. The Buddha gave a very succinct guideline. He said: ‘Speak in a way that unites people rather than divides people.” – Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joseph Goldstein holds two meanings of Nibbana in equal reverence: unconditioned, unformed awareness and a transcendent state in which the mind is free from all defilements.Today's 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 reveals:The Thai forest tradition of Buddhism Nibbana: Unconditioned awareness or transcendent awareness?The unconditioned mind and the power of zeroEnlightenment and a mind that is free of defilementsThe analogy of ‘seeing the moon’ rather than the finger that points to itWhy the experience of Nibbana is so important Seeing the intimate connection between wisdom and compassionThe concept of nonself and our lives as constantly changing phenomena The dance between pleasure and sufferingCheck out this episode’s companion essay, Reflections on Nibbana, by Joseph Goldstein“One meaning of Nibbana is this unconditioned, unborn, unformed reality. The other meaning of Nibbana refers to the mind that has been freed of defilements—the mind that is free of greed, hatred, and delusion. We could describe the state of a fully enlightened being in which these defilements have been uprooted as Nibbana.” –Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joseph Goldstein reveals how Nibbana differs from blissful meditation states and why true liberation lies beyond every conditioned experience.Today's 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 week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses:How Nibbana has made its way into Western cultureExpectation and striving versus having a healthy goalHaving an aspiration and direction for our practice Using equanimity to differentiate beautiful experiences from true glimpses of NibbanaThe Abhidhamma and understanding the factors of mind which color our consciousnessThe experience of Nibbana as the experience of zero, the stilling of all formationsHow Nibbana uproots the defilements in stages Check out this episode’s companion essay, Reflections on Nibbana, by Joseph Goldstein“Even exalted states of mind or great powers of mind do not imply purification of mind. That is the particular power of Nibbana.” –Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Touching into the selfless nature of experience, Joseph Goldstein explores uprooting the defilements through the clarity that comes from practice.Today's 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 provides his perspective on:Engaging with mindfulnessThe radical uprooting of self and identification with experienceSeeing a glimpse of the deathless in our practice versus the transcendent moment of the unborn Slowly seeing clearly over time with dedicated practiceThe emptiness within the defilementsTaking all things as an invitation to explore rather than to believe A brief guided meditation with Joseph Moving our mental dialogue into a passive voice This episode is the 3rd and final part of a 3-part series. It was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice. To start at the beginning, check out Ep. 261 – Gradual Cultivation in Buddhist Practice. “If you put your hand in fire, do you know that it burns? Do you have any doubt about it? In the genuine experience of things being uprooted, there is that quality of certainty. It is very different than what you were saying about ‘Yeah, it looks to me that the defilements are uprooted.’ The experience that results in the uprooting, which is the experience of the unborn. It has that same immediacy and certainty as putting your hand in fire and knowing it burns.” –Joseph Goldstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joseph Goldstein investigates the not-so-obvious delight of seeing our own arrogance (Māna), and the balance of knowing ultimate truth while living with a functional sense of “I.”Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give here: BHNN 10th Birthday FundraiserToday's 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 week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses:Realizing the truth of non-self while still having an underlying feeling of ‘I am”The Buddhist concept of Māna, which can be translated as "pride", "arrogance", or "conceit"Our tendency to project the past into the futureRecognizing Māna for what it is and letting the thoughts dissolveHow the residue of ‘I’ and ‘self’ can fall away during practiceEngaging the self just enough to live in the relative world This episode is the 2nd part of a 3-part series. It was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice. To start at the beginning, check out Ep. 261 – Gradual Cultivation in Buddhist Practice “These days, I am totally delighted when I see Māna arise in my mind…one of the reasons I am delighted is that I would much rather see it than not see it to recognize 'that’s Māna', instead of not recognizing it and being caught up and identified with that pattern. Just the seeing of it is freeing.” –Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joseph Goldstein explores gradual cultivation, highlighting that even if we are suddenly awakened, we still must have an ongoing practice to work with hindrances and ingrained habits.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 week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses:The areas of life where clinging shows up most How clinging to sensory pleasures is so embedded in our cultureLightening up for enlightenment and not taking ourselves so seriously How a sense of humor can benefit our practice Unhelpful attachment to view and opinionThe unity of clarity and emptiness (self-existing wakefulness)The Buddhist meaning of unborn/unformed Uprooting of the view of self with the understanding that there is still more work to doHaving an ongoing, gradual cultivation of skillful means This episode was originally published on Dharmaseed and recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, a non-profit organization founded by renowned meditation teachers Joseph Goldstein and Sharon Salzberg to integrate Buddhist study and practice.“Very often, people can have genuine realization and have a really deep understanding, and then get attached to that as if everything is done. So very often these folks can get engaged in skillful behavior, thinking it’s all coming from their deep realization, it’s really coming from all the work that still needs to be done.” –Joseph Goldstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Continuing his exploration of selflessness, Joseph Goldstein helps listeners live in the balance of both relative and ultimate truth.This episode is a continuation of a talk that started in episode 259, "Selflessness, Dukkha, and Freedom."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:The impersonal nature of experiencing peaceSeeing with consciousness rather than with the subjective mindReframing the language of experience with a passive voiceBeing fully present in the moment without identificationUnderstanding death and dying  as the natural flow of impermanenceHaving an easeful mind even when the body is afflictedUnderstanding both relative and ultimate truthThe wonderful and joyful practice of generosity This episode was recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and originally published on Dharmaseed“We work to understand the dynamics of our conventional reality and all the challenges of it, even as we understand the essential selfless nature of it all. This is really the heart of a mature spiritual practice, the union of these two, not the separation." –Joseph Goldstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Unpacking the Buddha’s notions of self and nonself, transience and suffering, Joseph Goldstein leads listeners into the heart of liberation. 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 illuminates:Why the Buddha paid so much attention to the concept of selfHow a felt sense of self traps us in desire and attachmentSeeing the term ‘self’ as a designation rather than something that exists in and of itselfSlight adjustments to our language during practice: ‘the body breathes’ rather than ‘my breath’Using the template of The Five Aggregates to describe experienceGenuine experiences of momentary peace as a peak into NirvanaTaking an interest into the landscapes of our own mindsTransience and the way that things are always becoming otherwiseThe ungovernability of the mind, the body, and all aspects of realityHow selflessness can lead to both Dukkha and freedomThis episode was recorded at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and originally published on Dharmaseed"As long as we are caught up, identified, and entangled in the view of self, then we spend our lives defending it, gratifying it, grandiosing it, judging it; we have all these responses that come out of this felt sense of the self." –Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Distinguishing aspiration from striving with ego, Joseph Goldstein gives listeners permission to have a sense of purpose along their spiritual path.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 week on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein discusses:Having a sense of purpose within the impersonal nature of all things Aspiration: understanding why we are practicing What the Buddha said about purpose and aspiration on The Eightfold PathSeeing the world objectively without reference to the selfBeing a great faith follower versus a dharma followerResting in our practice and letting go of unhealthy striving Insight Meditation Society and its commitment to diversity Maintaining the right attitude and openness to all experiencesThis episode was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society Forest Refuge and originally published on Dharmaseed"The Buddha definitely laid out a goal. The Eightfold Path leads someplace—it's not just meandering around, not going any place. The Eightfold path is leading to awakening, to enlightenment. We can have that aspiration which sets the direction for our practice, we can say that is a sense of purpose, but we're seeing it not so much in terms of an egoful striving, but a realization of our values and what leads to the accomplishment of our values." – Joseph GoldsteinSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Joseph Goldstein discusses equanimity and how to remove the self from the knowing, effectively freeing ourselves from identification with awareness.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 mindfully explores:Thoughts as passing phenomena that do not truly belong to anyoneSeeing all experiences as the simultaneous arising of both knowing and objectLetting go of our identification with knowing and awarenessShifting from active voice to passive voice as a mindfulness practiceThe near enemies of the mental qualities listed in the BrahmaviharasEquanimity and holding all things equally, seeing things for what they areThe difference between impartiality and indifference, openness versus carelessnessNavigating the complexity of our lives through the balance of compassion and equanimityMaintaining an interest in exploring rather than relying on our preconceptions about people and situationsThis episode was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society Forest Refuge and originally published on Dharmaseed“When you look for the mind there’s nothing to find and the not finding is the finding. It’s to see that there is nothing to find and when there is nothing to find, there is nothing to identify with.” –Joseph Goldstein See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.