<p><em>New episodes come out every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for free, with 1-week early access for Wondery+ subscribers.</em></p> <p><em>---</em></p> <p><br /></p> <p>We explore the intellectual and practical aspects of these mystical and esoteric concepts.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><a href="https://www.dharma.org/teacher/joseph-goldstein/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joseph Goldstein</a> is a cofounder of the <a href="https://www.dharma.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Insight Meditation Society</a> and the <a href="https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barre Center for Buddhist Studies</a>, both in Barre, Massachusetts. He is the author of <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Practical-Awakening-Joseph-Goldstein/dp/1622036050" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening</em></a><em>,</em> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Full-Peace-Joseph-Goldstein/dp/086171542X" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>A Heart Full of Peace</em></a>, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/One-Dharma-Emerging-Western-Buddhism/dp/0062517015" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism</em></a><em>,</em> <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Insight-Meditation-Practice-Joseph-Goldstein/dp/1590300165" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Insight Meditation</em></a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Experience-Insight-Buddhist-Meditation-Shambhala/dp/0877732264" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation</em></a>. Joseph has studied and practiced meditation since 1967 under the guidance of eminent teachers from India, Burma, and Tibet and he leads Insight Meditation retreats around the world.</p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>In this episode we talk about:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Why Joseph has become more comfortable talking about these concepts as he's gotten older</li> <li>Why karma should not be seen as a deterministic principle that rules every aspect of our lives</li> <li>The connection between karma and past lives</li> <li>What he thinks about the concept of free will and how it relates to karma </li> <li>And why skeptics would do well to adopt a mindset characterized by the "willing suspension of disbelief" </li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Additional Links:</strong></p> <p><a href="https://dharmaseed.org/talks/77932/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Joseph's Dharma Seed Talk: Understanding Karma </a></p> <p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Dipa-Ma-Legacy-Buddhist-Master/dp/0974240559" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Dipa Ma: The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master</em></a></p> <p><a href="https://www.samharris.org/books/free-will" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>Free Will</em> by Sam Harris</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.dharma.org/retreats/forest-refuge/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">IMS's Forest Refuge Program</a></p> <p><a href="https://www.buddhistinquiry.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies</a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Related Episodes:</strong></p> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-playlists/10th-anniversary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Click here</strong></a> to listen to the previous episodes in our tenth anniversary series. </li> <li><a href="https://art19.com/shows/ten-percent-happier/episodes/020e36ac-a0ad-41c9-93cb-48dbb60352e4" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Nirvana | Joseph Goldstein</strong></a></li> </ul> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>To order the revised tenth anniversary edition of 10% Happier:</strong> <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/10-happier-10th-anniversary-dan-harris?variant=41074377523234" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>click here</strong></a><strong> </strong></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>For tickets to Dan Harris: Celebrating 10 Years of 10% Happier at Symphony Space:</strong> <a href="https://www.symphonyspace.org/events/vp-dan-harris-10-happier-10-year-anniversary" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>click here</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Sign up for Dan's weekly newsletter</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3QtGRqJ" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>here</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Follow Dan on social:</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3tGigG5" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Instagram</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FOA84J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>TikTok</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Ten Percent Happier online</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/46TZglY" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>bookstore</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Subscribe to our</strong> <a href="https://bit.ly/3FybRzD" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>YouTube Channel</strong></a></p> <p><strong>Our favorite playlists on:</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3Qa8kMT" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Anxiety</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3MjtMxF" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Sleep</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QvyA5J" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Relationships</strong></a><strong>,</strong> <a href="https://spoti.fi/3QxZASc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Most Popular Episodes</strong></a></p> <p><br /></p> <p><strong>Full Shownotes:</strong> <a href="https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/joseph-goldstein-742" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.tenpercent.com/tph/podcast-episode/joseph-goldstein-742</a></p>
Actionable Insights
1. Understand Karma for Agency
Gain more agency in life by understanding the law of karma, recognizing how different actions bring about specific results, and using this knowledge to make informed choices.
2. Cultivate Wholesome Mind States
Actively cultivate wholesome mind states, such as kindness, as these generally lead to positive results and happiness in one’s life.
3. Practice Everyday Kindness
Make kindness a core value, consciously recognizing and manifesting it in daily interactions, speech, and actions, as this pragmatic approach yields very positive results.
4. Guide Future Actions with Karma
Utilize the understanding of karma not to look back and attribute blame, but to look forward, consciously planting ‘seeds’ of wholesome volitional actions that are understood to bring about good future results.
5. Condition Choices with Wisdom
When making decisions, strive to condition choices with wisdom and wholesome factors, as these lead to better outcomes and happiness for oneself and others, unlike choices based on anger, greed, hatred, or delusion.
6. Pair Intellectual and Experiential Learning
Deepen and augment meditation practice by complementing it with learning about Buddhism, integrating both the intellectual understanding and experiential aspects of the teachings.
7. Pause Before Outbursts
When feeling an outburst of temper, create a pause by counting to 10, allowing space between the intention to react and the action, which can prevent undesirable behavior.
8. Explore Meditation App
Download the ‘10% with Dan Harris’ app to access a library of guided meditations for stress, anxiety, sleep, focus, and self-compassion, along with weekly live Zoom community sessions and ad-free podcast episodes.
9. Support Insight Meditation Society
Consider donating to or attending retreats at the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) via dharma.org to deepen meditation practice and engage with Buddhist studies, if comfortably able to do so.
10. Attend Live Podcast Recording
Attend the live podcast recording in New York City on March 28th for an interview with Joseph Goldstein and Dr. Mark Epstein, with an option for a VIP guided meditation and Q&A.
11. Listen to Nibbana Episode
Listen to the previously released Nibbana/Nirvana episode (linked in the show notes) to further complement and deepen the understanding gained from this conversation.