In part 2 of this Q&A session, Joseph Goldstein explores how to reach equanimity through investigating our mental states, recognizing when to let go, and approaching suffering skillfully.

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In this episode, Joseph Goldstein offers his perspective on:

• Letting go of obsessive thoughts through insight and investigation
• How the seven factors of enlightenment work together to support awakening
• Knowing when to let go and when to investigate experiences for deeper wisdom
• Staying open to emotions while avoiding unskillful reactivity
• Social activism on the Buddhist path and engaging with the world in a skillful way
• Finding inner balance in the midst of turmoil, conflict, and suffering
• Maintaining a deep historical perspective on the rise and fall of all civilizations
• Remembering how small our concerns are in the face of the stars and the vastness of all things
• How equanimity enables us to be peaceful, to connect with suffering, and to offer compassion
• Considering if we can approach daily life with a motivation to help others and the world
• Going into the depths of non-self and allowing our life to be a representation of compassionate action

This talk was recorded at Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center and distributed by Dharma Seed

“In the midst of everything that’s going on, to come back to some greater place of equanimity, one way is just a deep historical perspective on things. This stuff has been going on forever. It’s not new to this time. It’s just part of the long historical unfolding and is inevitable. It’s not an aberration, this has been happening, always.” – Joseph Goldstein

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In part 1 of this Q&A session, Joseph Goldstein gives Buddhist-flavored insight on accepting impermanence, developing our practice, and loving selflessly.

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

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein offers his perspective on:

• The path from accepting impermanence to happiness
• Letting go of clinging and becoming attuned to the truth of change
• The stages we go through in Vipassana meditation practice
• Understanding meditation experiences—why difficult moments don’t mean a “bad” practice
• How developing a regular practice helps us approach life more equanimously
• Feeling the whole mind-body process within practice and how this helps us let go of our sense of self
• Walking meditation as an effective tool for immediate selflessness
• The challenge of engaging with the world without getting lost in it
• Seeing the clear possibility of loving without attachment and with pure generosity of the heart

This talk was recorded at Insight Meditation Society - Retreat Center and distributed by Dharma Seed

“On a conceptual level, being afraid of impermanence is like being afraid of gravity. It’s the way things are. The more we can see that and open to it, we get over that conditioned fear and we’re just in the experience and the acceptance of the flow. It’s actually quite easeful.” – Joseph Goldstein

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Renowned meditation teacher, Joseph Goldstein, shares timeless insights on the mind, suffering, and the heart of why we meditate.

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

In this episode, Joseph Goldstein offers his perspective on:

• The many reasons why we meditate
• How we all filter our experiences through our own particular conditioning and background
• Unpacking the Dhammapada’s teaching: “Mind is the forerunner of all actions”
• Using meditation to understand the patterns and nature of our own minds
• Strengthening mental stability and inner resilience through practice
• Cultivating present-moment awareness instead of being swept away by emotions
• Considering what qualities of heart and mind are being cultivated in all that we do
• A powerful reminder: Don’t waste your suffering—transform pain into wisdom
• Deepening insight into the impermanent nature of all experiences
• The difference between attachment and commitment
• The Buddhist concept of nonself and freeing our minds from identification

This recording from Spirit Rock’s April 2025 Insight Meditation retreat was originally published on Dharmaseed.

“We meditate to come out of confusion, to come out of all our habitual reactions into a space of greater wisdom, of greater clarity. We begin to see much more clearly what actually is going on in our experience rather than being lost in it. We begin to see what it is that’s shaping our lives.” – Joseph Goldstein

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