Ep. 273 – The Search for Ajahn Chah: Embodying the Heart of Authenticity

In this defining talk, Jack shed's light on his adventurous journey to Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah, and how upon returning home, he had to learn to embody a heart of authenticity.

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“Being with Ajahn Chah was being with a person who rested in their Buddha Nature, their own true nature. He was just himself. He was really at peace with himself. You could feel it from the energy of his presence, rooted like a great tree in the earth.” – Jack Kornfield

In this episode, Jack mindfully explores:

• His mystical journey to learn with Thai meditation master Ajahn Chah,
• Needing to work his way down the chakras to fully live this human life
• Sudden awakening versus gradual change on the spiritual path
• Ramana Maharshi and liberation through facing one’s own death
• How to live in your soul and dance your unique dance
• What it’s like hanging out with monks covered in wild bees
• Ajahn Chah’s tree-like quality of roundedness, freedom, and openness
• Matching our thoughts and actions with our values
• His first time experience rapture in meditation
• The transformative aspects of therapy, bodywork, marriage, family
• Ram Dass and the healing quality of presence
• Navigating differences in our romantic relationships
• Learning to acknowledge the pain and loss beneath our anger
• Opening to life’s lessons of compassion, wisdom, and wakefulness
• The gift of spiritual community and sharing our authenticity
• Embodying the timeless eternal truth of mindfulness, intimacy, and wakefulness

“To love another person just as they are is the only kind of love that makes any sense.” – Jack Kornfield

“There’s an intimacy and a presence that is true about mindfulness: it’s either now or never.” – Jack Kornfield

This Dharma Talk recorded on 9/14/1992 at Spirit Rock Meditation Center was originally published on DharmaSeed.

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