A teaching with Jack Kornfield and Catherine Ingram.
I was lucky enough to spend time with Jack Kornfield when I lived in San Rafael. His meditation center, Spirit Rock, was nearby. He was perhaps my first regular meditation teacher, though I did start meditating earlier when I was a student in Religious Studies. I found a teacher in Berkeley at the time. I remember a big house in a residential neighborhood. Both of these men helped me get an initial imprint about what meditation was. For me it has evolved greatly as I practice something that is around the clock. Sitting meditation is optional in my world.
See: The Beauty of Informal Meditation
This is in keeping with my practice of being with all that arises within. Fear here can be translated to “anxiety,” which is the clinical term for fear which everyone at one time or another experiences with or without a diagnosis of some sort of anxiety “disorder.”
Psychiatry pathologizes much of the normal human experience and fear and/or anxiety often referred to in Buddhism as such. Normal. There are techniques to learn how to be with these normal feelings, whether they’re very intense or not.
Catherine refers quite explicitly about those of us with traumatic histories that might include abuse etc.
This way of being with ourselves can be healing.
The video footage is awful — the soundtrack isn’t in synch with the speakers. I suggest listening without watching. That allowed me to be with the message more effectively.
___
For a great article on embracing all that arises within your psyche revisit Jayme’s healing practice that she entitled, “How I deal with mental breakdowns”, one of my all time favorite posts on this blog.
More exploration of fear and anxiety on Beyond Meds: Fear and anxiety: coping, reframing, transforming…
Other posts that feature Jack Kornfield’s work on Beyond Meds:
● A meditation: Invite all parts of yourself to join you…
● Loving-kindness (metta) meditation
Books by Jack Kornfield:
a new one, I’ve not read but it sounds great:
● A Lamp in the Darkness: Illuminating the Path Through Difficult Times
A guided meditation is a separate CD:
● Guided Meditations for Difficult Times: A Lamp in the Darkness
Other books I’ve read and enjoyed by Jack Kornfield are here:
● After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path
● A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life
***
Support Everything Matters: Beyond Meds. Make a donation with PayPal or if you’d like to contribute to food as medicine, a Kroger eGift card works too!
Discover more from Beyond Meds: Alternatives to Psychiatry
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Leave a Reply