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. Transform your 2025 with Jack! Join “The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield” a year-long online program on mindfulness, love, community, and connection. Join in anytime. “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 lifeSudden awakening versus gradual change on the spiritual pathRamana Maharshi and liberation through facing one’s own deathHow to live in your soul and dance your unique danceWhat it’s like hanging out with monks covered in wild beesAjahn Chah’s tree-like quality of roundedness, freedom, and opennessMatching our thoughts and actions with our valuesHis first time experience rapture in meditationThe transformative aspects of therapy, bodywork, marriage, familyRam Dass and the healing quality of presenceNavigating differences in our romantic relationshipsLearning to acknowledge the pain and loss beneath our angerOpening to life’s lessons of compassion, wisdom, and wakefulnessThe gift of spiritual community and sharing our authenticityEmbodying 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. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.