Jack Kornfield is one of the creators of American Buddhism, a teacher whose life path includes both ordination into Theravada Buddhist monkhood in Thailand and a Ph.D in clinical psychology. The melding of these perspectives influenced a new wave of spiritual seekers and spurred a deeper understanding of the Western mind.
Who He Is
As one of America’s most influential spiritual teachers, Kornfield broadcasts his knowledge through dharma talks, books, articles, and a podcast called Heart Wisdom. His books have been translated into twenty languages and sold more than a million copies. After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, a guide to translating spiritual awakening into the challenges of day-to-day life, often tops lists of must-read titles. Kornfield co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, in 1975, and Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California, in 1997. He continues to teach at Spirit Rock and other venues around the country.
What He Teaches
Kornfield’s instruction is rooted in insight meditation, also known as vipassana meditation, a practice that reveals the true nature of existence through close attention to sensation. It originated with the Buddha himself and is the foundation of all Buddhist meditation practices. From here, Kornfield explores the practical application of loving awareness to the questions of life. His talks and meditations cover a range of topics, from forgiveness and compassion, to see the universal perspective.
Why You’ll Love Him
During any given dharma talk, Kornfield will quote Thich Nhat Hanh, Alice Walker, T.S. Eliot, and the taxi driver who drove him to the airport. This “jazz,” as he calls it, reflects the eclectic ways he blends voices that illuminate the Buddha’s teachings in our everyday existence. Kornfield is a master of relevance. He tunes into his audience and finds a way to translate the essence of ancient texts into a message that is immediate, personal, and easy to understand. It is through this role of translator that Kornfield introduced concepts of mindfulness to America, understanding that certain challenges exist here that are not addressed in the East, such as the culture of self-criticism and the compulsion to achieve. His psychology doctorate is the result of his constant efforts to reach more people, to answer more questions, to meet more needs. Kornfield’s approach is holistic—Spirit Rock, the retreat center he co-founded, combines modalities from different sources with Buddhism, psychotherapy, and bodywork—and that’s a reflection of his monastic training in Thailand. His teachings are practical and his articles read like a handbook to life.
How He Found the Spiritual Path
A self-described “out-of-place hippie” from a Jewish family, Kornfield resonated with the wisdom he learned in an Asian philosophy class at Dartmouth College. A difficult childhood had shown him that intellectual prowess and material wealth didn’t equate to happiness, and in the sage words of ancient teachers, he saw another way. The class had such an impact on him that he changed majors from pre-med to Buddhist Asian studies. When he graduated in 1967, Kornfield asked the Peace Corps to send him to a Buddhist country. He worked two years on medical missions in the rural Mekong River valley of northeastern Thailand, and there he met his first teacher, Ajahn Chah. Kornfield joined the ascetic ranks of the monastery, immersed himself in a year-long retreat with Burmese master Mahasi Sayadaw, and eventually accepted ordination as a monk.
When Kornfield returned to America eager to share what he had learned over the past five years, he soon realized the impossibility of doing so while maintaining the monastic lifestyle—visiting the Thai embassy every day to collect alms wasn’t the best use of his experience. So, with a heavy heart, Kornfield returned to lay life and found other outlets for leadership. Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the Tibetan lama who launched the groundbreaking Naropa University in Colorado, asked Kornfield to teach a vipassana meditation course at the school’s first summer session. Kornfield met fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein here, and together they ushered in a new wave of interest in the dharma as well as new ways of communicating it.
Kornfield’s sphere of influence extends further than the meditation centers he helped establish and the teachings he’s shared. His view of Buddhism encourages activism and engagement—he’s organized peace marches in the Holy Land and continues to fight Buddhist fundamentalism in Burma.
What He Says
“When you turn directly toward your own true nature, you discover that your spirit, your consciousness, is always free. With that discovery comes a wellbeing that manifests as joy, which the Buddhist texts declare is a necessary dimension of an awakened heart and mind.
The point of dharma practice isn’t to perfect yourself. It’s to perfect your love. It’s to see this world from your original mind, from original goodness, and say, ‘Amazing, wondrous! Let me express this joy, this tenderness, and compassion, to all whom I see.’
Live in joy, live in compassion, and live in love, no matter where you are, instructs the Buddha. To remember that this is possible for you is an essential step on the path to joy and freedom.”
Where You Can Find Him
Kornfield often leads the Monday Night sitting group and dharma talk at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, which begins with thirty to forty-five minutes of meditation followed by a talk and Q&A. The event is also available as a live webcast on the Spirit Rock website. Visit his website for an up-to-date schedule of events, retreats, and conferences.
