Ep. 324 - The Courage to Love Amidst War: Compassion, Exhaustion, and Renewal
6/3/202637 min
In the second half of this powerful wartime talk, Jack Kornfield guides us through the practice of lovingkindness and explores what it means to stay open-hearted in the face of exhaustion, grief, and overwhelm.
Today’s podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Give online therapy a try at betterhelp.com/heartwisdom and get on your way to being your best self.
This time on Heart Wisdom, Jack Kornfield chats about:
- Lovingkindness (metta) as a practice of resilience
- Overcoming despair by using our inner resources
- Working with emotional exhaustion and compassion fatigue
- The wisdom of allowing emptiness instead of fixing it
- The power of presence in shaping the future
- Becoming a force of peace in the world
“When we live in the present moment, we can be strong and loving no matter what. We don't get lost in our fear. The practice of living in the present with mindful, loving awareness is a doorway to your freedom, to your well being.” –Jack Kornfield
The episode was originally filmed for Mantra Ukraine, you can learn more about them on Instagram
About Jack Kornfield:
Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, studying as a monk under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein and the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California. His books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies.
Jack is currently offering a wonderful array of transformational online courses diving into crucial topics like Mindfulness Meditation Fundamentals, Walking the Eightfold Path, Opening the Heart of Forgiveness, Living Beautifully, Transforming Your Life Through Powerful Stories, and so much more. Sign up for an All Access Pass to explore Jack’s entire course library. If you would like a year's worth of online meetups with Jack and fellow community, join The Year of Awakening: A Monthly Journey with Jack Kornfield.
Stay up to date with Jack and his stream of fresh dharma offerings by visiting JackKornfield.com and signing up for his email teachings.
“You don't have to rush your compassion. Just be where you are and hold even the emptiness with great kindness.” –Jack Kornfield
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsGanesh0:00
[gentle music] "You don't have to rush your compassion. Just be where you are and hold the emptiness with great kindness." A relieving quote from Jack Kornfield, sourced from episode 324 of the Heart Wisdom Podcast, The Courage to Love Amidst War: Compassion, Exhaustion, and Renewal. My name is Ganesh. I'm honored to open the door to part two of this episode. Filmed for the Mantra community in Ukraine, Jack wanted to give a talk to those affected by the war, and wanted us to share this with the greater podcast community and the world to offer some respite for those affected by war around the world right now, and to help us remember that we are all in this together. If you'd like to learn more about Mantra Ukraine, you can head to instagram.com/mantra.ukraine, as well as youtube.com/@mantra.ukraine to see the resources that they have set up to help shape the future with the power of presence. With everything going on today, this episode is