Josh and Miles explore the problem of being somebody and the role of the ego in creating internal conflict and external turmoil. We highlight the importance of addressing the cause of suffering and turmoil rather than focusing on the symptoms. We also touch on the concept of the ego as an avatar or projected image of oneself and the consequences of identifying with this false sense of self, along with the repression of shadow aspects and the process of uncovering and integrating them. 

Miles emphasizes the importance of recognizing and healing the shadow, as well as the need to be fully present and aware in order to transcend the ego. We conclude this chat discussing the potential for collective awakening and the role of consciousness in transforming humanity.

Miles Sherts is an Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach.

Website for Miles Sherts: https://www.practicalpresence.org/

Books by Miles: Conscious Communication, The Tyranny of the Ego, Human Nature

Joseph Goldstein needs no introduction. For over forty years, Joseph has been one of the most consequential meditation teachers on the planet, helping usher – along with a handful of westerners – the dharma’s migration to western soil. 

I first met Joseph in the kitchen at the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts. I was a work retreatant at the time (2002), when suddenly I realized that Joseph Goldstein was also in the kitchen. 

“Hi, I’m Joseph. Are you the new cook?” 

“No,” I said, self-consciously breaking my silence. “I’m a work retreatant.”

“Sorry to interrupt your retreat,” Joseph said. “Thank you for your service.” 

In a moment, we pressed our palms in prayer fashion before our hearts, and then Joseph walked away with his quiet, unassuming manner. 

Joseph recently celebrated his 80th birthday, and in honor of his birthday and the tremendous impact of his life, I wanted to finally publish the wide-ranging and personal conversation we had last fall about the “roots and flowers on the path.” 

Joseph and I shared two close friends: Michael Brooks and Jack Engler. Michael died four years ago this July, and Jack died just over a year ago in March of 2023. I met both Michael and Jack through Joseph’s work. Michael was my first dharma brother and co-author, and we met at IMS. Jack was one of my dharma fathers, a therapist and mentor to me for over fifteen years, whom I met after a two-month retreat in Burma with Sayadaw U Pandita. All three of these men have had an enormous influence on my practice, teaching and life.

It was a profound honor to sit down with Joseph on the Everyday Sublime Podcast. I was nervous – no question, and the audio had a few glitches. But I felt like I was sitting down with my favorite uncle, a gentle giant of wisdom and compassion, listening and learning about members of my beloved spiritual family: Michael, Jack, Munindra, Dipa Ma and Sayadaw U Pandita.

In 2010, I wrote a profile on Joseph for the Columbia University alumni magazine, and I include the final paragraph here:

Goldstein’s work has influenced everything from Buddhist-informed psychotherapy to mindfulness-based stress reduction programs to cutting edge research on meditation and neuroscience. Columbia’s preeminent Tibetan Buddhist scholar, the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion Robert Thurman affirms, “Joseph has been a great teacher for many, many people, helping them enormously. His recent book, One Dharma, has been influential in reducing divisiveness and sectarianism in the extremely diverse American Buddhist community. The Insight Meditation Society has been an important force in American culture, and it is well positioned to carry on its work for generations. All in all, Joseph is an American Buddhist ‘Venerable.’ ”

If you enjoy this special episode with Joseph Goldstein, please share with a friend or two.

Enjoy, and thank you for your support!

Episode Summary:

In this special episode, I speak with Joseph Goldstein, meditation teacher and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society. We reminisce about our relationships with Michael Brooks and Jack Engler, two very influential individuals in the dharma world. Joseph shares his experiences working with Michael as a mentor and discusses the integration of spirituality and activism in Michael’s life. Joseph also discusses his time with Jack Engler and how Joseph guided Jack through the stages of insight on the very first three-month retreat in North America in Bucksport, Maine. The conversation then shifts to Joseph’s experiences in India and Burma, where he studied with his renowned teachers Munindra-ji, Dipa Ma, Mahasi Sayadaw and Sayadaw U Pandita. We compare experiences we had while working with U Pandita and the importance of deepening one’s practice in a single method before integrating other practices. We also explore the concept of One Dharma and how to navigate the multitude of Dharma streams available in the West. Our conversation concludes with Joseph’s advice for aspiring meditation teachers.

Links mentioned:

Insight Meditation Society: https://www.dharma.org/

Joseph Goldstein’s book: One Dharma

The Buddha’s Playbook, by Michael Brooks and Josh Summers

The late Michael Brooks’ podcast: The Michael Brooks Show

The late Jack Engler’s essays on the Progress of Insight: Practicing for Awakening Part 1, Practicing for Awakening Part 2

On Dipa Ma: Dipa Ma, The Life and Legacy of a Buddhist Master

On Munindra: Living This Life Fully, Stories and Teachings of Munindra

In this conversation, Miles Sherts and I discuss the relationship between insight meditation and intuition. We explore the distinction between insight meditation’s focus on impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and emptiness, and the idea of intuition and clairvoyance. Miles emphasizes the importance of being present and aware of the prompts and intuitions that arise in daily life. We also delve into the illusion of ego and the role of awareness in transcending the ego’s influence. The conversation concludes with a discussion on the problem of victim psychology and the need to question and transcend the identity of victimhood.

Takeaways:

• Insight meditation cultivates awareness and insight into the nature of reality, while intuition and clairvoyance are more personal and psychological insights.
• Being present and aware allows us to receive intuitive prompts and act on them, leading to a more functional and worry-free life.
• The ego is an illusion that creates the image of a separate self, and its constant maintenance drains our energy and prevents us from experiencing true happiness and effectiveness.
• The ego’s identity as a victim is a common pattern that perpetuates conflicts and oppression. Recognizing and questioning this victim mentality is essential for personal growth and societal change.
• Setting personal boundaries and protecting oneself is important, but it is crucial to differentiate between setting boundaries and perpetuating a victim identity. Victimization is a substitute for our real power and keeps us trapped in a cycle of disempowerment.
• Leadership without victimhood is essential for creating positive change.
• Unplugging from the ego allows us to tap into our innate power and feel a sense of empowerment.
• Practicing unhooking from thoughts and finding spaciousness within the mind can lead to a deeper understanding of our true nature.

Miles Sherts is an Insight Meditation teacher and communication coach.

Miles Sherts | Conscious Communication: https://joshsummers.net/miles-sherts-conscious-communication/

Website for Miles Sherts: https://www.practicalpresence.org/

Books by Miles: Conscious Communication, The Tyranny of the Ego, Human Nature

Originally recorded on July 8, 2024, Josh offers reflections about how to apply meditation and retreat practice to the fire of everyday life activity. All too often we are told to “be as mindful as possible,” and the Buddha has some better advice for us – advice that he gave to his son Rahula.

Originally recorded on June 24, 2024, Josh reflects on his niece’s memorial and ways of honoring and remembering the gifts of noble friends.

LINKS mentioned:

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Josh and Terry share 4 guided practices:

Self-Massage for Circulation + Energy Flow (10min)

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Originally recorded on June 10, 2024, Josh returns to the podcast, reflecting on personal updates: the death of his niece and the relationship that formed with his neighbors while building a chicken coop together.

Originally recorded on May 6, 2024, Josh offers reflections on the confusing relationship between renunciation and practicing one’s heart’s desire. Often seen in conflict, the practice of renouncing unfulfilling activity for the pursuit of one’s deepest desires is an ongoing evolution itself. 

Originally recorded on April 22, 2024, Josh reflects on the parallels between artistic and spiritual development. He explores a maturing relationship to tradition. How do we draw from the world’s wisdom traditions and channel their pathways of heart in our own lives? And how might we consider cultivating a devotional practice to a personalized expression of the divine?

Originally recorded on April 15, 2024, in this dharma talk, Josh offers a fresh perspective on how to cultivate an ethical commitment within your meditation practice. 

Instead of referencing an orthodox list of do’s and don’ts, Josh uses each of the five training precepts in Buddhism as a way to open to a deeper exploration of your heart’s desire.

Many members of the sangha have expressed ambivalence or uncertainty around what their heart’s deepest desire is, and this talk is an introduction to a way of practicing to really listen in a way that allows your heart’s desire to speak.

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I am delighted to welcome Insight Meditation teacher Chas DiCapua on the podcast to discuss a wide-range of topics, exploring how the dharma can help us meet the tragedies of our “now” – an interrelated group of crises of ecology, nationalism, racialization, and, in some ways, masculinity. 

Chas has been practicing Buddhist meditation for almost 30 years. He has trained with Burmese meditation masters, western monastics of the Thai Forest tradition and senior western vipassana teachers. He has spent over two years in silent, intensive retreat.

Chas has served as the Insight Meditation Society’s Resident Teacher at IMS since 2003. Chas is a graduate of the four year joint Insight Meditation Society / Spirit Rock Teacher Training Program. He teaches retreats at IMS and at various centers and sanghas throughout the country.

As a way to address the wide spread suffering that is endemic in many partnered relationships, Chas explores how the dharma can be practiced in relationship, including how the masculine and feminine energies manifest in relationship, in spiritual practice, and in the world.
If you’re local to Maine, Chas is also the guiding teacher at the Open Door Sangha of Portland, Maine.