Insight Hour Podcast with Joseph Goldstein

Written by Leigh Martinuzzi 

Whether you are new to Buddhism, love it or just curious to explore religion from a modern holistic perspective than this podcast with Joseph Goldstein is sure to please. Personally, I didn’t have any idea who Joseph was until I started hearing many other podcasters and mentors refer to him, particularly in reference to mindfulness and meditation practices. That’s when I found this podcast which I do thoroughly enjoy.

Don’t expect a hyped up delve into the world of Buddhism. Expect down to earth, humble teachings from a man who shares many wonderful personal stories and experiences combined with his knowledge and wisdom of the enlightened path of Buddha. Remarkably insightful, calm and inspirational these are essential teachings that can be applied to real life situations regardless of your preconditioned beliefs.

Goldstein is a softly spoken man often holding his breath with long pauses as he grapples and delivers his next thought. He often laughs as he shares his stories and if that doesn’t draw you in just a little, I can guarantee after each podcast you will walk away from it a little more educated on the doctrines of Buddhism. The message about how to live a life of peace and harmony with all the joy and suffering that may be experienced along the way.

Joseph is the co-founder of the Insight Meditation society with Sharon Salzburg and Jake Canfield, two names that I am sure will ring a bell if you are familiar with this space. He has authored several books and numerous publications and it is said that he ventures on 3-month mediation retreats annually.

According to Wikipedia, he is quoted as saying, “the peace and happiness we experience has to do with the quality of our minds, not our possessions.” I couldn’t agree more and hence why my interest in mindfulness training has increased over the last few years.

Each week a new episode is released. From what I can tell, it is essentially a recording of Joseph delivering a discourse or teaching to an audience from the Buddhist text and his insight into the various practices and perspectives.

His talks range from surface level topics on awareness, mindfulness, and loving-kindness and then in other episodes, he will delve deeper into the understandings of Dukkha or the Eight-Fold Path of enlightenment. I am certainly no expert in what it all means; however, I do feel a deeper sense of peace and joy in my own life as I reflect on the episodes I listen to.

The practices and teachings of western religions specifically Buddhism and mindfulness are a growing area of interest almost unanimously across the board. Perhaps an indication of the truly wonderful benefits that can be received.

Like most, I started out meditating on the floor of my office, at first sporadically and now more consistently, and since then, out of the pure benefits I have noticed in my life, my fascination for this field has grown.

To be honest my real fascination probably arose after attending my first monthly ceremony at a local Buddhist temple in a Japanese town near where I lived years ago – something felt pleasing after each time I went, even though the language barrier made it difficult to pick up many of the insightful words and teachings the monk addressed.

There is now an increasing amount of psychological and scientific evidence backed by studies in neuroscience that highlight the positive effects that such practices found in Buddhism have on one’s overall well-being. Again, if it is your first time or you’d like to enhance your understandings and learnings there may not be many better places to start than the Insight Hour Podcast with Joseph Goldstein. Enjoy.

If this podcast sounds of interest you can take a listen here.

Please leave your thoughts, comments & questions below.

Peace, passion and purpose…

Books by Joseph Goldstein that you may enjoy.

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