Episode

#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
listen on Spotify
2:03:22
Published: Thu Mar 12 2020
Description

Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos | Brought to you by FreshBooks and 99designs."We have the opportunity, even in difficult times, to let our spirit shine." — Jack KornfieldJack Kornfield (@JackKornfield) trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India, and Burma, shortly thereafter becoming one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974.Jack has had a profound and direct impact on my life, and I'm thrilled to have him on the podcast once again.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. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a father, husband, and activist.Jack's books have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies, including The Wise Heart, A Lamp in the Darkness, A Path with Heart, After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (one of my favorite book titles of all time), and his most recent, No Time Like the Present: Finding Freedom, Love, and Joy Right Where You Are. He offers a brilliant online training program for those who want to learn to teach meditation at JackKornfield.com. This episode is more of a personal therapy session for yours truly in some respects. You will notice that I sound anxious and unsure in this interview, and that is very much by design. I think it is unhelpful when people in the public eye hide the fact that they also struggle, and it puts them on this illusory pedestal that I think is ultimately self-defeating. Instead, I want to share with you that no matter how much Stoic philosophy I read, no matter how often I meditate, there are times when I struggle, and this week is one of them.I also hope that you'll listen to portions of this conversation multiple times. There are a number of exercises that Jack shares that I will certainly be listening to in the upcoming weeks.Please enjoy. This episode is brought to you by FreshBooks. I've been talking about FreshBooks—an all-in-one invoicing+payments+accounting solution—for years now. Many entrepreneurs, as well as the contractors and freelancers that I work with, use it all the time.FreshBooks makes it super easy to track things like expenses, project time, and client info, and then merge it all into great-looking invoices. FreshBooks can save users up to 200 hours a year on accounting and bookkeeping tasks. Right now FreshBooks is offering my listeners a free 30-day trial, and no credit card is required. Go to FreshBooks.com/tim and enter "Tim Ferriss" in the "How did you hear about us?" section!This podcast is also brought to you by 99designs, the global creative platform that makes it easy for designers and clients to work together to create designs they love. Its creative process has become the go-to solution for businesses, agencies, and individuals, and I have used it for years to help with display advertising and illustrations and to rapid prototype the cover for The Tao of Seneca. Whether your business needs a logo, website design, business card, or anything you can imagine, check out 99designs.You can work with multiple designers at once to get a bunch of different ideas, or hire the perfect designer for your project based on their style and industry specialization. It's simple to review concepts and leave feedback so you'll end up with a design that you're happy with. Click this link and get $20 off plus a $99 upgrade.***If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts/iTunes? It takes less than 60 seconds, and it really makes a difference in helping to convince hard-to-get guests.For show notes and past guests, please visit tim.blog/podcast.Sign up for Tim’s email newsletter (“5-Bullet Friday”) at tim.blog/friday.For transcripts of episodes, go to tim.blog/transcripts.Interested in sponsoring the podcast? Please fill out the form at tim.blog/sponsor.Discover Tim’s books: tim.blog/books.Follow Tim:Twitter: twitter.com/tferriss Instagram: instagram.com/timferrissFacebook: facebook.com/timferriss YouTube: youtube.com/timferrissPast guests on The Tim Ferriss Show include Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Jackman, Dr. Jane Goodall, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Jamie Foxx, Matthew McConaughey, Esther Perel, Elizabeth Gilbert, Terry Crews, Sia, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, Madeleine Albright, Cheryl Strayed, Jim Collins, Mary Karr, Maria Popova, Sam Harris, Michael Phelps, Bob Iger, Edward Norton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Neil Strauss, Ken Burns, Maria Sharapova, Marc Andreessen, Neil Gaiman, Neil de Grasse Tyson, Jocko Willink, Daniel Ek, Kelly Slater, Dr. Peter Attia, Seth Godin, Howard Marks, Dr. Brené Brown, Eric Schmidt, Michael Lewis, Joe Gebbia, Michael Pollan, Dr. Jordan Peterson, Vince Vaughn, Brian Koppelman, Ramit Sethi, Dax Shepard, Tony Robbins, Jim Dethmer, Dan Harris, Ray Dalio, Naval Ravikant, Vitalik Buterin, Elizabeth Lesser, Amanda Palmer, Katie Haun, Sir Richard Branson, Chuck Palahniuk, Arianna Huffington, Reid Hoffman, Bill Burr, Whitney Cummings, Rick Rubin, Dr. Vivek Murthy, Darren Aronofsky, and many more. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Chapters
Tim Ferris talks about personal questions, cybernetic organisms, and the benefits of Fresh Books, an all-in-one invoicing, payments and accounting solution.
00:00 - 01:09 (01:09)
listen on Spotify
Business
Summary

Tim Ferris talks about personal questions, cybernetic organisms, and the benefits of Fresh Books, an all-in-one invoicing, payments and accounting solution.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Tim Ferriss shares five bullet points of cool things he has found each week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, and more.
01:09 - 08:54 (07:44)
listen on Spotify
Personal Growth
Summary

Tim Ferriss shares five bullet points of cool things he has found each week, including apps, books, documentaries, gadgets, and more. This week's episode includes a special offer from Athletic Greens for a free vitamin D supplement and five travel packs with a subscription purchase.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Jack Kornfield discusses how to use our current situation of social distancing and self-isolation as a retreat to reflect on things we may have ignored before amidst our busy lives and way of living.
08:54 - 18:22 (09:28)
listen on Spotify
Self-Reflection
Summary

Jack Kornfield discusses how to use our current situation of social distancing and self-isolation as a retreat to reflect on things we may have ignored before amidst our busy lives and way of living.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The discussion dives into the distinction between the developmental framework and the fruitional view, where the former involves identifying and fixing problems to improve circumstances, whereas the latter focuses on seeking awareness and compassion towards oneself and others.
18:23 - 29:13 (10:50)
listen on Spotify
Developmental View Vs. Fruitional View
Summary

The discussion dives into the distinction between the developmental framework and the fruitional view, where the former involves identifying and fixing problems to improve circumstances, whereas the latter focuses on seeking awareness and compassion towards oneself and others.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The speaker shares his experience of connecting with a group of people by identifying the common theme of suicide and leading a meditation session to offer a sense of his practice.
29:14 - 49:56 (20:42)
listen on Spotify
Meditation
Summary

The speaker shares his experience of connecting with a group of people by identifying the common theme of suicide and leading a meditation session to offer a sense of his practice. He emphasizes the value of recognizing our shared humanity and highlights the importance of empathy and love as sources of connection beyond time and space.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
This meditation practice focuses on calming the mind and connecting with the earth for grounding and peace.
49:56 - 1:01:46 (11:49)
listen on Spotify
Meditation
Summary

This meditation practice focuses on calming the mind and connecting with the earth for grounding and peace.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The intricacies of consciousness lie in the specific aspects of life such as diet, exercise, and living spaces.
1:01:46 - 1:10:04 (08:17)
listen on Spotify
Consciousness
Summary

The intricacies of consciousness lie in the specific aspects of life such as diet, exercise, and living spaces. Letting go is crucial in fully experiencing consciousness, and it's important not to hesitate in doing so.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
Sacred Medicines such as psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca have the power to help individuals connect with themselves, have a sense of vastness, and release negative thoughts in a safe and curated environment.
1:10:04 - 1:19:30 (09:26)
listen on Spotify
Sacred Medicines
Summary

Sacred Medicines such as psilocybin mushrooms and ayahuasca have the power to help individuals connect with themselves, have a sense of vastness, and release negative thoughts in a safe and curated environment. They are a part of many spiritual cultures and have the ability to take apart our conventional reality.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
While some people use psychedelics in responsible and therapeutic ways, others use them to escape or as a solution to everything.
1:19:30 - 1:26:52 (07:22)
listen on Spotify
Psychedelics
Summary

While some people use psychedelics in responsible and therapeutic ways, others use them to escape or as a solution to everything. It is important to approach these tools with proper preparation and guidance to avoid misuse.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
According to Stan Groff and Roland Griffiths, the practice of psychedelic therapy can lead to healing, peaceful approaching of death, and relief from depression or addiction by experiencing an ego or emotional death.
1:26:52 - 1:35:49 (08:56)
listen on Spotify
Psychedelic Therapy
Summary

According to Stan Groff and Roland Griffiths, the practice of psychedelic therapy can lead to healing, peaceful approaching of death, and relief from depression or addiction by experiencing an ego or emotional death. A 30-60 day daily practice of sitting with difficult emotions or thoughts is recommended before a larger psychedelic experience.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The act of witnessing, of having someone be present and listen to our trauma, can be a powerful tool for healing.
1:35:49 - 1:50:11 (14:21)
listen on Spotify
Trauma
Summary

The act of witnessing, of having someone be present and listen to our trauma, can be a powerful tool for healing. Acknowledging and understanding the suffering that happened and its effects on the body and emotions can help us move past it and realize that who we are is so much bigger than that experience.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
The host discusses the importance of paying attention to small details and shares his experience of spending time with spiritual leaders.
1:50:11 - 2:01:36 (11:24)
listen on Spotify
Attention to Detail, Spiritual Leaders
Summary

The host discusses the importance of paying attention to small details and shares his experience of spending time with spiritual leaders. The transcript also includes an unrelated mention of working with a designer named Spoonlancer for future projects.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show
FreshBooks is offering a free 30-day trial with no credit card required to listeners, providing an accounting software that streamlines invoicing and bookkeeping tasks, saving up to 200 hours per year.
2:01:36 - 2:03:15 (01:39)
listen on Spotify
FreshBooks
Summary

FreshBooks is offering a free 30-day trial with no credit card required to listeners, providing an accounting software that streamlines invoicing and bookkeeping tasks, saving up to 200 hours per year.

Episode
#414: Jack Kornfield — How to Find Peace Amidst COVID-19, How to Cultivate Calm in Chaos
Podcast
The Tim Ferriss Show