(#38/365) Offerings

[thoreau]

"Many people have their first spiritual experience in childhood,
that of an innate and natural connection with what is sacred and holy.
The playfulness, joy and curiosity of our childhood can become a foundation
for the delighted rediscovery of this spirit in our practice. If our relationship
with our parents is respectful and loving, that too becomes a model
and foundation for respect and trust in all other relationships."
- Jack Kornfield


Title: Rooted
Flickr member Nick Moody

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Who is Jack Kornfield? Jack Kornfield trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. He began his training after graduating from Dartmouth College in Asian Studies in 1967. Then he joined the Peace Corps and was assigned to the Public Health Service in northeast Thailand, which is home to several of the world's oldest Buddhist forest monasteries. He met and studied under the Buddhist master Ven. Ajahn Chah, as well as the Ven. Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. After returning to the United States, Jack co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with fellow meditation teachers Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein. He is also a founding teacher of the Spirit Rock Center in Woodacre, California, where he currently lives and teaches. Over the years, Jack has taught in centers and universities worldwide, led International Buddhist Teacher meetings with the Dalai Lama and worked with many of the great teachers of our time. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a husband, father and an activist.