Talk
Karma and Past Life, Rebirth & Buddhism | Joseph Goldstein and Dan Harris on Ten Percent Happier
A conversation on karma and rebirth within classical Buddhist cosmology.
About the teacher
Joseph Goldstein
Joseph Goldstein studied Vipassana meditation in India and Southeast Asia before returning to found the Insight Meditation Society with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg in 1975. His teaching is known for staying close to the classical Theravada framework while remaining accessible to lay Western practitioners, and for an emphasis on sustained, long-form retreat practice.
He continues to teach through IMS and the Forest Refuge, hosts the Insight Hour podcast, and recently completed a further three months on personal retreat, reflecting a teaching life still centred on direct practice rather than public appearances.
“"The mind that has been freed of greed and hatred and delusion" — Joseph Goldstein's description of enlightenment from a Buddhist perspective, from his Buddha at the Gas Pump interview (batgap.com/joseph-goldstein-transcript).”Joseph Goldstein
Upcoming events
Meet Joseph Goldstein in person.
Talks, day programmes and retreats currently listed in the Paths Are Many calendar.
Talks & videos
Watch before you attend.
Short introductions and longer conversations, to hear this teacher in their own words.
Talk
What Mindfulness Is (& Isn't) - Joseph Goldstein's Insight Hour Ep. 113
Goldstein clarifies what mindfulness is and isn't, from a classical Theravada view.
Path
The wider context.
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Lay practice, Burmese roots
Insight Meditation
The modern Insight movement that brought Theravada meditation practice to lay audiences in the West, largely independent of monastic robes and ritual forms.
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