Joseph Goldstein (writer)

Joseph Goldstein
Born (1944-05-20) May 20, 1944
EducationColumbia University
Occupations
Known forCo-founder, Insight Meditation Society

Joseph Goldstein (born May 20, 1944) is one of the first American vipassana teachers,[1][2][3] co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg,[2][3][4][5] a contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism (see publications below), a resident guiding teacher at IMS, and a leader of retreats worldwide on insight (vipassana) and lovingkindness (metta) meditation. An early promoter of insight practice and awareness, Goldstein is credited as an influence in the rise of mindfulness practices in the US since he started hosting workshops in 1974 (see Chronology section).[3][6][7]

While the majority of Goldstein's publications introduce Westerners to primarily Theravada concepts, practices and values, his 2002 work, One Dharma, explored the creation of an integrated framework for the Theravada, Tibetan and Zen traditions.[8]

Chronology

Meditation practice

Goldstein had original experiences of realisation concerning the word 'unborn' and an experience of zero and of no self.[6][11] He makes a 3-month meditation retreat most years.[11] He says the peace and happiness we experience has to do with the quality of our minds, not our possessions.[7] His book Mindfulness is based on the Satipatthana Sutta, a Buddhist text.[12] Goldstein has featured talks and sessions available on the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) website.

Teachers and Relationships

Since 1967, Goldstein has practiced different forms of Buddhist meditation under well-known teachers from India, Burma and Tibet. His teachers include: Anagarika Sri Munindra,[7][13] Sri S.N. Goenka,[13] Mrs. Nani Bala Barua (Dipa Ma),[14] the Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita,[13] Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche,[13] and Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche.[15]

Goldstein's personal and working relationship to Jack Kornfield is often referenced in scholarship.[2][3][5][7] They are compared as parallels, both of them grew up on the east coast, earned Ivy league educations, went to the peace corps in southeast Asia in the 1965 and began to study Theravada Buddhism in the late 60s and early 70s - Goldstein in India, Kornfield in Thailand.[3][7] Their collaboration with making Vispanna intelligible and accessible through the IMS is viewed as an important propagator of Buddhism and mindfulness practice in the West.[3]

Publications (partial list, in chronological order)

  • The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (1976)
  • Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack (1987). Seeking the heart of wisdom: the path of insight meditation. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-805-4.
  • Goldstein, Joseph. Insight meditation: the practice of freedom. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-025-6.
  • Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack (1995). The Path of Insight Meditation. Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-57062-069-0.
  • Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate (2002), with Sharon Salzberg
  • One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism (2002)
  • A Heart Full of Peace (2007)
  • Goldstein, Joseph (November 2013). Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening. Sounds True. ISBN 978-1-62203-063-7.

References

  1. ^ a b Prebish, Charles (March 2002). "Surveying the Buddhist Landscape". Shambhala Sun. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c Fronsdal, Gil. "Insight Meditation in the United States: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness". The Faces of Buddhism in America. University of California Press. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Coleman, James William (2002). The new Buddhism: the western transformation of an ancient tradition (1. issued as paperback ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 78. ISBN 978-0-19-515241-8.
  4. ^ a b "Teacher Profiles". Insight Meditation Society. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  5. ^ a b Gajaweera, Nalika (2024-05-22), Gleig, Ann; Mitchell, Scott A. (eds.), "Mindfulness and Meditation in the United States", The Oxford Handbook of American Buddhism (1 ed.), Oxford University Press, pp. 303–321, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780197539033.013.16, ISBN 978-0-19-753903-3, retrieved 2026-01-07{{citation}}: CS1 maint: work parameter with ISBN (link)
  6. ^ a b Fronsdal, Gil (1998). Prebish, Charles S.; Tanaka, Kenneth Kenʼichi (eds.). The Faces of Buddhism in America. Berkeley: University of California Press. pp. 163–180. ISBN 978-0-520-20460-7.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Fields, Rick (2022). How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America. Benjamin Bogin. New York: Shambhala. ISBN 978-1-61180-473-7.
  8. ^ ""One Dharma" by Joseph Goldstein". PBS. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  9. ^ "Joseph Goldstein". The Wisdom Experience. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
  10. ^ Goldstein, Joseph. "Joseph Goldstein – Insight Hour Podcast". Be Here Now Network.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  11. ^ a b "Ten Percent Happier with Dan Harris on Apple Podcasts". iTunes.
  12. ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: "Robert Wright & Joseph Goldstein [The Wright Show] (full conversation)". YouTube. 2 November 2016.
  13. ^ a b c d Gross, Amy (Summer 1999). "An Interview with Joseph Goldstein". Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. Archived from the original on May 20, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  14. ^ Goldstein, Joseph (2002). One Dharma. HarperOne. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-06-251701-2.
  15. ^ Goldstein, Joseph (2002). One Dharma. HarperOne. pp. 9–10. ISBN 978-0-06-251701-2.

Further reading

  • Schwartz, Tony (1995). What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America. NY: Bantam Books. ISBN 0-553-09398-3.
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