Joseph Goldstein (born May 20, 1944) is one of the first American
vipassana
''Samatha'' (Pāli; sa, शमथ ''śamatha''; ), "calm," "serenity," "tranquillity of awareness," and ''vipassanā'' (Pāli; Sanskrit ''vipaśyanā''), literally "special, super (''vi-''), seeing (''-passanā'')", are two qualities of the ...
teachers,
co-founder of the
Insight Meditation Society
The Insight Meditation Society (IMS) is a non-profit organization for study of Buddhism located in Barre, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1975, by Sharon Salzberg, Jack Kornfield, and Joseph Goldstein and is rooted in the Theravada tradition. I ...
(IMS) with
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield (born 1945) is an American writer and teacher in the Vipassana movement in American Theravada Buddhism. He trained as a Buddhist monk in Thailand, Burma and India, first as a student of the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah and Maha ...
and
Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg (born August 5, 1952) is a ''New York Times'' bestselling author and teacher of Buddhist meditation practices in the West. In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts, with Jack Kornfield and Jos ...
,
a contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism (see
publications
To publish is to make content available to the general public.[Berne Conv ...](_blank)
below), a resident guiding teacher at IMS, and a leader of retreats worldwide on insight (vipassana) and lovingkindness (
metta) meditation.
While the majority of Goldstein's publications introduce Westerners to primarily
Theravada
''Theravāda'' () ( si, ථේරවාදය, my, ထေရဝါဒ, th, เถรวาท, km, ថេរវាទ, lo, ເຖຣະວາດ, pi, , ) is the most commonly accepted name of Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school' ...
concepts, practices and values, his 2002 work, ''One Dharma'', explored the creation of an integrated framework for the Theravada,
Tibetan
Tibetan may mean:
* of, from, or related to Tibet
* Tibetan people, an ethnic group
* Tibetan language:
** Classical Tibetan, the classical language used also as a contemporary written standard
** Standard Tibetan, the most widely used spoken dial ...
and
Zen
Zen ( zh, t=禪, p=Chán; ja, text= 禅, translit=zen; ko, text=선, translit=Seon; vi, text=Thiền) is a school of Mahayana Buddhism that originated in China during the Tang dynasty, known as the Chan School (''Chánzong'' 禪宗), and ...
traditions.
Chronology
*May 20, 1944: Born; grew up in the
Catskill Mountains
The Catskill Mountains, also known as the Catskills, are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains, located in southeastern New York. As a cultural and geographic region, the Catskills are generally defined as those areas c ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
*1965: Graduated from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
as a philosophy major
*1965: Entered the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F. ...
in
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is bo ...
, where he first became interested in Buddhism. After the Peace Corps, he spent most of the next seven years in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
studying and practicing Buddhist meditation
*1974: He began teaching at
Chogyam Trungpa's
Naropa Institute
Naropa University is a private university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1974 by Tibetan Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa, it is named for the 11th-century Indian Buddhist sage Naropa, an abbot of Nalanda. The university describes itself as ...
in
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
. He has been leading vipassana and metta retreats worldwide since 1974.
*1975: Co-founded the IMS in
Barre, Massachusetts
Barre ( ) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,530 at the 2020 census.
History
Originally called the Northwest District of Rutland, it was first settled by Europeans in 1720. The town was incorpora ...
with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg.
*1991: Helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.
*1998: Co-founded the IMS Forest Refuge for long-term personal retreats.
Meditation practice
Goldstein had original experiences of realisation concerning the word 'unborn' and an experience of zero and of no self.
He makes a 3-month meditation retreat most years.
He says the peace and happiness we experience has to do with the quality of our minds, not our possessions. His book Mindfulness is based on the
Satipatthana Sutta
The Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Majjhima Nikaya 10: ''The Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), and the subsequently created Mahāsatipaṭṭhāna Sutta (Dīgha Nikāya 22: ''The Great Discourse on the Establishing of Mindfulness''), are ...
, a
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
text.
Teachers
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,
Sri
S.N. Goenka,
Mrs. Nani Bala Barua (
Dipa Ma), the Venerable
Sayadaw U Pandita
Sayadaw U Paṇḍita ( my, ဆရာတော် ဦးပဏ္ဍိတ, ; also ''Ovādācariya Sayādo Ū Paṇḍitābhivaṁsa''; 28 July 1921 – 16 April 2016) was one of the foremost masters of Vipassanā. He trained in the Theravada ...
,
,
and
Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche
Nyoshül Khenpo Rinpoche (1932–1999), more fully Nyoshül Khenpo Jamyang Dorje (), was a Tibetan lama born in the Derge region of Kham. .
Publications (partial list, in chronological order)
*
The Experience of Insight A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation'' (1976)
*
*
*
*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)
*
References
Further reading
*Schwartz, Tony (1995). ''What Really Matters: Searching for Wisdom in America''. NY: Bantam Books. .
*Wright, Robert (undated). ''An Interview with Joseph Goldstein''. Available on-line at: http://meaningoflife.tv/video.php?speaker=goldstein&topic=complete.
External links
Goldstein's IMS biography*Downloadable talks a
an
DharmaseedVideo interview with Joseph GoldsteinAudio interview on the benefits of long term practiceon
Buddhist Geeks
''Buddhist Geeks'' is a podcast, online magazine and annual conference with a primary focus on American Buddhism. It was established in 2006 by Vince Horn and Ryan Oelke. Past guests have included Brad Warner, Shinzen Young, and B. Alan Wal ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldstein, Joseph
1944 births
Living people
Jewish American writers
Buddhist writers
American Theravada Buddhists
Theravada Buddhist spiritual teachers
Mindfulness movement
Mindfulness (Buddhism)
Students of S. N. Goenka
Students of Dipa Ma
Students of U Pandita
Columbia College (New York) alumni
21st-century American Jews