Joseph Goldstein (writer)

Joseph Goldstein (born 1944) is one of the first American vipassana teachers,^[1][2] co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg,^[2][3] contemporary author of numerous popular books on Buddhism (see publications below), resident guiding teacher at IMS, and leader of retreats worldwide on insight (vipassana) and lovingkindness (metta) meditation.

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.^[4]

Chronology

• 1944: Born; grew up in the Catskill mountains of New York
• 1965: Graduated from Columbia University as a philosophy major
• 1965: Entered the Peace Corps in Thailand, where he first became interested in Buddhism. After the Peace Corps, he spent most of the next seven years in India studying and practicing Buddhist meditation
• 1974: He began teaching at Chogyam Trungpa's Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO. He has been leading vipassana and metta retreats worldwide since 1974.^[1]
• 1975: Co-founded the IMS in Barre, MA^[3] with Jack Kornfield and Sharon Salzberg.
• 1991: Helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.^[5]
• 1998: Co-founded the IMS Forest Refuge^[6] for long-term personal retreats.

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,^[7] Sri S.N. Goenka,^[7] Mrs. Nani Bala Barua (Dipa Ma),^[8] and the Venerable Sayadaw U Pandita.^[7] Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche,^[7] Nyoshul Khenpo Rinpoche,^[9]

Publications (partial list, in chronological order)

• The Experience of Insight: A Simple and Direct Guide to Buddhist Meditation (1976)
• Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack. 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. 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. Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening. Sounds True. ISBN 978-1-62203-063-7.

References

1. Prebish, Charles (March 2002). "Surveying the Buddhist Landscape". Shambhala Sun. Archived from the original on December 8, 2007. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
2. 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. "Teacher Profiles". Insight Meditation Society. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
4. ""One Dharma" by Joseph Goldstein". PBS. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
5. "About Us". Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
6. "IMS's Forest Refuge". Insight Meditation Society. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
7. 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.
8. Goldstein, Joseph (2002). One Dharma. HarperOne. p. 29. ISBN 978-0-06-251701-2.
9. 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.
• 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 at AudioDharma and Dharmaseed
• Video interview with Joseph Goldstein
• Audio interview on the benefits of long term practice on Buddhist Geeks