What the Buddha saw so clearly, and what we can see for ourselves, is that the underlying sources of suffering and freedom are forces or energies in our own minds. It’s not something outside of ourselves. Why is there suffering in the world? Why is there injustice, hunger, exploitation? The same forces which cause these kinds of suffering in the world exist within our own minds as well. We have to see that the sources of suffering and freedom are within us, they’re not outside of us. This insight is the foundation of the entire spiritual path.
Joseph Goldstein
Residential Retreat Teacher
Joseph Goldstein is a co-founder and guiding teacher of Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. He has been teaching Vipassana and Metta retreats worldwide since 1974 and in 1989 helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma, Insight Meditation, The Experience of Insight, and co-author (with Jack Kornfield) of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom.
Joseph Goldstein's Upcoming Programs
Retreat | Online Non-Residential
April 21 - April 30, 2025 | Monday - Wednesday
April Insight Meditation Retreat
Registration Opens - November 26. The emphasis during this retreat will be on the continuity of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances the mind. Relaxed acceptance of our moment-to-moment experience will become the platform for investigation and wisdom. Particular attention will be paid to the attitudes in the mind that condition our understanding. This retreat is suitable for both beginner and experienced meditators, and we welcome people from all life experiences, backgrounds, and communities.
Retreat | On-Land
April 21 - April 30, 2025 | Monday - Wednesday | 9 nights
April Insight Meditation Retreat
Applications Open - November 26. The emphasis during this retreat will be on the continuity of awareness in all activities, which stabilizes and balances the mind. Relaxed acceptance of our moment-to-moment experience will become the platform for investigation and wisdom. Particular attention will be paid to the attitudes in the mind that condition our understanding. This retreat is suitable for both beginner and experienced meditators, and we welcome people from all life experiences, backgrounds, and communities.
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Joseph Goldstein through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.