Summary of Jack Kornfield's The Wise Heart

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

Book Preview: #1 The first principle of Buddhist psychology is to see the inner nobility and beauty of all human beings. We have to believe in our dignity, because without it, we are afraid we wouldn’t know how to be.

#2 The word nobility refers to human excellence, which is defined as that which is illustrious, admirable, lofty, and distinguished in values, conduct, and bearing. We can find this quality in others by shifting the frame of time and seeing them as small children still young and innocent.

#3 The Western psychology that has been dominant for the past century is based on the medical model, which focuses on pathology. While this may be appropriate in some cases, it often ignores who we really are.

#4 The Buddhist approach to dealing with problems is to focus on training and practice, as well as understanding. Instead of going into therapy to discuss your problems and be listened to once a week, there is a regimen of daily and ongoing trainings and disciplines to help you learn and practice healthy ways of being.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669364061

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

Book preview

Insights on Jack Kornfield's The Wise Heart

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The first principle of Buddhist psychology is to see the inner nobility and beauty of all human beings. We have to believe in our dignity, because without it, we are afraid we wouldn’t know how to be.

#2

The word nobility refers to human excellence, which is defined as that which is illustrious, admirable, lofty, and distinguished in values, conduct, and bearing. We can find this quality in others by shifting the frame of time and seeing them as small children still young and innocent.

#3

The Western psychology that has been dominant for the past century is based on the medical model, which focuses on pathology. While this may be appropriate in some cases, it often ignores who we really are.

#4

The Buddhist approach to dealing with problems is to focus on training and practice, as well as understanding. Instead of going into therapy to discuss your problems and be listened to once a week, there is a regimen of daily and ongoing trainings and disciplines to help you learn and practice healthy ways of being.

#5

When we meet another person and recognize their dignity, we help those around us. When we learn to rest in our own goodness, we can see the goodness in others more clearly.

#6

When we bring respect and honor to those around us, we open a channel to their own goodness. When we see what is holy in another, whether we meet them in our family or community, at a business meeting or in a therapy session, we transform their hearts.

#7

To see with sacred perception does not mean we ignore the need for development and change in an individual. It is one half of a paradox. We must recognize the innate nobility and freedom of heart that is available to us wherever we are.

#8

To practice seeing the secret goodness, first wake up in a good mood. Then, throughout the day, look for the inner nobility of three people. Carry that intention in your heart as you speak or work with them. After looking at three people a day for five days, set the clear intention to see the secret goodness for a whole day with as many people as you can.

#9

Compassion is the natural response to our blindness. It arises when we see our human situation clearly, and it helps us be tender with our difficulties and not close off to them in fear.

#10

The simplicity of compassion is underneath the sophistication of Buddhist psychology. We can touch into this compassion whenever the mind is quiet, and we allow the heart to open. Unfortunately, like the clay covering the golden Buddha, thick layers of ignorance and trauma can obscure our compassion.

#11

Compassion is the natural result of our interdependence. We are interconnected with the earth and one another, and this fact is the basis for compassion.

#12

Compassion is not a struggle or a sacrifice. It is natural and intuitive, and we don’t have to think about it. We can feel it when we are hurt, and we can respond instinctively.

#13

We all have our own measure of pain. Sometimes the pain we suffer is great and obvious, while sometimes it is subtle. Our pain can reflect the coldness of our families, the trauma of our parents, the stultifying influence of much modern education and media, and the difficulties