Kornfield is of
Jewish descent and has three brothers, one of whom is his fraternal twin.[3][4] His father was a scientist, which brought him to an interest in healing, medicine and science. He took a course in Asian philosophy with
Wing-tsit Chan. Kornfield ended up majoring in Asian studies.[5]
Kornfield has trained many of the Vipassana teachers in America, and hosted and led gatherings for Buddhist teachers together with the Dalai Lama and worldwide. He received his Ph.D. in
clinical psychology from
Saybrook Institute.[7] Kornfield has written extensively on the bridge between Eastern and Western psychology.
Family
His ex-wife, Liana "Lee" Chenoweth, is an artist and therapist.[3] Their daughter, Caroline, is an immigration lawyer.[3] His wife, Trudy Goodman,[8]
A renowned meditation teacher and founding teacher of InsightLA, he combines training in Vipassana and non-sectarian mindfulness and compassion practices, including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC).[9]
Teachings
Kornfield has worked to make Buddhism accessible for Westerners.[10]
In his book After the Ecstasy, the Laundry, he writes about the honest development of the wise heart within the cycles of day-to-day life; for instance "amid all the Western masters and teachers I know, some idealistic perfection is not apparent. Times of great wisdom, deep compassion, and a real knowing of freedom alternate with periods of fear, confusion, neurosis, and struggle. Most teachers will readily admit this."[11]
Books published
His books include:
Kornfield, Jack (1996) [1977]. Living Dharma: Teachings and Meditation Instructions from Twelve Theravada Masters. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
ISBN978-1-59030-832-5.
Kornfield, Jack; Breiter, Paul (September 1, 1985). A Still Forest Pool: The Insight Meditation of Achaan Chah. Quest Books.
ISBN978-0-8356-0597-7.
Feldman, Christina; Kornfield, Jack (1991). Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heart: Parables of the Spiritual Path from Around the World. HarperSanFrancisco.
ISBN978-0-06-250321-3.
Kornfield, Jack;
Fronsdal, Gil (1996) [1993]. The Teachings of the Buddha: Edited by Jack Kornfield with Gil Fronsdal. Shambhala.
ISBN1-57062-124-1.
Kornfield, Jack (June 1993). A Path with Heart: A Guide through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life. Bantam Books.
ISBN978-0-553-37211-3.
Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack (August 29, 1995). The Path of Insight Meditation. Shambhala.
ISBN978-1-57062-069-0.
Kornfield, Jack (October 2, 2001). After the Ecstasy, the Laundry: How the Heart Grows Wise on the Spiritual Path. Random House Publishing Group.
ISBN978-0-553-37829-0.
Goldstein, Joseph; Kornfield, Jack (March 6, 2001). Seeking the Heart of Wisdom: The Path of Insight Meditation. Shambhala.
ISBN978-1-57062-805-4.
Kornfield, Jack (2008) [2004]. Meditation for Beginners. Sounds True.
ISBN978-1-59179-942-9.
Kornfield, Jack (2007) [1977]. Living Buddhist Masters / Modern Buddhist Masters. Buddhist Publication Society.
ISBN978-955-24-0042-1.
Kornfield, Jack (May 1, 2008). The Wise Heart: A Guide to the Universal Teachings of Buddhist Psychology. Bantam Dell.
ISBN978-0-553-80347-1.
Kornfield, Jack (2010). The Buddha is Still Teaching: Contemporary Buddhist Wisdom. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
ISBN978-1-59030-922-3.
^Palmer, Helen (December 28, 1998).
Inner knowing: consciousness, creativity, insight, and intuition. J.P. Tarcher/Putnam. p. 202.
ISBN978-0-87477-936-3. Retrieved June 6, 2011. Regardless of its level of complexity, every practice relies on steadiness of concentration. Jack Kornfield, psychologist and meditation teacher, describes the practice that forms a cornerstone of …