About this IMS Online On-Demand Program

This program was recorded live on June 26, 2024

Several years ago I sat on a stage with one of my colleagues, Sylvia Boorstein, to have a conversation. Some of the topics we had decided beforehand, many were spontaneous. Even though we were on a stage in front of a crowd, we wanted the atmosphere to be intimate, as though someone was listening in as we were chatting over lunch. The first question Sylvia asked me, totally unexpected, was “What do you think of as the most important thing a teacher has ever said to you?” Because I hadn’t expected it, my unprepared response emerged from deep within, “I’d say it was when my teacher Dipa Ma told me to teach meditation. It formed the foundation of the rest of my life.”

During the fifth session of this series, I had a conversation with Joseph Goldstein. I wanted to bring alive the feeling we got to create on that stage … inviting Joseph -- and more friends in the future -- to  look at our dharma influences, our meditation experiences, issues of contemporary life, and how we deal with them.  -  Sharon Salzberg

Enrollment Fee

Meet Your Teachers

Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is among the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture 50 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Sharon’s podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed six million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond. www.sharonsalzberg.com

Joseph Goldstein

Joseph Goldstein has been leading insight and lovingkindness meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. He is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, where he is one of the organization’s guiding teachers. In 1989, together with several other teachers and students of insight meditation, he helped establish the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies. Joseph first became interested in Buddhism as a Peace Corps volunteer in Thailand in 1965. Since 1967 he has studied and practiced different forms of Buddhist meditation under eminent teachers from India, Burma and Tibet. He is the author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening, A Heart Full of Peace, One Dharma: The Emerging Western Buddhism, Insight Meditation: The Practice of Freedom, The Experience of Insight, and co-author of Seeking the Heart of Wisdom and Insight Meditation: A Correspondence Course.

More Information

  • Equity Pricing Model

    As one part of our ongoing effort to expand access to the teachings of the Buddha, all IMS Online programs feature equity-based registration fees, including the opportunity to self-select a low-cost scholarship rate. No-fee enrollment is available for those who request a fee-waiver at [email protected], no questions asked. Our system supports the cultivation of a dynamic and inclusive community and is made possible by our generous donors and those who choose to support other students by contributing at the “Benefactor” level.

  • Additional Questions

    If you have additional questions please contact us at [email protected].