Poise and Compassion

Sam speaks with mindfulness teacher and author Sylvia Boorstein. They discuss Sylvia’s accidental introduction to Buddhism; the illusory divide between formal practice and everyday life; the two sentences that inspired Sylvia to pursue meditation seriously; Sylvia’s most important teachers; the counterintuitive benefits of cultivating goodwill; Mr. Rogers, and his place in Sylvia’s conception of mental freedom; extreme experiences during meditation; the utility of moral outrage; the relationship between emotion and action; wisdom vs. insight; Sylvia’s experience caring for her ailing husband; the Four Noble Truths; integrating ethical codes with the wisdom of emptiness; and other topics.