Clear Mountain Monastery Project

The Birth of Western Dharma: A Holy & Harried History of Ajahns, Sayadaws, & Roshis | Jack Kornfield

Mar 5, 2026
Guest
Jack Kornfield
Jack Kornfield, a pioneer linking Theravāda Buddhism with Western psychology and co-founder of major meditation centers. He recounts ordaining in Thai forests and the serendipity behind IMS and Spirit Rock. Conversations cover inviting Asian teachers to the West, shifting to team and lay teaching, training women leaders, ethics and misconduct, and integrating psychotherapy and trauma-aware practices.
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ANECDOTE

Second Western Monk Living In Caves

  • Jack became the second Western monk at Ajahn Chah's Wat Nong Pah Pong and lived in caves at Wat Tam Saeng Pet doing alms rounds barefoot.
  • He describes cold mornings, shivering under cotton robes, and Ajahn Chah's spare reassuring responses like "this is as cold as it gets."
ANECDOTE

Disrobing In A Museum Temple

  • Jack disrobed in Boston's Museum of Fine Arts because there were no proper monasteries to return to in the U.S.
  • He held a simple ceremony in a museum's Japanese temple, cried during disrobing, and then returned to graduate school in psychology.
ANECDOTE

Serendipity Built IMS And Spirit Rock

  • Founding IMS and Spirit Rock involved unexpected karmic help like bank loans and donors; a benefactor funded land purchases.
  • A Nature Conservancy parcel near Point Reyes and a wealthy donor (Anita [Anata] Pindar/Anata?) made Spirit Rock and IMS possible.
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