Ep. 257 – Releasing the Knower: Equanimity and Awareness
Insight Hour with Joseph Goldstein
Be Here Now Network
4.8 • 864 Ratings
🗓️ 8 January 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Joseph Goldstein discusses equanimity and how to remove the self from the knowing, effectively freeing ourselves from identification with awareness.
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This time on Insight Hour, Joseph Goldstein mindfully explores:
- Thoughts as passing phenomena that do not truly belong to anyone
- Seeing all experiences as the simultaneous arising of both knowing and object
- Letting go of our identification with knowing and awareness
- Shifting from active voice to passive voice as a mindfulness practice
- The near enemies of the mental qualities listed in the Brahmaviharas
- Equanimity and holding all things equally, seeing things for what they are
- The difference between impartiality and indifference, openness versus carelessness
- Navigating the complexity of our lives through the balance of compassion and equanimity
- Maintaining an interest in exploring rather than relying on our preconceptions about people and situations
This episode was recorded at the Insight Meditation Society Forest Refuge and originally published on Dharmaseed
“When you look for the mind there’s nothing to find and the not finding is the finding. It’s to see that there is nothing to find and when there is nothing to find, there is nothing to identify with.” –Joseph Goldstein
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. |
| 0:05.3 | A new year can bring a lot of expectations, bigger goals, better habits, a new you. |
| 0:11.9 | But sometimes, the most meaningful change is simply being mindful about what feels heavy. |
| 0:18.1 | Therapy can help you figure out what's weighing you down by offering an unbiased perspective |
| 0:23.1 | to better understand your relationships, motivations, and emotions. BetterHelp is one of the world's |
| 0:30.7 | largest online therapy platforms with over 5 million people served globally, and their therapist |
| 0:37.3 | work according to a strict code of conduct. |
| 0:41.0 | BetterHelp makes it easy to get matched online with a qualified therapist. |
| 0:45.4 | Sign up and get 10% off at betterhelp.com slash insight hour. |
| 0:51.3 | That's betterhelp-E-L-P.com slash Insight Hour. |
| 1:01.2 | When you look for the mind, there's nothing to find, and the not finding is the finding. |
| 1:09.3 | It's to see that there's nothing to find. And when there's nothing to find, |
| 1:14.2 | there's nothing to identify with. |
| 1:34.3 | Welcome. Welcome to the Joseph Goldstein Inside Hour. |
| 1:40.2 | This podcast is an expression of our shared interest in self-discovery. |
| 1:46.0 | Join Joseph as he shares his deep knowledge of the path of mindfulness. If you are interested in supporting this podcast, |
| 1:50.0 | please go to BehereNownetwork.com slash Joseph. |
| 1:59.0 | Good to be with everyone, and so grateful to have Joseph Goldstein here. |
| 2:03.6 | I'm grateful that Caroline Jones had the insight to invite Joseph to join us. |
| 2:12.6 | And I want to add all of my feelings of gratitude, Joseph, that I saw in the notes that people wrote with their questions. |
| 2:23.3 | Most of you know, but Joseph is really the visionary behind the forest refuge, and of course one of the founding teachers of IMS and the study center, the Barry Center for Buddhist Studies just found |
| 2:35.8 | the hill. |
... |
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