Hey Dan here, before we start the show I want to tell you about a live recording of this

podcast that we're doing in New York City on March 28th. I will be interviewing two frequent

flyers from this show, the legendary meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein

who will be just coming off a three-month solo silent meditation retreat and

Dr Mark Epstein a Buddhist therapist and best-selling author. The event will actually be a

celebration of the 10th anniversary of my first book, 10% happier, and a percentage of

the proceeds will go to the New York Insight Meditation Center. Come early if you want for a VIP guided meditation

and Q&A with me.

Thanks to our friends over at audible

for sponsoring this show and the event.

Tickets on sale right now at symphony space.org.

This is the 10% happier podcast.

I'm Dan Harris. Hello my fellow suffering beings how we doing in this episode the great

meditation teacher Joseph Goldstein is going to go out on a limb He's going to be talking about something he has historically

shied away from publicly the Buddhist cosmology, specifically concepts such as karma,

rebirth, other realms of existence, and psychic powers. As many of you probably know, I am personally

hardwired for skepticism, but I found this conversation to be fascinating not only

intellectually but also on many practical levels. We talk about why Joseph has

become more comfortable talking about these more esoteric and mystical

concepts as he's gotten older.

Why karma should not be seen as a deterministic principle that rules every aspect of our lives,

the connection between karma and past lives, what he thinks about the concept of free will

...