Author Guide · Meditation & Buddhism
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In 1967 Jack Kornfield graduated from Dartmouth College in Asian studies and went to Thailand with the Peace Corps, working on tropical medicine teams in the Mekong River valley. There he became a monk under the forest master Ajahn Chah, and he later practised with Mahasi Sayadaw in Burma. Back in the United States he co-founded the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein, and later Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California. He also earned a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and most of his books sit where those two trainings meet. According to his own website they have been translated into 20 languages and sold more than a million copies. This guide covers his 13 key books, in order, and where to begin.
By Lisanne Swart · 13 key books · 1977–2025 · Updated October 2026
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Quick answer
Jack Kornfield has published around 18 books, counting co-written and edited titles. The best known are A Path with Heart (1993), After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (2000) and The Wise Heart (2008); his most recent is All in This Together (2025). Start with A Path with Heart, which combines meditation instruction with what he learned as a psychologist; then read on for the books on Buddhist psychology, forgiveness and difficult times.
Where to Start with Jack Kornfield
If you want his best-known book
→ A Path with Heart (1993) — meditation and psychology in one guide.
If you want Buddhist psychology explained in depth
→ The Wise Heart (2008) — his longest and most systematic book.
If you want to know what happens after awakening
→ After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (2000) — interviews with teachers from many traditions.
If you have never meditated
→ Meditation for Beginners (2004) — a short book with guided practices.
13 Jack Kornfield Books, in Order
Living Buddhist Masters
His first book: portraits and meditation instructions from twelve Theravada teachers of Southeast Asia, including his own teachers Ajahn Chah and Mahasi Sayadaw. It was reissued as Living Dharma in 1996 and later as Modern Buddhist Masters.
A Still Forest Pool
Talks and sayings of Ajahn Chah, the Thai forest master under whom Kornfield was ordained, compiled and edited with Paul Breiter, another of Ajahn Chah’s Western students. The short sections cover meditation, monastic discipline and daily life.
Seeking the Heart of Wisdom
Written with Joseph Goldstein, his fellow co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, and built from the instructions and talks they gave on retreats. It covers the practice of insight meditation step by step, from mindfulness of breathing to working with the hindrances, and is still published by Shambhala.
A Path with Heart
His best-known book, published by Bantam, which puts meditation instruction side by side with the psychological problems that come up on the way: old wounds, addiction, spiritual crises and the difficulties that can arise between teachers and students. Each chapter ends with a meditation or reflection. The title asks the question he wants readers to put to any practice: does this path have heart?
Buddha’s Little Instruction Book
A small Bantam book of short sayings and instructions drawn from Buddhist teaching, one or two lines each, made to be opened at any page.
After the Ecstasy, the Laundry
Built largely from interviews with Western meditation teachers, lamas, rabbis, abbots, nuns and yogis about what happens after an experience of awakening. His answer is that it does not end the work: there is no “enlightenment retirement”, and anger, family and ordinary chores are still there afterwards. Chapters include “Emotions after enlightenment” and “Honoring family karma”.
The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace
A short book from Bantam on three practices: forgiveness, lovingkindness and making peace, with stories from his teaching and guided meditations for each one.
Meditation for Beginners
A short introduction to insight meditation from Sounds True, first issued with a CD of guided practices: the breath, the body, feelings, thoughts and lovingkindness. A Bantam edition followed in 2008.
The Wise Heart
His longest book, more than 400 pages from Bantam, sets out Buddhist psychology as a system: how the mind works, how suffering arises, and how it is healed, with diagrams and exercises at the end of most chapters. It mixes stories from his own life with Western psychology and research. Publishers Weekly called it his best book yet and singled out the final section, on joy.
Bringing Home the Dharma
A collection of shorter pieces from Shambhala on practice outside the meditation hall, in work, family and community. Its introduction states the theme: “This very life, your work, your family, your community is the only place for awakening.”
A Lamp in the Darkness
A short book from Sounds True for people going through loss, illness, grief or fear, with practices for staying present in difficulty. It was first published with a CD of guided meditations.
No Time Like the Present
Published by Atria in May 2017, on the idea that freedom and happiness do not have to wait for better circumstances. It includes some of his most personal writing, including the abuse he and his family suffered from his father, and the childhood decision to become a peacemaker.
All in This Together
Published by Sounds True in November 2025. It uses stories, fables, Buddhist teachings and the poems of Mary Oliver to respond to anxiety, injustice and suffering, around three ideas: our basic goodness and interconnection, freedom from hatred and fear, and service.
In What Order to Read Jack Kornfield
His books stand alone, so you can read by need rather than by date. Publication order does show a shift: the first books, Living Buddhist Masters and A Still Forest Pool, pass on the teachings of the Asian masters he trained with; from A Path with Heart onwards he writes in his own voice, joining that training to Western psychology; the late books are shorter and turn outwards, to forgiveness, hard times and the wider world.
If you are new to meditation, Meditation for Beginners is the shortest way in, but A Path with Heart is the book most readers start with. Read The Wise Heart once you want the whole system behind it, and A Still Forest Pool if you want to hear Ajahn Chah himself.
A reading path
1. A Path with Heart (1993)
2. After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (2000)
3. The Wise Heart (2008)
4. A Still Forest Pool (1985)
5. No Time Like the Present (2017)
Everything Else Jack Kornfield Published
Beyond the 13 key books: 5 more, grouped by kind.
Open a group with the + to see every book in it.
Co-written, edited and early books
5
5 books · 1978–2010
- 1978A Brief Guide to Meditation Temples of Thailanda guide written as a monk
- 1991Stories of the Spirit, Stories of the Heartteaching stories from many traditions, with Christina Feldman; reissued as Soul Food (1996)
- 1993Teachings of the Buddhaselected texts, edited with Gil Fronsdal
- 1995The Path of Insight Meditationa short guide written with Joseph Goldstein
- 2010The Buddha Is Still Teachingan anthology of contemporary Buddhist teachers, which he compiled
The years · 1945–2025
Quick facts about Jack Kornfield
- Known for
- Bringing Theravada insight meditation to the West, joining it with Western psychology, and co-founding the Insight Meditation Society and Spirit Rock Meditation Center
- 1945
- Born in the United States
- 1967
- Peace Corps in Thailand; monk under Ajahn Chah
- 1975
- Co-founds the Insight Meditation Society
- 1987
- Co-founds Spirit Rock in California
- Born
- 16 July 1945, United States; a fraternal twin, one of four sons of a scientist father
- Education
- Dartmouth College, Asian studies (1967); Ph.D. in clinical psychology, Saybrook (1977)
- Training
- Monk in Thailand under Ajahn Chah; later practised with Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma and Dipa Ma
- Founded
- Insight Meditation Society, Barre, Massachusetts (with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein); Spirit Rock Meditation Center, Woodacre, California
- Teaching
- Internationally since 1974, when he joined the founding faculty of Naropa
- Family
- Married to the meditation teacher Trudy Goodman; a daughter, Caroline, from his first marriage
- Podcast
- Heart Wisdom, recorded talks and conversations
The red mark is 1993: A Path with Heart, the book that joined his monastic training to Western psychology.
How Jack Kornfield Writes: The Monk and the Psychologist
Kornfield writes from two trainings at once. He was a forest monk under Ajahn Chah and a student of Mahasi Sayadaw, and he is a clinical psychologist; A Path with Heart and The Wise Heart both treat meditation as one tool among others for healing, and are frank about what it cannot fix on its own, from old trauma to the problems that arise between teachers and students.
He teaches through stories. His books move quickly between a saying of Ajahn Chah, an episode from a retreat, a case from his clinical work and a poem by Rumi or Mary Oliver, and most chapters end with a practice the reader can try. Several of them, including Meditation for Beginners and A Lamp in the Darkness, were first issued with guided meditations on CD.
The later books turn to his own life. No Time Like the Present describes the violence of his father and how it shaped his wish to be a peacemaker, and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry rests on the plain observation that awakening does not end ordinary trouble. The tone throughout is warm and practical, with Pali terms kept to a minimum.
Watch
Jack Kornfield on the Dalai Lama’s message for modern times
In a talk recorded at Spirit Rock in March 1993 and released on his Heart Wisdom podcast in 2025, Kornfield describes how the Dalai Lama urged Western teachers to adapt Buddhism for the modern world.
Frequently asked questions about Jack Kornfield’s books
How many books has Jack Kornfield written?
Around 18, counting co-written and edited titles. This page covers his 13 key books, from Living Buddhist Masters (1977) to All in This Together (2025); the other five, including Teachings of the Buddha (1993) and The Path of Insight Meditation (1995), are listed under “Everything Else”.
What are Jack Kornfield’s books in order?
Living Buddhist Masters (1977), A Still Forest Pool (1985, with Paul Breiter), Seeking the Heart of Wisdom (1987, with Joseph Goldstein), A Path with Heart (1993), Buddha’s Little Instruction Book (1994), After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (2000), The Art of Forgiveness, Lovingkindness, and Peace (2002), Meditation for Beginners (2004), The Wise Heart (2008), Bringing Home the Dharma (2011), A Lamp in the Darkness (2011), No Time Like the Present (2017) and All in This Together (2025).
Where should I start with Jack Kornfield?
A Path with Heart (1993). It combines meditation instruction with what he learned as a psychologist, and each chapter ends with a practice. If you want something shorter, start with Meditation for Beginners (2004).
What is Jack Kornfield’s most famous book?
A Path with Heart: A Guide Through the Perils and Promises of Spiritual Life (1993). The Wise Heart (2008), his guide to Buddhist psychology, and After the Ecstasy, the Laundry (2000) are the other two most read.
What is his newest book?
All in This Together: Stories and Teachings for Loving Each Other and Our World, published by Sounds True in November 2025.
Who were Jack Kornfield’s teachers?
Mainly the Thai forest master Ajahn Chah, under whom he became a monk after joining the Peace Corps in Thailand in 1967, and Mahasi Sayadaw of Burma. He also practised with Dipa Ma, and his website names teachers including Maha Ghosananda and Ajahn Buddhadasa.
What is the Insight Meditation Society?
A meditation retreat centre in Barre, Massachusetts, which Kornfield co-founded with Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein in the mid-1970s; its retreat centre opened in February 1976. On the West Coast he later co-founded Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, California.
Is Jack Kornfield a psychologist?
Yes. He holds a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, and much of his writing, especially A Path with Heart and The Wise Heart, joins Buddhist practice with Western psychology.
Is Jack Kornfield still alive?
Yes. He was born on 16 July 1945, still teaches, and published All in This Together in 2025.
Does Jack Kornfield have a podcast?
Yes, Heart Wisdom, which publishes his talks, many recorded at Spirit Rock, on Apple, Spotify and YouTube.
Footnotes
- Jack Kornfield — Wikipedia
- Bio — jackkornfield.com
- The Best of Jack Kornfield — Lion’s Roar
- The Wise Heart — Publishers Weekly, 2008
- After the Ecstasy, the Laundry — Spirituality & Practice
- All in This Together — Sounds True
Bibliography last verified 9 October 2026. Where sources give different first-publication years, this page uses the year in library catalogues or the publisher’s own record.
This list was not put together by a machine.
The notes are all mine,
and the books are all his.
Lisanne x
Written by Lisanne Swart, who has curated reading lists and author guides at lisanneswart.com since 2021.
See more on her personal bookshelf.
“You don’t have to wait to be free. You don’t need to postpone being happy.”
— Jack Kornfield, No Time Like the Present (2017)
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