Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

Doubt is essentially a form of indecision, a crossroads at which we are hesitant to move in any specific direction. It can be truly seductive in its ability to habituate the mind, rendering us paralyzed to act in its presence. Sharon provides a revealing and inspiring dissection of this stagnant state, and explains the different ways that we can interpret and respond to the feelings that often acc...

There are so many events that occur completely unbeknownst to us throughout our day-to-day lives. Our understanding changes when we discover that the possibility exists to shift our perspective in a way that illuminates or clarifies our awareness. How and where we place our attention determines the nature of our own equanimity, and in retaining this sense of possibility, we have the power to choos...

“I teach one thing and one thing only, that is suffering and the end of suffering’- Buddha. Sharon analyzes a few of the great sage’s profound statements in an effort to illuminate the practical truth therein. Whether interpreted through text, or experienced in our actual lives, an accurate translation naturally leads to an appropriate response. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and...

Sharon is joined by MPN'ers Raghu Markus and Noah Lampert. Topics of discussion include anger, buddhist personality types and the wisdom of trust. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What does real happiness actually feel like, and how can we embody the essence with clarity and compassion?  Sharon provides a detailed exploration of this perceived problem and offers insight into the creation of a deeper and more sustainable sense of happiness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

We often experience ourselves as a fragmented and scattered assimilation of thoughts and emotions. How can we gather this fractured energy and return to our natural state of mindful awareness? In this lecture Sharon provides a thorough breakdown of the parallels and often-subtle distinctions between concentration and mindfulness. We learn to practice mindfulness as a platform for insight into the...

Sharon responds to a variety of questions at the 2010 Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat. Topics discussed include the necessity and desire for a spiritual teacher, merging loving kindness with forgiveness, and the struggles that can accompany even long-term meditation practice See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-m...

Sharon Salzberg and Jared Levy join Raghu Markus for a discussion about the current spiritual landscape, and some of the more encouraging contrasts from their earlier days in practice. The group also comments on the power of purpose in creating our intentions, and the different approaches we can take in aligning our aspirations with our actions. The episode concludes with a fantastic meditation le...

Sharon details her origin story in relation to mindfulness practice and describes the different approaches we can take in integrating meditation into our lives. The core teaching begins with the recognition that we have the potential to change our relationships with ourselves, and the world around us. Questions from the audience revolve around the confusion and difficulty that often arise in exper...

‘Develop a mind so filled with love that it resembles space’. Sharon uses this quote, from the Buddha, to emphasize the value in creating a vast and loving space from which we can operate. This cultivation can come in the form of expanded awareness, or from the clearing and cleansing of the present environment. When we unclutter the heart, we are reminded to stay true to our deepest intentions See...

What is it that we are really looking for from our lives, and do we have the ability to approach these aspirations with genuine confidence? In meditation, we get to redefine happiness, and look critically at our perceived fears and short comings. We use our sharpened awareness to cut through the layers of constriction that often surround our perception, and uncover a profoundly different sense of...

Through Loving Kindness we sense our deep connection to the world around us. From that awareness arises compassion, which recognizes suffering, on all levels, and responds accordingly. Loving kindness doesn't seek to label or define the qualities or emotions that it addresses. It simply comes as an offering, in the form of forgiveness. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California...

Sharon is joined by her longtime friend, and fellow MindPod patron, Raghu Markus, for a thoughtful and thorough discussion of the principles involved in the Buddhist teaching of the Eightfold Path, as well as how we can apply its core sentiments to our modern landscape. The Path begins with the basic recognition of our seamless connection to the world around us, and an evolving determination to av...

In this talk, from the 2010 Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat, Sharon discusses the four virtues, known within the Buddhist tradition as the Brahma Viharas, as well as the meditation practices designed to cultivate them. These qualities, of loving-kindness, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, are said to form our, ‘best home’, and serve as a simple but powerful guideline with which we can...

Within Buddhism, Faith is not held as a commodity, but is actually experienced as a journey that we embark upon. It becomes necessary to explore and investigate the insight surrounding this extraordinary sense of presence and connectedness. There is a natural evolution that occurs which involves a personal validation of, and eventual merging with, the process itself. We learn to abide in and flow...

Taken from the 2010 Open Your Heart in Paradise retreat, Sharon relates the act of meditation to an alchemical process in which we convert the conceptual into the felt presence of direct experience. The array of what we might encounter in meditation is broad, but we welcome it all. Meditation is a skills training in learning to gather energy. Our attention is brought into focus and we begin to con...

In this talk, Sharon touches on the concept of the Buddha as a human being, who had real questions, much like our own. What he discovered was found through the power of his own awareness, and through his teachings we too can uncover our own innate compassion. Retreat provides a rare opportunity to break from the fragmented nature of day-to-day, and allows us to settle back into the truths of our o...