This practice of lovingkindness is revolutionary because it has the power to radically change our lives, helping us cultivate true happiness in ourselves and genuine compassion for others. A practitioner of buddhist meditation for over thirty years, she is a cofounder of the barre center for buddhist studies and the insight meditation society, and she directs meditation retreats throughout the united states and abroad. Dating back 2,600 years, metta an ancient buddhist meditation practice on lovingkindness is a timeless method for unlocking your hearts immense healing resources. As i was i was doing the dishes on monday morning i was thinking about who i might think of during lovingkindness meditation this week. Breathing in, contacting the life that is right here, is our first step. For kindness to be more fully realized, it needs to. Its a modern reframe of loving kindness where you find what you have in common with someone else and use that as a starting point to wish them well. There is also a lot of joy when one is unselfishly caring for a friend. In this practice we recognise that we deserve to be happy and that our desire to be happy is right and just, just as all beings everywhere deserve to be happy and free from suffering.
The quality or state of taking an active interest in the welfare of others. For those of you who dont know sharon salzberg, she one of americas leading mindfulness teachers and authors and has played a significant role. Sharon salzberg on the clearest, most liberating way to direct your own life i recently attended a yoga retreat where i was the rank and awfully timid novice. Sharon salzberg is a famous author and teacher of buddhist meditation. The revolutionary art of happiness shambhala classics 9781570629037.
Facets of metta sharon salzberg copyright 1995 sharon salzberg. It comes from the buddhist tradition, but it can be adapted and practiced by anyone, regardless of religious affiliation. They are often viewed as secondary virtuesat bestin our competitive culture. Our bodies and hearts need rest to replenish stores of energy.
Sharon saltzberg on connection, compassion and loving kindness and an appeal for nepal. Lovingkindness meditation teaches a traditional practice for cultivating love, and applying it as a lifechanging force. Sharons most recent publication is a 28day meditation program called real happiness, published by workman publishing. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading lovingkindness. The power of meditation, and the book just opened to this section at bob dylans induction into the rock and roll hall of fame in 1988, bruce springsteen described hearing dylans music for the very first time. We cant survive in a state of constant agitation the on. The revolutionary art of happiness shambhala classics paperback 5 jul 2002. She is the cofounder of the insight meditation society, an organization dedicated to spreading awareness about the benefits of meditation at all levels. Once we have held ourselves with kindness, we can touch others in a vital and healing way. The kindness handbook is your personal companion to explore the rich landscape of kindnessand help you see just how it might shift and open up your life to greater joy, meaning, and compassion.
Merge pdf, split pdf, compress pdf, office to pdf, pdf to jpg and more. I can still remember that it was a good feeling when i was cradled to sleep by my mother. The revolutionary art of happiness shambhala classics kindle edition by salzberg, sharon, jon kabatzinn. Erika schneiders life experiences give her a heart filled with love. In this video, meditation teacher sharon salzberg shows how to bring the mind of metta, or lovingkindness, to the fore by taking the opportunity to offer wishes of goodwill and happiness to all everyone you see, and everyone unseen. A pearl goes up for auction no one has enough, so the pearl buys itself rumi love exists in itself, not relying on owning or being owned. But these feelings can awaken in us the desire for freedom and the willingness to take up the spiritual path. Our platform is designed to inspire real life action. Sharon salzberg offered this guided metta lovingkindness meditation sending metta to people we feel neutral towards as well as those we have difficult feelings towards to a room full of people at an insight meditation society retreat. Sharon salzberg is one of americas leading spiritual teachers and authors. Mindfulness and lovingkindness sharon salzberg mindfulness, as the word is commonly used in contemporary meditation teaching, refers to both being aware of our present moments experience, and relating to that experience without grasping, aversion or delusion. Lovingkindness and compassion are closely linked to the buddhist notion that all living beings are inextricably connected. Combine pdfs in the order you want with the easiest pdf merger available.
Sharon salzberg american author sharon salzberg is a new york times best selling author and teacher of buddhist meditation practices in the west. Meditation is a simple practice available to all, which can reduce stress, read more. Lovingkindness meditation from sharon salzberg the. No one has enough to buy it but everyone has enough to cultivate it. Allow sharon to guide you through a series of compassionate. The insight meditation society is one of north americas oldest institutions dedicated to bringing the lifechanging gifts of mindfulness training to the we.
This is the work and the power of lovingkindness, the embrace that allows no separation between self, others, and eventsthe affirmation and honoring of a core goodness in others and in oneself. The principal word for kindness in the christian greek scriptures is khresto. Sharon salzberg, a student of buddhism since 1971, has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. All human beings have a desire to be happy and to be free from suffering.
Like the pearl, love can only buy itself, because love is not a matter of currency or exchange. Jack kornfield true happiness is one of integrating and fully accepting all aspects of may all beings enjoy happiness and the root of happiness. Sharon salzberg is one of todays bestknown buddhist teachers. Lovingkindness meditation by sharon salzberg overdrive. After we have established this state of connection, we move on to those that it may be harder to direct lovingkindness toward. Sharon salzberg sharon salzberg, a student of buddhism since 1971, has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. How loving kindness and compassion meditation can enhance. The revolutionary art of happiness shambhala classics. Now you can open the circle of lovingkindness by bringing to mind someone who is dear to you. We do not always view compassion and lovingkindness as the strengths they are. Sharon salzberg, cofounder of the insight meditation society, offers a guided lovingkindness meditation sending lovingkindess to. Sharon salzberg sharon salzberg is a meditation teacher and new york times bestselling author. In this way we open up our limits and extend our capacity for benevolence.
Lovingkindness practices booklet collection with cartoons. Sharon salzberg on loving kindness what meditation really is. She is the cofounder of the insight meditation society in barre, massachusetts, and has played a crucial role in bringing asian meditation practices to the west. Its only after weve practiced many times that well begin to notice a habit developingnamely, letting ourselves off the hook once in awhile.
But i dont believe we can survive for long in a state of constant agitation. Learn how to practice lovingkindness meditation by sharon. I read about loving kindness on a blog post on the university of california greater good in action website. If you cant be brave or brilliant or wonderful, then you might as well be kind. Influenced by her more than twentyfive years of study with burmese, indian, and tibetan teachers, she teaches intensive awareness practice vipassana or insight meditation and the profound cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion the brahma viharas. Sharon saltzberg on connection, compassion and loving kindness.
Metta bhavana, or lovingkindness meditation, is a method of developing compassion. Sharon salzberg writes that by practicing kindness with others and yourself, over and over again, and this is who you become, this is what feels most natural. Compassion can be likened to the feeling a loving mother has toward alleviating the suffering of her child in distress but is aimed at all beings the dalai lama, 2001. Mindfulness and lovingkindness a handful of leaves. Mindfulness and lovingkindness sharon salzberg mindfulness, as the word is commonly used in contemporary meditation teaching, refers to both being aware of our present moments experience, and relating to that experience. In 1974, she cofounded the insight meditation society at barre, massachusetts with jack kornfield and joseph goldstein. Guided lovingkindness meditation from sharon salzberg by. Sharon salzberga teacher of buddhist meditation, author of lovingkindness, faith and other popular books, and cofounder of the insight meditation societyshares an ancient technique known as lovingkindness meditation. Lovingkindness is a practice that cultivates our natural capacity for an open and loving heart.
You can be brilliant and courageous, and kind and generous in fact, youre more likely to succeed if you practice compassion. Our fear of intimacyboth with others and with ourselvescreates feelings of pain and longing. If you want to go deeper, sharon salzburg and tara brach have written and recorded a lot about radical self. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Metta bhavana cultivation of lovingkindness the good symbol for metta lovingkindness is the mother cradling her baby to sleep. Every other student in our class was far more limber, easily flowing into pretzel.
She is one of americas leading meditation teachers and authors, and has been a student of buddhism since 1971, guiding meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. How a 31day lovingkindness meditation challenge transformed my relationships and reduced my anxiety. In this article, we will explore how mettaderived practices can help build a healthier view and a warmer attitude to. Visit us on sharon salzberg from the wisdom of awareness retreat with sogyal rinpoche and tsoknyi. The blog post was about how research showed that practicing lovingkindness meditation for seven consecutive days can increase positive feelings such as. Lovingkindness and compassion are the basis for wise, powerful, sometimes gentle, and sometimes fierce actions that can really make a difference in our own lives and those of others. Im going to start keeping track of when the word open my wordoftheyear shows up in my life. Sharon has been a student of meditation since 1971, guiding retreats worldwide since 1974.
May i be filled with lovingkindness may i be held in loving kindness may i feel connected and calm may i accept myself just as i am may i be happy may i know the natural joy of being alive. Sharon salzberg may i be filled with lovingkindness. Watch as sharon salzberg teaches street lovingkindness. Sharon salzberg leads a meditation to help us recognize our own inner suffering with tenderness and awareness, opening us naturally to the ability to love others. In this program, we consider the considerable power sometimes underestimatedof having benign intentions toward others. Anybody can become angry that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the right purpose, and in the right way. Stream lovingkindness meditation from sharon salzberg the mindful practice podcast by from desktop or your mobile device. Loving kindness throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and find a greater sense of connection with others. In this inspiring book, sharon shows us how the buddhist path of lovingkindness can help us discover the radiant, joyful heart within each of us. Lovingkindness is a form of love that truly is an ability, and, as research scientists have shown, it can be learned. Lovingkindness with sharon salzberg humankind public radio. Today i was flipping through sharon salzbergs real happiness.
An example would be the buddhist practice of loving kindness meditation, or the tantric practice of identifying yourself as a deity, or the practice of breathing in peace and breathing out peace, or patanjalis practice of cultivating positive thoughts as an antidote to negative ones. It is the ability to take some risks with our awarenessto look at ourselves and others with kindness instead of reflexive criticism. I keep my copy of this book right by my bed at all times as it has so much wisdom in it in addition to detailed instructions on. The new york times has created an in depth guide to meditation by david gelles including a variety of free guided meditations by sharon and tara brach. Jehovah god takes the lead and is the best example of one showing kindness in so many ways toward others, even toward the unthankful and wicked, encouraging them to repentance. Lovingkindness meditation sharon salzberg, insight timer. Sharon salzberg is the cofounder of the insight meditation society ims in barre massachusetts. Compassion for others begins by building a foundation of lovingkindness toward ourselves.