Sharon Salzberg

Sharon Salzberg is one of my favorite meditation teachers. Her books are easy to read as she is a natural storyteller with a nurturing spirit. But the truths are no less profound. Real Change is a guide to making change, written with advocates and activists in mind. Social justice work is difficult, demanding, and can be all consuming. How can you take a break when you see so much need, when you feel angry and frustrated? Salzberg argues, and I can speak from personal experience, even a few show more minutes of meditation each day has helped me find a space within the work where I can rest and then return refreshed. It sharpens my focus and allows me to gauge my reactions in a more thoughtful way. When I open my eyes after practicing and look out on the world, I know it is the same broken place, I feel the familiar anger, but I also feel as though I have more courage to keep moving forward even as I accept the current circumstances. show less

LOVING KINDNESS: THE REVOLUTIONARY ART OF HAPPINESS is author Sharon Salzberg's Buddhist-based exploration of how we human beings can interpret and direct our lives in ways that will lead us to greater personal happiness and freedom. As an internationally known meditation teacher and co-founder of both the Insight Meditation Society (1974) and the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (1990), Salzberg is one of the leaders credited with bringing the concept of mindfulness to the West.

Salzberg show more begins by pointing out an essential human contradiction. Although all of us "long to love ourselves more deeply and to feel connected with others"* we often feel just the opposite - disconnected and separate. Salzberg says that feeling of separation is a delusion and a source of great pain in our lives. But while we cannot control the world or what happens to us as individuals, we can manage our action and reactions in ways that foster connection.

Drawing on personal anecdotes, the works of other Buddhist scholars, and the teachings of the Buddha (aka Siddhartha Gautama 563-483 BCE), Salzberg walks us through alternative ways to handle the difficult moments of our lives. Like when we face anger or aversion. She offers concrete alternatives that involve us pausing and looking inside ourselves. Instead of meeting hard emotions with more harshness, we can answer with loving kindness and compassion. By doing so, she argues, we not only like ourselves ore and help ourselves more, we also help the person who caused us pain. Each chapter concludes with practical exercises to help each of us consider how these concepts can be integrated into our daily lives.

Please don't think of this book as a religious text or or as just one more self-help book, even though it could feel like the latter. And don't be put off if you have little interest in Buddhism as a philosophy. There is wisdom for all in these pages. And it's less than 200 pages long.

Salzberg's writing style is straightforward, accessible, and clear, with humor sprinkled throughout. I would recommend reading it slowly, a few pages at a time. This book has the potential to make you think differently about the world and to reconsider your own power to create a greater sense of peace. I recommend LOVING KINDNESS for everyone; it is guaranteed to get you thinking. show less

I enjoy books about yoga, mindfulness and meditation. Sharon Salzburg's latest book (publication date June 6, 2017), is beautifully organized around the Buddhist meditation of lovingkindness. She begins with the premise that humans are uniquely social and in order to fully experience life, we must interact and love one another. Her exploration on how to better love with the help of meditation begins with self-love, expands to our close relationships, and so on until we are meditating and show more living in love toward all of mankind. This is a practical guide that addresses the balance between forgiveness and wishing well our enemies and the need for self-care and letting go of relationships that no longer serve us. For those who read in this subject, some of the material is redundant. However, I enjoy reading different takes on the same material for greater understanding. Salzburg's grounded examples and well constructed narrative is a great addition to the topic. Highly recommended for readers with an interest in self-help; meditation; and yoga.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks!. show less

I absolutely love Sharon Salzburg for all of her teachings, especially on Loving Kindness, aka Metta. In this book, she offers her amazing insights into anger, grief and resilience, interconnectedness, and equanimity. Her teachings empower the reader to take action with their daily life in such a way to combat stress and feeling overwhelmed. At the end of each chapter, Sharon offers a meditation specific for the topic discussed. This book offers so many lessons that I immediately re-read show more some of the chapters that resonated the most to me. The chapter on equanimity was the most helpful, personally. Being employed in the helping profession, Sharon offers excellent reminders for preventing burnout. If Goodreads had a ½ star scale, I would give this book a strong 4.5 stars. show less