Everyone loses touch with their aspiration, and we need the heart to return to what we really care about. All of this is based on developing greater lovingkindness and compassion. Sharon Salzberg More Quotes by Sharon Salzberg More Quotes From Sharon Salzberg We use mindfulness to observe the way we cling to pleasant experiences & push away unpleasant ones. Sharon Salzberg mindfulness use way Compassion allows us to bear witness to suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. Sharon Salzberg skills compassion names Let the breath lead the way. Sharon Salzberg breaths meditation way Mindfulness can play a big role in transforming our experience with pain & other difficulties; it allows us to recognize the authenticity of the distress & yet not be overwhelmed by it. Sharon Salzberg pain meditation play In a situation of potential conflict, let compassion guide you. Sharon Salzberg conflict guides compassion The first step on the journey of faith is to recognize that everything is moving onward to something else, inside us and outside... We see that a self-image we've been holding doesn't need to define us forever, the next step is not the last step, what life was is not what it is now, and certainly not what it might yet be. Sharon Salzberg journey faith moving I stepped onto the spiritual path moved by an inner sense that I might find greatness of heart, that I might find profound belonging, that I might find a hidden source of love and compassion. Like a homing instinct for freedom, my intuitive sense that this was possible was the faint, flickering, yet undeniable expression of faith. Sharon Salzberg greatness spiritual heart Some people have a mistaken idea that all thoughts disappear through meditation and we enter a state of blankness. There certainly are times of great tranquility when concentration is strong and we have few, if any, thoughts. But other times, we can be flooded with memories, plans or random thinking. It's important not to blame yourself. Sharon Salzberg strong memories thinking We can have skills training in mindfulness so that we are using our attention to perceive something in the present moment. This perception is not so latent by fears or projections into the future, or old habits, and then I can actually stir loving-kindness or compassion in skills training too, which can be sort of provocative, I found. Sharon Salzberg skills-training compassion kindness To cherish others is to cherish ourselves. To cherish ourselves is to cherish others. And in that same way, we relate to the truth. If we support it, if we embrace it, if we uphold it, we will be embraced by it, we will be supported and upheld by it. Sharon Salzberg cherish support way With attachment all that seems to exist is just me & that object I desire. Sharon Salzberg attachment meditation desire To relinquish the futile effort to control change is one of the strengthening forces of true detachment & thus true love. Sharon Salzberg detachment effort meditation Dedicating some time to meditation is a meaningful expression of caring for yourself that can help you move through the mire of feeling unworthy of recovery. As your mind grows quieter and more spacious, you can begin to see self-defeating thought patterns for what they are, and open up to other, more positive options. Sharon Salzberg recovery meaningful moving Seeking is endless. It never comes to a state of rest; it never ceases. Sharon Salzberg endless states mindfulness At 9:10 I'm going to be filled with self-hatred. Sharon Salzberg self-hatred hatred self Even on the spiritual path, we have things we'll tend to cover up or be in denial about. Sharon Salzberg cover-ups denial spiritual Rapture is the gateway to nirvana. Sharon Salzberg rapture gateways I will love myself as long as I never make a mistake. Sharon Salzberg love-myself mistake long Each of us has a genuine capacity for love, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion. Meditation awakens these qualities so that we can discover for ourselves the unique happiness that is our birthright. Sharon Salzberg unique compassion meditation Throughout our lives we long to love ourselves more deeply and to feel connected with others. Instead, we often contract, fear intimacy, and suffer a bewildering sense of separation. We crave love, and yet we are lonely. Our delusion of being separate from one another, of being apart from all that is around us, gives rise to all of this pain. Sharon Salzberg emo pain lonely