What unites us as human beings is an urge for happiness which at heart is a yearning for union. Sharon Salzberg More Quotes by Sharon Salzberg More Quotes From Sharon Salzberg Loving kindness is the spirit of friendship toward yourself and others. Sharon Salzberg loving-kindness spirit kindness To remember non-attachment is to remember what freedom is all about. If we get attached, even to a beautiful state of being, we are caught, and ultimately we will suffer. We work to observe anything that comes our way, experience it while it is here, and be able to let go of it. Sharon Salzberg attachment letting-go beautiful Meditation clarifies our minds and opens our hearts, and brings us to unusual depth and stability of happiness, whatever life brings. Sharon Salzberg meditation mind heart You might have extensive bouts of thinking exceedingly nasty thoughts, but because you are relating to those thoughts with mindfulness and compassion, that's considered good meditation. Sharon Salzberg compassion meditation thinking The art of concentration is a continual letting go. We let go of what is inessential or distracting. We let go of a thought or a feeling, not because we are afraid of it or because we can’t bear to acknowledge it as a part of our experience; but, because it is UNNECESSARY. Sharon Salzberg letting-go feelings art If we fall, we don't need self-recrimination or blame or anger - we need a reawakening of our intention and a willingness to re-commit, to be whole-hearted once again. Sharon Salzberg change self fall It doesn't matter how long we may have been stuck in a sense of our limitations. If we go into a darkened room and turn on the light, it doesn't matter if the room has been dark for a day, a week, or ten thousand years - we turn on the light and it is illuminated. Once we control our capacity for love and happiness, the light has been turned on. Sharon Salzberg dark happiness years True happiness is born of letting go of what is unnecessary. Sharon Salzberg unnecessary letting-go happiness Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere. Sharon Salzberg meditation mindfulness wise Mindfulness helps us to set boundaries by revealing what makes us unhappy & what brings us peace. Sharon Salzberg unhappy mindfulness helping Meditation isn’t about what’s happening; it’s about how you relate to what’s happening. Sharon Salzberg relate happenings meditation We need the courage to learn from our past and not live in it. Sharon Salzberg buddhist past needs Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience. Often such stories treat a fleeting state of mind as if it were our entire and permanent self. Sharon Salzberg meditation-practice differences self Even in the midst of devastation, something within us always points the way to freedom. Sharon Salzberg devastation recovery way There are many times when I have to remind myself that people who harm others are coming from a place of profound disconnection. It is not easy to recognize the pain such a person is in, especially because they may not be conscious of it themselves. They may present themselves to the world as just fine. If you believe human beings have a potential for deep connection, wisdom and love; the limitation in those peoples' lives becomes clearer. Sharon Salzberg pain believe people In those moments when we realize how much we cannot control, we can learn to let go. Sharon Salzberg realizing moments letting-go Voting is the expression of our commitment to ourselves, one another, this country and this world. Sharon Salzberg expression country commitment Find a gap between a trigger event and our usual conditioned response to it and by using that pause to collect ourselves and shift our response Sharon Salzberg gaps events usual Compassion allows us to use our own pain and the pain of others as a vehicle for connection. This is a delicate and profound path. We may be adverse to seeing our own suffering because it tends to ignite a blaze of self-blame and regret. And we may be adverse to seeing suffering in others because we find it unbearable or distasteful, or we find it threatening to our own happiness. All of these possible reactions to the suffering in the word make us want to turn away from life. Sharon Salzberg regret pain compassion We like things to manifest right away, and they may not. Many times, we're just planting a seed and we don't know exactly how it is going to come to fruition. It's hard for us to realize that what we see in front of us might not be the end of the story. Sharon Salzberg fruition stories may
