Latest Sharon Salzberg Quotes from Interviews

Quotes about:

• The most common response I hear when I tell people I teach meditation is, "I'm so stressed out. I could use some of that!" A response I also sometimes hear, which amuses me a lot is, "My partner should really meet you!"

  Sharon Salzberg

  People, Meditation, Stressed

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com. August 4, 2013.

• I am totally amazed at the spread of interest in meditation. When I first came back from studying in India in 1974, I would be asked in social situations what I did. When I replied, "I teach meditation" they would frequently look at me as though to say "That is weird," and sort of sidle away.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Meditation, Firsts, India

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com. August 4, 2013.

• Mindfulness needs to not be judgmental to really be mindfulness, which means it needs a basis of loving kindness.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Kindness, Mean, Mindfulness

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• Every day seems to reveal a new piece of research about meditation, or new clinical applications of mindfulness or compassion practice, or new corporations or foundations or non-profits bringing mindfulness to work.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Compassion, Practice, Meditation

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com. August 4, 2013.

• It is because of that balanced relationship to the moment that mindfulness serves as the platform for insight... if we feel an emotion, for example, and struggle against it right away, there is not going to be a lot of learning going on. In the same way, if we are swamped by that emotion, overcome by it, there won't be enough space for there to be learning or insight.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Struggle, Space, Way

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• I have seen that there are a number of people who benefit from doing loving kindness meditation, either prior to or along with mindfulness meditation. It varies from person to person of course, but for many, their practice of mindfulness will bring along old habits of self-judgment and ruthless criticism, so it is not actually mindfulness.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Kindness, Practice, Old Habits

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• The quality of mindfulness does not just know something is happening - e.g. there is an emotion, a sensation - but knows without clinging or condemning.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Quality, Doe, Mindfulness

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• 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

  Thinking, Compassion, Meditation

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• 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

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• What comes up is not nearly as important as how you relate to what comes up.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Important, Come Up, Relate

  "A conversation with meditation teacher and co-founder of Insight Meditation Society: Sharon Salzberg". Interview with Nancy Alder, www.marandapleasantmedia.com.

• Meditation clarifies our minds and opens our hearts, and brings us to unusual depth and stability of happiness, whatever life brings.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Heart, Meditation, Mind

• You cannot fail at meditation.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Meditation, Failing

• My experience working with lots of creative people is that they don't lose their artistic edge when they lose a fierce level of anguish. They just create from a different place.

  Sharon Salzberg

  People, Creative, Different

• I think what we (as a society) need from artists of all kinds is courage, a willingness to explore, and a really big sense of possibility.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Artist, Thinking, Needs

• Some things hurt, you know, and there's pain. But we magnify the suffering of it often, I think, by our reactions.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Hurt, Pain, Thinking

• Meeting people in a genuine way and feeling like there is a vital and meaningful connection going on makes me come alive.

  Sharon Salzberg

  Meaningful, People, Feelings