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 SalzbergOften we can achieve an even better result when we stumble yet are willing to start over, when we don't give up after a mistake, when something doesn't come easily but we throw ourselves into trying, when we're not afraid to appear less than perfectly polished.
Sharon SalzbergMindfulness helps us to set boundaries by revealing what makes us unhappy & what brings us peace.
Sharon SalzbergCompassion isn't morose; it's something replenishing and opening; that's why it makes us happy.
Sharon SalzbergIf youโre reading these words, perhaps itโs because something has kicked open the door for you, and youโre ready to embrace change. It isnโt enough to appreciate change from afar, or only in the abstract, or as something that can happen to other people but not to you. We need to create change for ourselves, in a workable way, as part of our everyday lives.
Sharon SalzbergIn a single moment we can understand we are not just facing a knee pain, or our discouragement and our wishing the sitting would end, but that right in the moment of seeing that knee pain, we're able to explore the teachings of the Buddha. What does it mean to have a painful experience? What does it mean to hate it, and to fear it?
Sharon Salzberg