Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between whatโs happening and the stories we tell ourselves about whatโs 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 SalzbergAs we practice meditation, we get used to stillness and eventually are able to make friends with the quietness of our sensations.
Sharon SalzbergLove and concern for all are not things some of us are born with and others are not. Rather, they are results of what we do with our minds: We can choose to transform our minds so that they embody love, or we can allow them to develop habits and false concepts of separation.
Sharon SalzbergCompassion grows in us when we know how the energy of love is available all around us.
Sharon SalzbergIn Buddhist teaching, ignorance is considered the fundamental cause of violence - ignorance... about the separation of self and other... about the consequences of our actions.
Sharon SalzbergMeditation is not a matter of trying to stop thinking or make your mind go blank but rather to realize when your attention is wandering and to simply let go of the thoughts and begin again. It is a way of changing our relationship to our thoughts, so we're not so consumed by them, with no sense of space. Having a newly spacious relationship to our thoughts brings both peace and freedom.
Sharon Salzberg