Sharon Salzberg joins Raghu Markus from one of the Life In Balance Q&A webinars, answering questions about meditation practice, dealing with fear and learning to trust.
Show Notes
Sit Down and Get Real (Opening) – Sharon talks about adjusting our expectations when it comes to meditation and returning to practice.
“The whole purpose of meditation is not to stop different experiences but to change your relationship to those experiences. Whether those are beautiful and wonderful, or difficult or distracted, whatever it is, we are always looking at the relationship. We do get caught, inevitably, and that is why my big thing is that we have to begin again.” – Sharon Salzberg
Sitting with Fear and Anger (14:05) – A question from the live stream audience about techniques for dealing with anger and fear. Sharon discusses ways to sit with fear and anger without becoming overwhelmed by it.
“If we could have something, like a wave of rage, come through us like the weather, and not lash out, then that is a hugely successful outcome.” – Sharon Salzberg
The Stories We Tell Ourselves (20:40) – Sharon and Raghu discuss the stories we tell about ourselves, and the stories about us that others tell. She describes how mindfulness practice keeps these stories from defining and defeating us.
Trust and Surrender (25:30) – Sharon talks about trust; including a form of trust that has to do with coming in line with the truth and giving up to control the way things are. She also discusses surrender through the Buddhist point of view.
Getting Real with Death (41:20) – Why are we so afraid of death? Sharon and Raghu share their thoughts on the question of where our fear of death comes from and how spiritual practice changes our response to that fear.
“We are back to getting real. On a day to day basis, sitting on your mat. Getting real means making friends with change and impermanence. The more we practice that, as we go into these big changes of aging, I think we become more spacious in our ability to relate to them without tremendous fear.” – Raghu Markus
Sharon’s newest book “Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection“ is a field guide for anyone seeking awakened living in the 21st century – regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity or status. In the book, Sharon explores love is three different arena in life: love of oneself, love of an other, and love for all of life. Real Love is now available to order in hardcover, ebook and audiobook format. To explore Real Love further, check out The Real Love Podcast Series on the Metta Hour featuring a variety of conversations with some of the world’s finest thinkers and teachers exploring concepts in Sharon’s new book “Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection.“ Keep up with Sharon on Facebook.
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