Sharon Salzberg Meditation Quotations

Meditation is not the construction of something foreign, it is not an effort to attain and then hold on to a particular experience. We may have a secret desire that through meditation we will accumulate a stockpile of magical experiences, or at least a mystical trophy or two, and then we will be able to proudly display them for others to see.

What you learn about pain in formal meditation can help you relate to it in your daily life.

There are many different ways to practice meditation; it's good to experiment until you find one that seems to suit you.

My earliest experiences in meditation were in a context of intensive retreats.

The meditation traditions I started and have continued practicing have all emphasized inclusivity: anyone can do this who is interested.

I've spent quite a bit of my life as a meditation teacher and writer commending the strengths of love and compassion.

With attachment all that seems to exist is just me & that object I desire.

People turn to meditation because they want to make good decisions, break bad habits & bounce back better from disappointments.

Each of us has a genuine capacity for love, forgiveness, wisdom and compassion. Meditation awakens these qualities so that we can discover for ourselves the unique happiness that is our birthright.

Meditation isn’t about what’s happening; it’s about how you relate to what’s happening.

Metta sees truly that our integrity is inviolate, no matter what our life situation may be. We do not need to fear anything. We are whole: our deepest happiness is intrinsic to the nature of our minds, and it is not damaged through uncertainty and change.

Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.

As we practice meditation, we get used to stillness and eventually are able to make friends with the quietness of our sensations.

Effort is the unconstrained willingness to persevere through difficulty.

With the practice of meditation we can develop this ability to more fully love ourselves and to more consistently love others.

We long for permanence but everything in the known universe is transient. That's a fact but one we fight.

Let the breath lead the way.

To relinquish the futile effort to control change is one of the strengthening forces of true detachment & thus true love.

Mindfulness can play a big role in transforming our experience with pain & other difficulties; it allows us to recognize the authenticity of the distress & yet not be overwhelmed by it.

Meditation is a tool for helping us accept the profound fact that everything changes all the time.

Meditation trains the mind the way physical exercise strengthens the body.

Meditation is a cyclical process that defies analysis, but demands acceptance.

Meditation teaches us to focus and to pay clear attention to our experiences and responses as they arise, and to observe them without judging them.

By practicing meditation we establish love, compassion, sympathetic joy & equanimity as our home.

As we practice meditation we are bringing forth ease, presence, compassion, wisdom & trust.

Meditation may be done in silence & stillness, by using voice & sound, or by engaging the body in movement. All forms emphasize the training of attention.

Meditation is essentially training our attention so that we can be more aware— not only of our own inner workings but also of what’s happening around us in the here & now.

Because the development of inner calm & energy happens completely within & isn’t dependent on another person or a particular situation, we begin to feel a resourcefulness and independence that is quite beautiful—and a huge relief.

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.

Training our mind through meditation does not mean forcibly subjugating it or beating it into shape.

You cannot fail at meditation.

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.

We are all too often told by someone that we are too old, too young, too different, too much the same, and those comments can be devastating.

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!"

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.

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.

Restore your attention or bring it to a new level by dramatically slowing down whatever you're doing.

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