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By engaging in a delusive quest for happiness, we bring only suffering upon ourselves. In our frantic search for something to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us and drive ourselves into exile from our own lives.

Sharon Salzberg

Meditation can be a refuge, but it is not a practice in which real life is ever excluded. The strength of mindfulness is that it enables us to hold difficult thoughts and feelings in a different way—with awareness, balance, and love
SHARON SALZBERG

Difficult Feeling Life Love Reality Strength
We’re capable of much more than mediocrity, much more than merely getting by in this world.
SHARON SALZBERG

Ability Worth
Meditation is a microcosm, a model, a mirror. The skills we practice when we sit are transferable to the rest of our lives.
SHARON SALZBERG

Life Ourselves Skill Transformation
Thinking we are only supposed to have loving & compassionate feelings can be a terrible obstacle to spiritual practice.
SHARON SALZBERG

Compassion Feeling Love Spiritual Thinking
Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.
SHARON SALZBERG

Attention Experience Help Mindset Wisdom
Kindness is really at the core of what it means to be and feel alive.
SHARON SALZBERG

Alive Feeling Kindness
All beings want to be happy, yet so very few know how. It is out of ignorance that any of us cause suffering, for ourselves or for others.
SHARON SALZBERG

Happiness Ignorance Ourselves Philosophy Suffering
Only when we start to distinguish reality from fantasy that we can humbly, with eyes wide open, forge loving and sustainable connections with others.
SHARON SALZBERG

Connection Eyes Fantasy Humble Reality Start
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.
SHARON SALZBERG

Attention Ourselves Philosophy Training
Restore your attention or bring it to a new level by dramatically slowing down whatever you’re doing.
SHARON SALZBERG

Attention Inspirational Yourself
If we turn away from our own pain, we may find ourselves projecting this aversion onto others, seeing them as somehow inadequate for being in a troubled situation.
SHARON SALZBERG

Deep Ourselves Pain Philosophy
Training attention through meditation opens our eyes.
SHARON SALZBERG

Attention Eyes Ourselves Spiritual Training
Life is like an ever-shifting kaleidoscope – a slight change, and all patterns alter.
SHARON SALZBERG

Change Deep Life
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.
SHARON SALZBERG

Beautiful Beginning Development Energy Independent Person
People turn to meditation because they want to make good decisions, break bad habits & bounce back better from disappointments.
SHARON SALZBERG

Bad Break Decision Disappointment Goodness People
Mindfulness is the agent of our freedom. Through mindfulness we arrive at faith we grow in wisdom & we attain equanimity.
SHARON SALZBERG

Faith Freedom Growth Mindset Wisdom

By engaging in a delusive quest for happiness, we bring only suffering upon ourselves. In our frantic search for something to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us and drive ourselves into exile from our own lives.

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By engaging in a delusive quest for happiness, we bring only suffering upon ourselves. In our frantic search for something to quench our thirst, we overlook the water all around us and drive ourselves into exile from our own lives.

Related Topics

Popular Authors

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