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Sharon Salzberg Takes on the Cliches: Authenticity, Love, and Being Your Own BFF

Oct 6, 2023

Sharon Salzberg, a prominent meditation teacher and New York Times best-selling author, dives into the essence of living authentically. She discusses how to be your own best friend and the challenges of self-love within Buddhist teachings. Exploring the notion of receiving love, she emphasizes that it's often harder than giving it. Each topic unfolds the complexities of mindfulness, compassion, and genuine connections, especially post-pandemic. Sharon's insights redefine how we engage with ourselves and others, paving the way for deeper emotional awareness.

50:22

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Sharon Salzberg

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Quick takeaways

Living an authentic life involves genuine connection and a non-frantic way of being.

Love and non-attachment are not mutually exclusive; genuine love requires non-attachment.

Receiving acts of generosity can be challenging but practicing gratitude and awareness can deepen connections and joy.

Deep dives

The Frustration of Cliches in Personal Growth

In this podcast episode, the speaker discusses the frustration and humor that arises when delving into personal growth topics such as meditation, contemplation, and authenticity. The cliches associated with these concepts, like authenticity and love, often hold truth, and the speaker explores how these notions can be revitalized and understood in a new light. The episode explores Sharon Salzburg's insights on living an authentic life, learning self-love in relation to Buddhist notions of emptiness, the challenges of receiving love, and the integration of love and non-attachment.

Intro

5min

Authenticity in a Post-Pandemic World

15min

Mindfulness and Loving-Kindness

7min

Embracing Self-Love and Interconnection

9min

Navigating Love and Attachment: A Buddhist Perspective

4min

Navigating Love, Loss, and Compassion

16min

Heartfelt Farewell and Upcoming Insights

4min

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One of the most prominent western meditation teachers talks about how to take gauzy concepts and operationalize them in your actual life.

A towering figure in the meditation world, Sharon Salzberg is a prominent teacher & New York Times best-selling author. She has played a crucial role bringing mindfulness and lovingkindness practices to the West.

Sharon co-founded the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) alongside Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield and is the author of nine books, including Lovingkindness, Real Happiness, and the most recent Finding Your Way: Meditations, Thoughts, and Wisdom for Living an Authentic Life. Sharon lives in New York City and teaches around the world.

In this episode we talk about: