For episode 156 of the Metta Hour Podcast, Sharon speaks with friend and colleague Tara Brach.

Tara has been practicing and teaching meditation since 1975, as well as leading workshops and meditation retreats at centers throughout North America and Europe. She has a PhD in clinical psychology, is the founder of the Insight Meditation Community of Washington and is the author of several beloved books: Radical Acceptance, True Refuge, and Radical Compassion. Her most recent book, Trusting the Gold: Uncovering Your Natural Goodness, has just been released by Sounds True in June of 2021.

In the conversation, Sharon and Tara speak about the inspiration for Tara’s new book, Trusting the Gold, and how it came into form as an illustrated project. They discuss the Buddhist concept of Basic Goodness, and how controversial this idea can be in the West. Tara shares about her early years as a practitioner living in an Ashram, and how she struggled to be a perfect student while slowly opening to the truth of her own basic goodness. They discuss many different aspects of Basic Goodness, from the personal level, relational and communal levels, and how it is even more relevant as an antidote for isolation from the pandemic. Tara shares a breakdown of the practice of RAIN as a tool for when we’re triggered, and they both share different tactics for working with the feeling of powerlessness in the pandemic. To close the conversation, Tara leads a seven-minute guided meditation on Basic Goodness.

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