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Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg – Be Here Now Network — Buddhism
Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg – Be Here Now Network

The Sharon Salzberg Metta Hour features Buddhist philosophy in a practical, common sense vernacular. Sharon’s natural wisdom, sense of humor and the ease with which she translates these teachings forge an intimate connection with the listener. From everyday experiences to pithy revelations, each podcast is a journey on the path of self-discovery.

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author.
She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of The Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. www.sharonsalzberg.com

Copyright: © Be Here Now Network

Latest Episodes:

Ep. 187 – Dr. Galit Atlas Jul 11, 2022

Show notes

Sharon welcomes Dr. Galit Atlas for Episode 187 of the Metta Hour.

Today's podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Galit is an author, psychoanalyst, and clinical assistant professor at New York University. She has published numerous articles and book chapters that focus primarily on gender and sexuality. Her New York Times published “A Tale of Two Twins” won a 2016 Gradiva Award, and her latest book “Emotional Inheritance” was released in January of 2022. In this conversation, Galit and Sharon discuss:

• What drew Galit to therapy

• The stigma and shame around mental health

• The definition of trauma

• How generational trauma shows up

• The effect that secrecy has on trauma and healing

• How the secrecy in Sharon’s childhood affects her

• Post Traumatic Growth

• What we must accept versus what we can change

• The role of forgiveness in healing

• The epigenetics of family trauma

• Winnicott’s “good enough” parent

• Vicarious Trauma for Caregivers

To learn more about Galit’s work, you can visit her website at galitatlas.com

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Ep. 186 – Stephen Cope Jun 27, 2022

Show notes

Stephen Cope and Sharon Salzberg come together in Metta Hour to discuss dharma and the shared struggles of humanity. In this episode Sharon and Stephen talk about:

How Stephen arrived at Kripalu Center
Stephen's new book
The Bhagavad Gita
Dharma and Sacred Vocation
Times of Struggle
Loving Kindness vs. Hatred and Anger
Yoga and Compassion
Guided meditation

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Stephen Cope is a best-selling author and scholar who specializes in the relationship between the Eastern contemplative traditions and Western depth psychology. For almost thirty years, Stephen has been Scholar-in-Residence at the renowned Kripalu Center. Stephen is also the founder and former director of the Kripalu Institute for Extraordinary Living—one of the world’s most influential research institutes examining the effects and mechanisms of yoga and meditation, with a team of researchers from top universities. Stephen's new book, The Dharma in Difficult Times, is now available to purchase.

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Ep. 185 – Jacoby Ballard Jun 13, 2022

Show notes

Sharon welcomes social justice educator, yoga teacher, and author Jacoby Ballard to the Metta Hour for Episode 185.

Jacoby has taught Queer and Trans Yoga since 2006. In 2008, he Co-Founded the Third Root Community Health Center in Brooklyn as a healing and social justice space. His first book, “A Queer Dharma: Yoga and Meditations for Liberation,” was released in 2021 from North Atlantic Books.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

In this conversation, Jacoby and Sharon discuss:

• How Jacoby began his practice in high school & college

• The release of Jacoby’s new book in the time of Covid

• Applying dharma teachings to explore identity

• The path of liberation for those targeted by systems of oppression

• Addressing the trauma in the room

• Noble silence versus silencing

• Lovingkindness in Queer communities

• Acceptance and anger

• Forgiveness is not amnesia

• Jacoby’s self-care practices

• How to find the therapist for you

• Guidance for Queer and Trans meditators

• How to be a better LGBTQ+ ally

The episode closes with Jacoby leading a guided Mudita (joy) meditation practice. To learn more about Jacoby’s work, you can visit his website.

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Ep. 184 – Agapi Stassinopoulos May 31, 2022

Show notes

Author and speaker Agapi Stassinopoulos joins Sharon for a conversation on the Metta Hour Podcast Episode 184.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Agapi Stassinopoulos is the author of “Wake Up to the Joy of You” and “Unbinding the Heart: A Dose of Greek Wisdom, Generosity and Unconditional Love.” She leads workshops at Thrive Global, a company founded by her sister, Arianna Huffington, to help change how we work and live. Agapi’s newest book, “Speaking with Spirit: 52 Prayers to Guide, Inspire, and Uplift You,” was released in January of 2022 by Harmony Books. In this conversation, Agapi and Sharon discuss:

• Agapi’s family history in WW2

• The influence of Agapi’s mother on her path

• What happens after spiritual awakening

• The inspiration for Agapi’s new book

• Differences between prayer and meditation

• How to embrace a higher power

• Approaching prayer as a practice

• Cultivating confidence

• Spiritual versus religious

• Non-attachment in prayer

• Communion with the Divine

• Why we lose our sense of connection

• Finding the beloved inside

• Letting go of perfection to find greater joy

• The epidemic of loneliness

• Getting out of the way of our creativity

• Giving your inner critic a vacation

• Agape’s approach to grace and resilience

The episode closes with Agapi reading a passage from her book on coming home. To learn more about Agapi’s work, you can visit her website.

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Ep. 183 – Joél Leon May 16, 2022

Show notes

Performer, author, and storyteller Joél Leon returns to the Metta Hour Podcast for Episode 183.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Born and raised in the Bronx, Joél writes and tells stories for Black people. Specializing in moderating and leading conversations surrounding race, masculinity, mental health, creativity, and the performing arts, with love at the center of his work and purpose. He is the author of “Book About Things I Will Tell My Daughter” and “God Wears Durags, Too.” His TED talk on healthy co-parenting has been viewed over 1.5M times. In this conversation, Joél and Sharon discuss:

Joél’s new spoken word album, “Soundtrack To a Riot”
Contemplations on death and aging
Making space for multiple things to be true
The necessity of communion and community
Navigating mental health during COVID
The importance of inner and outer space
The dissonance of systemic injustice and heartful living
How context and nuance matter
Connecting to the awe in everyday life

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Ep. 182 – Mark Epstein May 02, 2022

Show notes

Author and Psychotherapist Mark Epstein, M.D. returns to the Metta Hour Podcast for Episode 182.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

A longtime friend and colleague, Mark and Sharon first met in 1974 at the Naropa Institute in Boulder, CO. Mark is a psychiatrist in private practice in New York City and a longtime Buddhist practitioner. He is the author of several books that explore the interface of Buddhism and psychotherapy, including Going to Pieces without Falling Apart and his 2022 release, The Zen of Therapy: Uncovering a Hidden Kindness in Life. In this conversation, Mark and Sharon discuss:

• Their backstory meeting in 1974 in Boulder, CO

• Mark’s new book, The Zen of Therapy

• The Buddha’s origin story through Mark’s therapeutic lens

• How COVID is impacting Mental Health

• Exploring COVID as a collective trauma

• Mark’s insights while on a meditation retreat

• How to create a healthy holding environment for ourselves

• The importance of kindness in therapy

• The limitations of kindness

• How to find a good therapist

The episode closes with Mark leading a short guided meditation practice. To learn more about Mark’s work, you can visit his website.

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Ep. 181 – Nadia Bolz-Weber Apr 19, 2022

Show notes

Sharon welcomes Pastor, author, and theologian Nadia Bolz-Weber to the Metta Hour Podcast for Episode 181.

Nadia is an ordained Lutheran Pastor and the founder of the House for All Sinners & Saints in Denver, Colorado. She is the creator and host of The Confessional Podcast, which invites guests to share stories about times that they were at their worst, and is executive produced by our friends over at The Moth. Nadia is the author of three New York Times bestselling memoirs: “Pastrix,” which was re-released in May of 2021, “Accidental Saints” and her 2019 release, “Shameless: A Sexual Reformation.”

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

Nadia starts the conversation by sharing more about her history, and what drew her to the path. Sharon asks Nadia about her thoughts on shame, how it hinders us in our personal growth. The two talk about the inspiration for Nadia's book, Shameless, They discuss the distinction between shame, guilt and regret in Buddhist Psychology, and how we can recapture some of the energy from these states. Nadia shares her thoughts on forgiveness, both of ourselves and others, and how she approached forgiveness and a means to find greater freedom. Nadia talks about her podcast, and what her experience has been supporting others who are deeply affected by shame, and the role of a Pastor in life. They also discuss the difference between punishment versus rehabilitation in wrong-doing, and what role mercy has to play in these aspects of life. Nadia shares candidly about a recent family tragedy, and how she is processing the loss by walking the Camino de Santiago. Nadia shares her experience of trying meditation for the first time during the pandemic, and how she finds it to be different than prayer.

Learn more about Nadia: nadiabolzweber.com

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Ep. 180 – Rhonda V. Magee Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Rhonda V. Magee returns to the Metta Hour Podcast for episode 180.

Rhonda is a Professor of Law at the University of San Francisco and has spent more than twenty years exploring the intersections of anti-racist education, social justice, and contemplative practices. A Fellow of the Mind and Life Institute, Rhonda is a global Keynote Speaker, mindfulness teacher, practice innovator, storyteller, and thought leader on integrating Mindfulness into Higher Education, Law, and Social Justice. Her award-winning book, “The Inner Work of Racial Justice: Healing Ourselves and Transforming Our Communities Through Mindfulness,” was released in hardcover in 2019, and the paperback edition is now available.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

The conversation begins with Sharon and Rhonda discussing some of the ongoing assumptions about mindfulness practice and how they are often used to bypass life’s difficulties. Sharon asks Rhonda to elucidate some of the teachings from her book. Rhonda starts by explaining the concept of Racialized Bodies. Sharon shares her understanding of attribution bias and how that also affects the way that we navigate the world. They discuss how the different modalities of mindfulness and lovingkindness compare as a means to work with bias. Sharon asks Rhona to speak more about how she defines Racial Justice and what that means in daily life. They discuss some of the obstacles to cultivating empathy or emotional understanding when looking at racial issues. Rhonda shares her thoughts on Color Insight versus Color Blindness and then leads a guided meditation to close the conversation.

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Ep. 179 – Margaret Cullen Mar 22, 2022

Show notes

For episode 179 of the Metta Hour Sharon speaks with Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) Teacher, Margaret Cullen.

Margaret Cullen is a licensed psychotherapist and was one of the first to become a Certified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher. For over 25 years, she has pioneered secular contemplative programs for various populations, developing and teaching contemplative interventions for research studies at Stanford, UCSF, Portland State, Penn State, University of Michigan, and the University of Miami. Margaret has contributed to the development of the Compassion Cultivation Training at Standford and become Founding Faculty for the Compassion Institute.

Today's podcast is brought to you by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/metta

The conversation begins with Margaret sharing more of her history and how she came to meditation practice in her late 20s. They discuss how mindfulness is defined in different traditions and the implicit quality of compassion that exists in it, and how Margaret’s mentor, John Kabat Zinn, folded compassion into the teaching of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. They discuss “emotional balance” in Margaret’s early work doing research at UCSF. Margaret shares her definition of compassion and the ways her definition has evolved over her time. She also shares some of the common misconceptions about compassion that she had encountered in her work. They also discuss Margaret’s views on compassion fatigue and collapse and the relationship between self-compassion and compassion for others. The conversation closes with Margaret leading a guided Compassionate Image Practice.

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Ep. 178 – Dr. Omid Safi Mar 11, 2022

Show notes

For episode 178 of the Metta Hour, Sharon welcomes her friend and colleague, Omid Safi.

In this conversation, Sharon and Omid discuss the nature of Radical Love and the many forms that love can take outside of romantic bonds. Omid also shares some of the factors and practices that support greater access to states of Radical Love. They contemplate what Rumi would do in a pandemic and what it looks like to flow to where the greatest needs and suffering are to be found in life. Sharon asks Omid about the cultivation of curiosity and humility in life and their roles in life. Lastly, they speak about accountability and restorative justice in the collective as a form of love in the public sphere.

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Omid is a teacher in the Sufi tradition of Radical Love and the Founder of Illuminated Courses & Tours. He is a professor at Duke University specializing in Islamic spirituality and contemporary thought. The author of several books, his most recent release from 2018 is “Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition.” Omid is also the host of his own podcast, The Sufi Heart Podcast, on the Be Here Now Network.

Dive into Dr. Omid Safi's illuminating Sufi Heart Podcast exclusively here on the Be Here Now Network

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