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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. 246 – Susan Cain Aug 12, 2024

Show notes

For episode 246, Susan Cain makes her first appearance on the Metta Hour!

Susan is the author of the #1 New York Times bestsellers Quiet, and Bittersweet, which was also an Oprah Book Club selection. She has spent the last twenty years exploring a particular realm of human nature: the quiet, the sensitive, the thoughtful, the bittersweet. Susan’s record-smashing TED talks have been viewed over 50 million times and she the host of the Quiet Life online community.

In this conversation, Susan and Sharon discuss:

How Susan approaches writing
VIA character strength test
Does great art have to come from great pain
How suffering brings us together
Susan embracing her “differences”
The Quiet Life Community
Why sadness is a bridge to connection
The Dalai Lama the Darwinist
Moral elevation
Dipa Ma telling Sharon she would teach
Leonard Coen as Susan’s patron saint
Beauty in the broken world
Never be ashamed of your suffering
The history of the word “loser”
Susan learning Lovingkindness meditation
Lovingkindness and boundaries
Chocolate and Brussels sprouts

Susan closes the conversation with a guided reflection. You can join Susan’s Quiet Life Community right here.

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Ep. 245 – Fireside Chat with Guy Armstrong Jul 29, 2024

Show notes

For episode 245, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Guy Armstrong.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the fourth episode in this series. Guy Armstrong has been leading insight meditation retreats since 1984 in the U.S., Europe, and Australia. His training included living as a monk for a year in the Thai forest lineage. Guy is a member of the Spirit Rock Teachers Council and a guiding teacher of the Insight Meditation Society and is the author of Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators from Wisdom Books.

In this conversation, Sharon and Guy discuss:

Guy’s first encounter with meditation
How Sharon reached her first retreat
The mystery of being drawn to practice
The three characteristics of existence
Guy’s introduction to Emptiness
Mahasi Sayadaw noting technique
Mental Noting Technique
Insights of anattā (Emptiness)
The path Guy has taken since 1976
The importance of relaxation
What advice Guy would give his younger self
Goenka’s directive to sit two-hours a day
Thai Buddhist monk Ajahn Buddhadasa
The year that Guy was a monk in Thailand
Burmese Theravāda monk, Pa Auk Sayadaw

The episode closes with some questions from the audience on Emptiness, Dzogchen practice, Tsoknyi Rinpoche Handshake practice, the spectrum of Emptiness, “where is mind,” and the Jhanas.

You can learn more about Guy’s work right here and get a copy of his book, Emptiness: A Practical Guide for Meditators, right here. Learn more about IMS Online right here. Listen to Guy’s first episode on the Metta Hour, Episode 90, right here from 2019.

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Ep. 244 – Valerie Mason-John Jul 15, 2024

Show notes

For episode 244 Valerie Mason-John makes their first appearance on the Metta Hour to speak about their new book, “First Aid Kit for the Mind: Breaking the Cycle of Habitual Behaviors”.

Valerie is a founding facilitator of Compassionate Inquiry and the author of eleven books, including the award-winning book, “Eight Step Recovery.” They are a co-founder of the training program, Mindfulness Based Addiction Recovery, and work as a public speaker in the field of Mindfulness for Addiction and Trauma.

In this conversation, Valerie and Sharon discuss:

How lovingkindness saved Valerie’s life
How Valerie became the “Bully Doctor”
Valerie’s journey in recovery
The importance of community in recovery
Recovery Cafe
Gabor Mate’s Compassionate Inquiry
Thoughts are not facts
First-Aid Kit for the Mind
The breath is medicine
What is still true? What can we rely on?
Dharma: that which we can rely on
Thich Naht Hanh’s influence on Valerie
How to maintain mindfulness
The role of Storytelling in Valerie’s work
How story compounds addiction
Playwriting and poetry as social justice

Valerie closes the conversation with a guided meditation LOVE from their new book, First Aid Kit for the Mind. Learn more about Valarie’s work on their website right here.

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Ep. 243 – Fireside Chat with Tuere Sala Jul 02, 2024

Show notes

For episode 243, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with guest Tuere Sala.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the third episode in this series. Tuere Sala is a Guiding Teacher at Seattle Insight Meditation Society and the founding teacher of the Capitol Hill Meditation Group. She is a retired prosecuting attorney who has practiced Vipassana meditation for over 30 years. Tuere has been teaching since 2010 and has a long history of assisting others in establishing and maintaining a daily practice. The conversation begins with a guided meditation from Tuere.

In this episode, Sharon and Tuere discuss:

What drew Tuere to the Dharma
Tuere’s work as a prosecutor
Finding steadiness without fixing things
How sangha supports practice
Spiritual practice is not just about fixing what we don’t like
Death is not a failure
Suffering as poetry
Sympathetic Joy
How gratitude cultivates energy
Tuere’s Christian faith
The three refuges
The effects of guilt in our lives
Tuere’s challenges with compassion
What Tuere’s practice looks like
The Thai Forrest Tradition
Sharon’s favorite Dharma quote

You can learn more about Tuere’s work on her website right here. Learn more about IMS Online right here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 242 – Emma Seppälä Jun 19, 2024

Show notes

For episode 242, Emma Seppälä, Ph.D. returns to the Metta Hour to speak about her new book, “Sovereign: Reclaim Your Freedom, Energy, and Power in a Time of Distraction, Uncertainty, and Chaos.”

Emma is a best-selling author, Yale lecturer, and international keynote speaker. She teaches executives at the Yale School of Management and is faculty director of the Yale School of Management’s Women’s Leadership Program. She is also the Science Director of Stanford University’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education. A psychologist and research scientist by training, Emma’s expertise is the science of happiness, emotional intelligence, and social connection.

In this episode, Sharon and Emma discuss:

Emma’s definition of the word “Sovereign”
Self-loathing hiding out as self-criticism
The toxic relationship with ourselves
The myths of high-achievers
Sharon’s story of facing self-imposed beliefs
How Emma has worked with self-loathing
Emma’s first meditation experience
You have to name it to tame it
Internalizing the stories told about us
Awareness + courage
Emma’s definition of the term “self-compassion”
The disempowerment of shame
The research around lovingkindness
How intuition supports sovereignty
What research reveals about meditation
The science of happiness
Emma’s study of breath-work for veterans

Emma closes the conversation with a guided meditation. You can learn more about Emma’s work and get a copy of “Sovereign” on her website right here.

Learn more about the Project Welcome Home Troops right here.

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Ep. 241 – Zindel Segal & Norman Farb Jun 03, 2024

Show notes

For episode 242, Sharon speaks with psychologist Zindel Segal, PhD, and neuroscientist Norman Farb, PhD, about their new book, Better in Every Sense: How the New Science of Sensation Can Help You Reclaim Your Life.

Zindel is a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders, University of Toronto Scarborough. He is a clinical psychologist whose research examines the use of mindfulness meditation in promoting affect regulation skills in people suffering from a depressive and anxiety based disorder. Norm is an Associate Professor, University of Toronto Mississauga and studies the social neuroscience of the self and human emotion, with a focus on how biases in self-representation shape emotional reactions that determine well-being.

In this episode, Sharon, Zindel and Norm discuss:

How Norm came to this work
What inspired the new book, Better in Every Sense
Why people are languishing
The Default Mode Network versus Sensory Network
The positives of the “house of habit,” aka DMN
“Breaking Frame” to solve problems
Sense Foraging: shifting from thinking to sensing
The three steps in Sense Foraging
The role of equanimity in the Sensory Network
How Interoception relates to empathy

The conversation closes with a meditation breathing practice led by Zindel. You can learn more about Zindel and Norm’s book Better in Every Sense, right here. You can also check out Zindel’s first appearance on the Metta Hour Podcast from 2020 in Episode 144.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 240 – Fireside Chat with Kamala Masters May 21, 2024

Show notes

For episode 240, we are continuing the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour with Kamla Masters.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the second episode in this series. Kamala Masters is one of the founders and teachers of the Vipassana Metta Foundation on Maui. She teaches retreats in the Theravada tradition at venues worldwide, including being a Guiding Teacher at the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts. The conversation begins with a five-minute guided meditation from Kamala.

In this episode, Sharon and Kamala discuss:

How Kamala and Sharon first met
Kamala’s primary teachers and influences
Sharon’s first travel to India
How Kamala first found meditation
Munindra teaching Kamala a washing dishes meditation
Munindra’s way of breaking barriers for Sharon
How Sharon met Dipa Ma
How Sharon reparented herself with her teachers
Munindra’s directive to “try harder”
Distinctions in meditation methods
How Kamala started teaching
Sharing what their formal daily practice looks like today
How they were taught lovingkindness
Do people need a teacher?
How to practice the Ten Paramis
How to use mental noting
Working with physical ailments and pain
Perfectionism as a hindrance

You can learn more about Kamala’s work via the website for the Vipassana Metta Foundation on Maui right here.

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Ep. 239 – Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus May 06, 2024

Show notes

For episode 239, Sharon chats with friends Duncan Trussell and Raghu Markus about their new audiobook Moving from the Movie of Me to the Movie of We.

Duncan Trussell is a stand-up comedian, podcaster, writer, and actor. He is most known for his podcast The Duncan Trussell Family Hour. He produced and starred on the Netflix series The Midnight Gospel.

Raghu Markus spent two years in India with Neem Karoli Baba and Ram Dass. He has been involved in music and transformational media since the early 1970s. Currently, he is the Executive Director of the Love Serve Remember Foundation and hosts the Mindrolling Podcast on the Be Here Now Network.

In this episode, Sharon, Duncan and Raghu discuss:

How the new book came to be
The healing is in the return
Self pre-occupation versus self-love
The guru in Duncan’s kids
Raghu’s parents meeting Neem Karoli Baba
How Duncan first met Ram Dass
Raghu and Duncan’s first hang
Finding the mother archetype
Wanting Jesus “with skin on”
Ram Dass the therapist
How to cultivate unconditionality
Getting real with ourselves
Duncan’s formal practice
“Remember Buddha Nature and your SS number” – RD

The conversation closes with a guided meditation by Ram Dass on Loving Awareness.

You can learn more about the new book Moving from the Movie of Me to the Movie of We right here.

Listen to Duncan’s podcast and check out his upcoming comedy events right here.

Listen to Raghu’s Mindrolling podcast right here.

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Ep. 238 – Lovingkindness Audiobook Excerpt Apr 22, 2024

Show notes

For episode 238 of the Metta Hour Podcast, we are releasing a special extended excerpt of the brand new Lovingkindness Audiobook, set for release by Shambhala on April 23rd, 2024.

This thirty-minute excerpt includes the forward of the book, written and read by Jon Kabat-Zinn, the introduction of the book, read by Sharon and a portion of the first chapter, The Revolutionary Art of Happiness. Lovingkindess was Sharon’s first book, originally released in 1995 in hardcover format. It is now available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats.

To learn more about the book or get a copy, click here.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Ep. 237 – Fireside Chat with Jack Kornfield Apr 10, 2024

Show notes

For episode 237, we are launching the Fireside Chat Series on the Metta Hour.

This series features intimate conversations with longtime dharma teachers about the early days of their practice and the most impactful moments with their own teachers. Hosted by IMS Online, the launch of this monthly series is a conversation between Sharon and Jack Kornfield. Jack trained as a Buddhist monk in the monasteries of Thailand, India and Burma. He has taught meditation internationally since 1974 and is one of the key teachers to introduce Buddhist mindfulness practice to the West. The conversation begins with a 10-minute guided meditation from Jack.

In this episode, Sharon and Jack discuss:

Jack’s experience with Thai Buddhist monk Ajahn Chah
The Buddha statue debate from the early days on IMS
Jack’s first book “Living Dharma”
Ajahn Chah’s teaching about the original mind
Realizing innate qualities versus developing them
The sign above the door at IMS
What languages Sharon and Jack learned in Asia
Sharon’s relationship with teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche
The role of study in one’s spiritual life
Dualistic versus non-dualistic teachings
The necessity of lovingkindness in their early teachings
Learning to accept help and support
Sharon’s experiences with Dipa Ma
Different teachers that Jack has pissed off

The conversation closes with a short sitting. You can learn more about Jack’s work right here and check out his new online course on the eight-fold path available right here.

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