Sharon Salzberg (born August 5, 1952) is an author and teacher of

Buddhist meditation Buddhist meditation is the practice of meditation in Buddhism. The closest words for meditation in the classical languages of Buddhism are ''bhavana, bhāvanā'' ("mental development") and ''Dhyāna in Buddhism, jhāna/dhyāna'' (a state of me ...

practice in the West. In 1974, she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts, with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Her emphasis is on vipassanā (insight) and mettā (loving-kindness) methods, and she has been leading meditation retreats around the world for several decades. All of these methods have their origins in the

Theravada ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dharma (Buddhi ...

Buddhist tradition. Her books include ''Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness'' (1995), ''A Heart as Wide as the World'' (1999), ''Real Happiness – The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program'' (2010), which was on ''The New York Times'' Best Seller list in 2011, and the follow-up ''Real Happiness at Work'' (2013), Love Your Enemies (Co written with Robert Thurman 2013). She runs a Metta Hour podcast, and contributes monthly to a column "On Being".

Early life

Born in New York City to a Jewish family, Salzberg had a troubled early life after her parents divorced when she was four and her father abandoned the family. At nine, her mother died and she went to live with her father's parents. Though her father returned when she was eleven, he soon overdosed and was subsequently hospitalized. He was placed in the mental health system, where he remained until his death. By 16, Salzberg had lived with five different families. In her sophomore year at the State University of New York, Buffalo in 1969, Salzberg encountered Buddhism during a course in Asian philosophy. The following year, she took an independent study trip to India, and in January 1971 attended her first intensive meditation course at

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

. In the next several years, she engaged in intensive study with various Buddhist teachers including S.N. Goenka. After returning to US in 1974, she began teaching vipassana (insight) meditation.

Career

Salzberg is a student of Dipa Ma, Anagarika Munindra, Sayadaw U Pandita and other Asian masters. She, Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein founded the Insight Meditation Society at Barre, Massachusetts, in 1974. She and Goldstein co-founded the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in 1989 and The Forest Refuge, a long-term meditation retreat center in 1998. In 1995 she published her best-known work, the metta meditation book ''Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness''. Today, she is a notable teacher of the Vipassana movement. An in-depth interview with Salzberg appears in the book ''Meetings with Remarkable Women: Buddhist Teachers in America'', by Lenore Friedman (Boston:Shambhala, Revised and Updated edition, 2000; )

Honors

Salzberg was honored by the New York Open Center in 1999 for her "Outstanding Contribution to the Mindfulness of the West".

Appointments

* Mind and Life Institute ''2005 Investigating the Mind Conference'', Panelist. *

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

's '' O Magazine'', Contributing Editor. *'' On Being'' with Krista Tippett, Weekly Columnist.

Books

*
Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness
' (1995) *''Heart as Wide as the World'' (1999) *''Voices of Insight'' (2001) *''Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience'' (2003) *''The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love and Compassion'' (2006) *''The Kindness Handbook: A Practical Companion'' (2008) *''Real Happiness – The Power of Meditation: A 28-Day Program'' (2010) * ''Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement, and Peace'' (2013) * ''Love Your Enemies: How to Break the Anger Habit & Be a Whole Lot Happier'', with Robert Thurman (2014) * ''Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection'' (2017) ISBN 978-1250076502 * ''Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom'' (2023) ISBN 978-1250835734

Audio publications

*''Insight Meditation: A Step-By-Step Course on How to Meditate'' (2002), with Joseph Goldstein . *''Lovingkindness Meditation'' (2005) *''Guided Meditations For Love & Wisdom: 14 Essential Practices'' (2009) *''Unplug: An Interactive Kit for Giving Yourself a Break'' (2009)

Articles

How Silence Can Help Us Unplug
huffpost.com

HuffingtonPost.com

HuffingtonPost.com
12 Tips on Exploring Spirituality
Blogher.com

AARP.org

HuffingtonPost.com
Buddha Nature, RebelBuddha.com

HuffingtonPost.com

Interviews

Under the Skin with Russell Brand: Will Spirituality Solve Our Global Problems?
itunes.apple.com
Interview with on CBS Religion & Culture
cbsnews.com.
Audio Interview Series
BuddhistGeeks.com
Salzberg interview with Dan Harris
ABCNews.go.com

HuffingtonPost.com
Yoga and Buddhism's adaptation in the West
Ascentmagazine.com
Salzberg discusses meditation, happiness & social media with Danny Fisher
ShambhalaSun.com
Interview
PBS Religion & Ethics Newsweekly. February 18, 2011.
Interview
latimes.com. February 19, 2011.
Interview
healthyyourradio.com. February 23, 2011.

References

External links

*
Sharon Salzberg audio
from the DIY Dharma site {{DEFAULTSORT:Salzberg, Sharon American Theravada Buddhists 1952 births Living people 20th-century American Jews Writers from New York City University at Buffalo alumni American Buddhists Theravada Buddhism writers Female Buddhist spiritual teachers Theravada Buddhist spiritual teachers Converts to Buddhism American spoken word artists Students of S. N. Goenka Students of Dipa Ma American women non-fiction writers 20th-century American women writers 21st-century American women writers 20th-century American women educators 20th-century American educators 21st-century American women educators 21st-century American educators Buddhism and Judaism