How strange and magical that someone I’ve never met (not even on Zoom) can touch my heart so deeply.

Sharon Salzberg is a Buddhist meditation teacher.  In 1975 she co-founded the Insight Meditation Society retreat centre in Barre, Massachusetts, USA.  IMS is a sacred space for me.  I’ve been there eight times.

Sharon writes … and her words have reached millions.  I write … and my words haven’t.  Oh well.

Here are some gems from Sharon:

You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere.  You, yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.

In my weaker days, that’s a hard one to get.  For many years, the thought “Love them all” has resided in my head, but I too often forget that I’m part of the all.

When you flip the switch in that attic, it doesn’t matter whether its been dark for ten minutes, ten years or ten decades.  The light still illuminates the room and banishes the murkiness, letting you see the things you couldn’t see before.

It’s never too late, Bruce, to open your eyes and see the beauty surrounding.  In fact, now would be a lovely time to do that.

Mindfulness helps us get better at seeing the difference between what’s happening and the stories we tell ourselves about what’s happening, stories that get in the way of direct experience.

Just “this” … sadness, traffic, rain, sitting with a friend.

Meditation is the ultimate mobile device.  You can use it anywhere, anytime, unobtrusively.

Pretty cost-effective, I’d say.  And it fits nicely in my backpack as I roam around.

All beings want to be happy, yet so very few know how.  It is out of ignorance that any of us cause suffering, for ourselves or for others.

Ignorance: lack of knowledge, understanding or awareness.  Yes, that sounds like me sometimes, and everyone else on the planet.  It’s not “badness”, just not knowing.

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You and me … stumbling through life