Sharon Salzberg Quotes

Our thoughts are certainly part of us; they come from us, but we are not our thoughts. Have you ever woken up in the morning and said to yourself, 'I am not going to think today; I am too tired'? No, of course not. Just as breathing happens and is constant, thoughts happen, and they are also constant.

Most people think that to meditate, I should feel a particular special something, and if I don't, then I must be doing something wrong.

Consciousness - that, to me, is the theme of the modern novel.

You feel the way you do right now because of the thoughts you are thinking at this moment.

We are what our thoughts have made us

When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. The mind itself is a wonderful tool. Dysfunction sets in when you seek your self in it and mistake it for who you are.

Mindfulness means moment-to-moment, non-judgmental awareness. It is cultivated by refining our capacity to pay attention, intentionally, in the present moment, and then sustaining that attention over time as best we can. In the process, we become more in touch with our life as it is unfolding.

Ordinary mind includes eternal perceptions. Notice what you notice. Observe what's vivid. Catch yourself thinking. Vividness is self-selecting. And remember the future.

When you're overwhelmed by your emotion, you listen less and you judge more. This is also the reality of the dogmatic mind.

We have been so blinded by thinking and feeling that we have never seen the World.

Learning to cultivate an awareness of the known and unknown within one's being often leads to a healthier and more realistic sense of self.

An unattended mind is the breeding ground of self-defeat.

Paradigms power perception and perceptions power emotions. Most emotions are responses to perception - what you think is true about a given situation. If your perception is false, then your emotional response to it will be false too. So check your perceptions, and beyond that check the truthfulness of your paradigms - what you believe. Just because you believe something firmly doesn't make it true. Be willing to reexamine what you believe.

One way to eliminate self negating thoughts and behavior is by gaining more understanding through realizing that you cannot force others to see that what you feel is real.

Many people see themselves as a problem that needs to be solved. They also habitually see the present moment as an obstacle that they need to overcome or get away from. With awareness, an inner sense of spaciousness arises that enables you to look at your own mind, which is to say the human mind, with a certain degree of detachment.

We are what we think.

As you think, so you become.....Our busy minds are forever jumping to conclusions, manufacturing and interpreting signs that aren't there.

Mindfulness, also called wise attention, helps us see what we’re adding to our experiences, not only during meditation sessions but also elsewhere.

How do you know, right now, that you are aware of being aware, or conscious?

The truth is that there is no actual stress or anxiety in the world; it's your thoughts that create these false beliefs. You can't package stress, touch it, or see it. There are only people engaged in stressful thinking.

I've always been just kind of consumed by my own thoughts.

So your emotional state really has a lot to do with what you're thinking about and what you're paying attention to.

Your world is a living expression of how you are using and have used your mind.

It's soothing to realize that my mind's processes are inherently uncontrollable.