The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love and Compassion

by Sharon Salzberg

Overview

Distill the great spiritual teachings from around the world down to their most basic principles, and one thread emerges to unite them all: kindness. In The Force of Kindness, Sharon Salzberg, one of the nation's most respected Buddhist authors and meditation teachers, offers practical instruction on how we can cultivate this essential trait within ourselves.
Through her stories, teachings, and guided meditations, Sharon Salzberg takes readers on an exploration of what kindness truly means and the simple steps to realize its effects immediately. She reveals that kindness is not the sweet, naive sentiment that many of us assume it is, but rather an immensely powerful force that can transform individual lives and ripple out, changing and improving relationships, the environment, our communities, and ultimately the world. Readers will learn specific techniques for cultivating forgiveness; turning compassion into action; practicing speech that is truthful, helpful, and loving; and much more.
When we fan even the smallest ember of kindness, according to Sharon Salzberg, we begin to overcome our own fears, doubts, and personal attachments—and tap an endless source of gentle strength that is always available to us. With her graceful writing and six guided meditations on CD, this beloved meditation master empowers readers to enhance The Force of Kindness in their own spiritual practice.
Note: Cover artwork refers to the softcover version.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781591798323
Publisher:	Sounds True, Incorporated
Publication date:	11/01/2010
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	112
Sales rank:	762,676
File size:	314 KB

About the Author

Sharon Salzberg
Sharon Salzberg, a student of Buddhism since 1971, has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Influenced by her more than forty-five years of study with Burmese, Indian, and Tibetan teachers, she teaches intensive awareness practice (vipassana or insight meditation) and the cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion. She is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society and The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, both in Massachusetts, with Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein. Salzberg is the host of Metta Hour, a New York Times bestselling author and the author of many books, including Real Love, Real Happiness at Work, The Kindness Handbook, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, and A Heart as Wide as the World. She has also authored several Sounds True audio and interactive learning programs including Insight Meditation (with Joseph Goldstein), Unplug, and Lovingkindness Meditation. Learn more at sharonsalzberg.com.

Sharon Salzberg, a student of Buddhism since 1971, has been leading meditation retreats worldwide since 1974. Influenced by her more than twenty-five years of study with Burmese, Indian, and Tibetan teachers, she teaches intensive awareness practice (vipassana or insight meditation) and the profound cultivation of lovingkindness and compassion (the Brahma Viharas). She is a cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society and The Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, both in Massachusetts. Salzberg is the author of several books including The Kindness Handbook, Faith: Trusting Your Own Deepest Experience, Lovingkindness: The Revolutionary Art of Happiness, A Heart as Wide as the World, and the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness. She has also authored several Sounds True audio and interactive learning kit works including Insight Meditation (with Joseph Goldstein), Unplug, and Lovingkindness Meditation.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

1 Compassion in Action 1

2 Kindness toward Ourselves 15

3 Overcoming Cruelty 31

4 How We See the World 49

5 Ethics and Kindness 65

6 The Intention of Kindness 81

About the Author 99