Episode Description

For episode 231 of the Metta Hour, we are bringing you a rebroadcast of Sharon’s appearance of Meditative Story hosted by Rohan Gunatillake. Meditative Story is a podcast that combines first-person storytelling with original cinematic music and mindfulness reflections. In this episode, Sharon tells the story of her first voyage to India in 1970 in search of meditation instruction.

By the time Sharon Salzberg is 16 years old, she knows the people around her don’t admit to suffering, much less talk about it. A year later, she makes a life-changing decision to travel to India to study meditation. It doesn’t all go as expected. Through the journey’s disappointments, discomforts, and surprise lessons, she finds an unexpected friend: herself. In today’s Meditative Story, Sharon talks about how being kind, especially to herself, became her biggest mountain to climb.

In her story, Sharon reflects on:

• Her first trip to India in 1970 in search of meditation instruction

• How disappointments can lead to self-discovery

• The necessity of kindness for ourselves when we make mistakes

• Her first encounter with longtime friend Joseph Goldstein

• S. N. Goenka’s non-verbal advice to her

• How laughter can release fear and anger

• Leaning to come back to ourselves when we go off course

Additional Resources

This episode closes with a guided meditation led by the Meditative Story host, Rohan Gunatillake. You can hear the original episode of this podcast on Meditative Story, right here.

Listen to the Metta Hour Podcast in the following places: