Taking Right Action

www.sharonsalzberg.com

Taking Action

“One of the primary conditions for suffering is denial. Shutting our mind to pain, whether in ourselves or others, only ensures that it will continue. We must have the strength to face it without turning away. By opening to the pain we see around us with wisdom and compassion, we start to experience the intimate connection of our relationship with all beings.”

 

Foundation for the People of Burma

Many people have written me about the devastation in Burma following the cyclone, expressing their sorrow and frustration at the difficulties in ensuring aid in a time of such great suffering. There are some organizations that have been on the ground there, and this is one of them, established and run by people I know:

www.foundationburma.org

My time meditating in Burma was marked by the incredible generosity of the people there, who often had so little themselves. I think of them every day in gratitude. I deeply hope, despite the obstacles, that they be supported and cared for now.

 

 

 

Engaged Spirituality

Sharon Salzberg has made a personal commitment to support social activism for positive change. She undertakes outreach to social change groups and teaches meditation practices for activists. At the Garrison Institute, her work includes meditation training for domestic violence social workers to alleviate vicarious trauma. “Collaborating with dedicated people who care for those in great suffering allows me to penetrate further into the reality of life rather than staying on the surface.”   

Her goal is to integrate social activism and an understanding of interconnectedness. “Social justice work can create a sense of being the adversary. When this degenerates into a dualistic sense of self and other, bitterness and anger often arise. Activists experience burnout and despair. I aspire to offer practices for transcending this dualistic world view.”

Her efforts widen the definition of social activism. “We express dharma in a form suitable to our understanding and needs. Being a fully committed artist is no less significant to making a better world than someone counseling trauma victims or walking picket lines. Caring about others can manifest in many different ways.”