A Heart as Wide as the World

By Sharon Salzberg

Book Overview

The beloved Buddhist meditation teacher and New York Times -bestselling author of Real Happiness offers encouragement and inspiration for anyone on the spiritual path Buddhist teachings have the power to transform our lives for the better, says Sharon Salzberg, and all we need to bring about this transformation can be found in the ordinary events of our everyday experiences. In A Heart as Wide as the World , Salzberg distills more than twenty-five years of teaching and practicing meditation into a series of short essays, rich with anecdotes and personal revelations, that offer genuine aid and comfort for anyone on the spiritual path. Many chance moments, both small and profound, serve as the basis for Salzberg's teachings- hearing a market stall hawker calling, "I have what you need!"; noting hotel guests' reactions to a midnight fire alarm; watching her teacher, Dipa Ma, bless a belligerent dog; seeing the Dalai Lama laughing uproariously at his own mistake. Each passing moment, Salzberg shows, can help us down the path toward "a seamlessness of connection and an unbounded heart."

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1645473465
• ISBN13: 9781645473466
• Release Date: October 2024
• Publisher: Shambhala
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Gentle and Powerful Compassion

A great book for most everyone who is seriously committed to making the world a better place by also making yourself a better person. Her warm personal stories commingle with Buddhist principles. Before I knew it I had finished the book! I learned a bunch from this book, and it really has deepened my practice. Ms. Salzberg has such a friendly, easy going way of discussing powerful spiritual principles that it truly makes them accessible to everyone. If I find them accessible, then most anyone will! I really do highly recommend this book.

Compassion is in Doing

Sharon Salzberg's most stressed point within this work is the practice of meditation so that we can come to see life more clearly; acknowledging the interconnection of all sentient beings and practicing loving kindness towards one another. She reminds us all that compassion is not mere empathy, empathy is simply cognizant. True compassion requires action to "materialize." The book is basically a compilation of various teachings she's received from various Buddhist traditions throughout the years, guides such as H. H. the Dalai Lama to name just one among many mentioned herein. Sharon co-found the Insight Meditation Society, an organization devoted toward spreading the Buddha's teachings throughout the world. While at the center she has met countless teachers and taken in 84,000 teachings throughout the years, and lucky you and I can access these fine teachings here in this relatively short, yet very concise, read. Enjoy!

Worth Re-Reading

I read this about a year ago when I first started meditating seriously, and I picked it up again a little while ago -- it's as if the book changed since I last read it. So much more of it resonates with me now, and I'm glad I bought it rather than just checking out from a library. What's very nice about the book is that it's written in nice little essay form -- like little talks -- and one can read them in a few minutes before bed and then sleep nicely thinking -- or perhaps NOT thinking! -- about them.

Worth reading again and again

Sharon Salzberg is such a capable, warm, and inspiring voice for Western Buddhism. This work beautifully weaves together Buddhist philosophy and practice, reality and practicality, compassion and joy. She fleshes out concepts of meditation and mindfulness using her own experiences, often amusing, without drawing attention to herself. Rather, she is a skilled teacher who guides the student on his/her own journey. Whether Buddhist or not, beginner mind or monk, most readers will celebrate this work.

A beautiful, sincere look at a life of spirituality.

A HEART AS WIDE AS THE WORLD is filled with amusing, heartfelt, spiritual stories that make us feel good, teach us, and inform our meditative lives. I look at it again and again for the short bursts of heart-centered stories that it contains. They help me get through a tough day for sure. I recommend this book whole-heartedly!