The main function of mindfulness is to be the platform for insight or understanding—it's changing our relationship to everything so we can see deeply what our experience actually is, who we actually are, and where happiness actually comes from. Mindfulness is a quality of attention where our perception of what's happening is not so distorted by bias—we don't have so many assumptions running or a big agenda going—and we're not so guided by what we hope or fear. We can see things more clearly, because even if those veils arise, we don't have to get caught in them. We see them, and we can relinquish them more easily and come back to the moment.
Sharon Salzberg
Residential Retreat Teacher
Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. She is among the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture nearly 50 years ago, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, MA, and the author of thirteen books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. In 2023, Sharon is releasing two new books. The first, Real Life, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. The second, Finding Your Way, is a small gift book now available from Workman Publishing in hardcover and ebook formats. Sharon’s podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed six million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
Retreat | Online
Sunday, October 13 | 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Celebrating Ram Dass: Love, Serve, Remember
Join us for this celebration of Ram Dass, which will include a selection of his teachings for our times. Together, we will honor Ram Dass's cherished place in the Spirit Rock community as a mentor to our teaching community and inspiration to our saṅgha. This event will feature presentations from the most beloved senior teachers in our Insight Community about his influence on their teachings as well as teachings by Ram Dass over the years.
James Baraz
Jack Kornfield
Joseph Goldstein
Sharon Salzberg
Trudy Goodman
Krishna Das
Raghu Markus
Dassi Ma
Dharma Library
Can't join us live online or on the land? Study and practice at your convenience with Sharon Salzberg through our new library of recordings, articles, and self-paced online courses.