Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg cover art

Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

Metta Hour with Sharon Salzberg

By: Be Here Now Network
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The Sharon Salzberg Metta Hour features Buddhist philosophy in a practical, common sense vernacular. Sharon’s natural wisdom, sense of humor and the ease with which she translates these teachings forge an intimate connection with the listener. From everyday experiences to pithy revelations, each podcast is a journey on the path of self-discovery.


Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author.

She is one of the first to bring mindfulness and lovingkindness meditation to mainstream American culture over 45 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 twelve books, including the New York Times bestseller, Real Happiness, now in its second edition, and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her forthcoming release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is set for release in April of 2023 from Flatiron Books. www.sharonsalzberg.com

© Be Here Now Network Social Sciences Spirituality
Episodes
  • Ep. 289 – Engaged Compassion: Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi

    Ep. 289 – Engaged Compassion: Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi
    Jun 24 2026
    The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering? How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy, without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers. For the seventh episode in the series, Sharon’s speaks with teacher Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, marking his first appearance on the Metta Hour.Geshe Lobsang Tenzin Negi, PhD, is the cofounder and director of the Emory-Tibet Partnership, a multi-dimensional initiative founded in 1998 to bring together the foremost contributions of the Western scholastic tradition and the Tibetan Buddhist sciences of mind and healing. He is also professor of practice in Emory University’s Department of Religion. In 2018, he launched, with the Dalai Lama, SEE Learning, a free compassion curriculum for children. Geshe Lobsang, a former monk, was born in Kinnaur, a small Himalayan kingdom adjoining Tibet. He began his monastic training at the Institute of Buddhist Dialectics and continued his education at Drepung Loseling Monastery in south India, where he received his Geshe Lharampa degree in 1994, the highest academic degree granted in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.In this conversation, Geshe and Sharon speak about:• How Geshe grew up in the Himalayas • Becoming a monk at age 14 in 1974• Geshe and Sharon’s first meeting • Center for Contemplative Science and Compassion-Based Ethics• Cognitively Based Compassion Training • What neuroscience says about compassion• Tania Singer’s research work• Richie Davidson’s discovery with neuroplasticity• The inner qualities that are actually skills• Putting compassion into real action• How discernment must guide compassion• Story of the starfish on the beach• How small acts of kindness affect others• Developing the inner disposition for kindness• Is compassion fatigue actually compassion?• The natural reciprocity of compassion • “Compassionomics” by Stephen Trzeciak• Why self-compassion is a struggle• Accepting the human condition• Drepung Loseling Monastery• H.H. Dalai Lama’s SEE Learning ProgramAdditional ResourcesGeshe Lobsang closes out the conversation with a guided gratitude practice from his book, Engaged Compassion. Learn more about Geshe Lobsang’s work right here. Get a copy of his new book right here and explore the SEE Learning Program right here.Help us celebrate 10 years of Be Here Now Network and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at https://beherenownetwork.com/10years.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • Ep. 288 – Engaged Compassion: Reggie Hubbard

    Ep. 288 – Engaged Compassion: Reggie Hubbard
    Jun 9 2026

    The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering?

    How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers.

    For the sixth episode in the series, Sharon’s speaks with teacher and change-maker Reggie Hubbard, marking his third appearance on the Metta Hour. Reggie is an internationally recognized yoga and meditation teacher and the founder and chief serving officer of Active Peace Yoga. Reggie's yoga and meditation practice have served as a sanctuary of peace and perspective while navigating the stresses of being a Black man in the world. He has been a featured speaker on new consciousness, racial justice, and civic engagement for leading wellness publications. In addition, Reggie has held many senior strategic and logistical roles across a variety of fields, ranging from global marketing to Presidential campaigning. His life's work sits at the intersection of bringing more peace and balance to activists, guiding the wellness community toward being more engaged, concerned citizens, and enhancing the well-being of all walks of life.

    In this conversation, Reggie and Sharon speak about:

    • Democracy as call and response

    • Re-imagining our current circumstance

    • What Reggie learned from his stroke

    • The ability to hope is crucial

    • Wisdom from Joanna Macy

    • External circumstance is not the end of the story

    • How spiritual life informs activism

    • There is no harvest without planting seeds

    • Reggie’s healing retreats for Men of Color

    • The challenges men face from patriarchy

    • Tending and mending grief

    • The importance of not-being-okay

    • Compassion versus the rising tides of hatred

    • “Love’s in need of love today” - Stevie Wonder

    • Why extend goodwill to those who harm us?

    • Compassion doesn’t dictate certain actions

    • Impermanence as a hope in dark times

    • What sphere of influence can you impact?

    • Joy as a radical act of self-care

    • There must be dancing in the revolution

    • Finding peace amidst extreme challenges

    Additional Resources

    To close out the episode, Reggie leads a gratitude and sound meditation. You can learn more about Reggie’s work right here.

    Help the Be Here Now Network celebrate 10 years of podcasting and support the next chapter of Ram Dass Here and Now. Gifts are matched dollar for dollar through June 30. Learn more and give at: BHNN 10th Birthday Fundraiser

    See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Ep. 287 – Engaged Compassion: Mirabai Bush

    Ep. 287 – Engaged Compassion: Mirabai Bush
    May 26 2026
    The Buddha taught a path of awakened living, but how does that manifest in today’s world of constant connectivity and widespread suffering? How do we keep our hearts open without being defined or hardened by the pain that surrounds us, whether personal, collective, or historical? How do we navigate the paradox of holding both pain and joy, without mistaking suffering for punishment or personal failure? Can we infuse our compassion with wisdom and perspective to find the agency to take meaningful action in our communities? In her new series, Engaged Compassion, Sharon delves into these questions and more, engaging in candid conversations with a diverse group of teachers, activists, and changemakers. For the fifth episode in the series, Sharon speaks with Mirabai Bush, marking her third appearance on the Metta Hour. Mirabai is an author, social entrepreneur, teacher, and spiritual leader. She is recognized for her pioneering role in integrating mindfulness and contemplative practices into secular sectors of American life, including business, higher education, law, and social activism. Mirabai’s contributions include co-founding influential organizations such as the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society and the Seva Foundation and co-developing Google's Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. She is also a longtime board member of the Love Serve Remember Foundation. Her latest book, Almost Home, is a memoir published in 2025.Please note this conversation contains discussion of gun violence during and civil unrest at Kent State University in 1970.https://youtu.be/ywY6HGunefwIn this conversation, Mirabai and Sharon speak about:The process of writing a memoirWhy Mirabai went to the EastWhat drew Mirabai to activism Meeting Ram Dass and Neem Karoli BabaMirabai in the civil rights movementSustaining engagement over timeNon-attachment alongside passionLoving Awareness as taught by Ram DassHow acceptance leads to change-makingThe role of hope in activismRevolution is bread and rosesSeva Foundation’s rootsMirabai’s advice for social engagementStaying informed in a balanced wayHow communities respond to compassion actionThe Lovingkindness Nun in BurmaAdditional ResourcesTo close out the episode, Mirabai leads a “Just Like Me” meditation. Learn more about Mirabai’s work right here. Her most recent book, Almost Home, is available right here. You can listen to Mirabai’s previous episodes on the Metta Hour here and here.Related Metta Hour EpisodesEpisode 94 Ram Dass and Mirabai Bush on the Metta Hour, released in 2019.Episode 114 Remembering Ram Dass with Mirabai Bush and Raghu Markus on the Metta Hour, released in 2020.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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    1 hr and 3 mins
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