Health@Google Speaker Series: Real Happiness

Google Tech Talk (more below) February 25, 2011 Presented by Sharon Salzberg. ABSTRACT Meditation practice is far simpler, more fun, less esoteric and much more relevant to the wide-ranging situations we encounter in everyday life than we might imagine. Rather than an ornate, arcane set of instructions, meditation consists of practical tools to help deepen concentration, mindfulness and compassion. We rely on this depth when things change though we would much prefer stability, when we feel out of control of events, and above all when we want a quality of happiness that is not so fragile, so dependent on shifting conditions. During this talk we'll discuss, and practice, these 3 tools. Bio: Born in New York City in 1952, Sharon Salzberg experienced a childhood involving considerable loss and turmoil. An early realization of the power of meditation to overcome personal suffering determined her life direction. Her teaching and writing now communicates that power to a worldwide audience of practitioners. She offers non-sectarian retreat and study opportunities for participants from widely diverse backgrounds. Today she leads intensive retreats worldwide as well as a variety of non-residential programs, workshops, and classes. In 1976, she established, together with Joseph Goldstein and Jack Kornfield, the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts, which now ranks as one of the most prominent and active meditation centers in the Western world. Sharon and Joseph Goldstein expanded their vision in 1989 by co-founding the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies (BCBS). In 1998, they initiated the Forest Refuge, a long-term retreat center secluded in a wooded area on IMS property. Sharon resides in Barre, Massachusetts, and New York City. She has been a contributing editor of O, The Oprah Magazine, and has appeared in Time Magazine, Yoga Journal, msnbc.com, Tricycle, Real Simple, Body & Soul, Mirabella, Good Housekeeping, Self, Buddhadharma, More and Shambhala Sun, as well as on a variety of radio programs.