Loving Our Enemies (Salzberg and Thurman)

Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly; Sharon Salzberg (sharonsalzberg.com), Prof. Thurman (bobthurman.com), Krista Tippett (onbeing.org)

The Buddha in meditation in Japanese temple near Vulture's Peak, Rajgir, India (_leonid)

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Embracing Our Enemies and Our Suffering

Father Bob and Uma Thurman

Two legendary Buddhist teachers shine a light on the lofty ideal of loving our enemies and bringing it down to Earth.

 

How can that be realistic, asks "On Being" host Krista Tippett, and what do we have to do inside ourselves to make it more possible?

 

In a conversation filled with laughter and friendship, Burmese Theravada insight meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg (Insight Meditation Society) and Tibetan Vajrayana teacher and translator Prof. Robert Thurman (Tibet House) share much.

Radio host Krista Tippett (onbeing.com)

The focus is on practical wisdom about how we relate to what makes us feel embattled from without as well as from within. More + AUDIO

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation teacher, co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, co-author of Love Your Enemies, and the author of other books including Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation and Real Happiness at Work: Meditations for Accomplishment, Achievement, and Peace.
 

Robert Thurman is professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University and the president of the Tibet House U.S., co-author of Love Your Enemies, and author of other books including Infinite Life: Awakening to Bliss Within and Inner Revolution.


Love Your Enemies: How to Break the Anger Habit and Be a Whole Lot Happier

Love Your Enemies (BAM)

When people and circumstances upset us, how do we deal with them? Often, we feel victimized. We become hurt, angry, and defensive. We end up seeing others as enemies. And when things don't go our way, we become enemies to ourselves.

But what if we could move past this pain, anger, and defensiveness?

Inspired by Buddhist philosophy, this book introduces us to the four kinds of enemies we encounter in life:

1. the outer enemy, people, institutions, and situations that mean to harm us;
2. the inner enemy, anger, hatred, fear, and other destructive emotions;
3. the secret enemy, self-obsession that isolates us from others;
4. the super-secret enemy, deep-seated self-loathing that prevents us from finding inner freedom and true happiness.

In this practical guide, we learn not only how to identify our enemies, but more importantly, how to transform our relationship to them.

Love Your Enemies teaches us how to "break free from the mode of 'us versus them' thinking" "develop compassion, patience, and love," "accept what is beyond our control," "embrace loving-kindness, right speech, and other core concepts."

 

Throughout, authors Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman share stories and exercises for achieving finding peace within ourselves and with the world. Drawing from ancient spiritual wisdom and modern psychology, Love Your Enemies presents tools that are useful for all readers. More