The Force of Kindness: Change Your Life with Love & Compassion [Kindle Edition]

Sharon Salzberg shows how to open our hearts and radiate the force of kindness in her powerful book "The Force of Kindness: Change Your life with Love and Compassion." She uses stories, insights, guided exercises and meditations to help us cultivate the foundation of inward peace and empathy. She says, "Kindness is a force that breaks open your heart even as it heals - and in that healing sets you free." Metta or loving-kindness and friendship is a cornerstone of Buddhist happiness.
Salzberg says the Dalai lama's quote, "My true religion is kindness" illustrates how kindness is a deep and abiding understanding of how we are all connected. Kindness helps us develop a certain kind of faith in ourselves and in our ability to meet difficulties. Our potential to grow, understand, love and connect is nourished by what we believe about ourselves. If we truly loved ourselves we would never harm another because if we harm another it diminishes who we are.
The Buddha said within our body lies the entire universe. When we understand our own experience and connect to it, we can connect to all life, to the whole universe. The world is no longer experienced dualistically for there is no sense of "us" and "them." When a person becomes an "other" kindness dies.
To find the power, confidence and release in kindness we must transcend belief systems, allegiances, ideologies, cliques and tribes. Kindness inspires a sense of ethics and requires finding how we can be smart and strong and still be kind. Kindness is not just being nice it has great forcefulness.
Salzberg explains the difference between remorse and guilt. Remorse is considered a skillful state of mind as we recognize we have done something wrong, we experience pain but essentially forgive ourselves and avoid making the same mistake. Guilt is considered unskillful as we remain stuck and continually blame ourselves until we are drained. It's a form of self-hatred.
Salzberg says there are five Buddhist precepts for living. Refrain from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, lying and taking intoxicants. She also shares ways to weave kindness in our lives and intentions: Notice the intentions underlying actions. Take responsibility for the intentions we act on. Forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. Practice greater restraint in speech. Follow through on strong generous intentions. Wish for love, peace and happiness for ourselves and others and all beings.
Each chapter has expert instruction and valuable teachings. They include: Compassion in Action, Kindness to Ourselves, Overcoming Cruelty, How We see the World, Ethics is Kindness and The Intention of Kindness.
Salzberg also includes a CD with four guided meditations to develop loving kindness towards ourselves, to others, for all beings and gives practices that uplift and benefit both.
Salzberg has been a student of Buddhism since 1971. She is the founder of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the Insight Meditation Society in Massachusetts. She is the author of several books.