Meditation is often thought of as a solitary activity and yet it can lay the foundation for hopeful political engagement. In this episode, world renowned meditation teacher Sharon Salzburg explains how mediation promotes agency, skillfullness, and a deeper understanding of the conditions that form the landscape of our political lives.

In this episode, Sharon and I discuss:

How meditation teaches us to return to our agency and start again when things feel helpless
How meditation can foster compassion and awareness of our interconnectedness
How meditation enables us to learn from strong emotions such as fear and anger without having them consume us
How intersectionality can enable us to see ourselves in one another
The importance of understanding underlying conditions as we seek to respond to the needs of the world
The importance of voting and also art as a form of social action
How equanimity can help us find balance between compassion and burnout so that we can sustain our engagement in the political sphere
How we can look at political action through the lens of intention and skillfulness
The Statue of Liberty as an ishta-devata

Spiritual Practices for this Election Season from Sharon:

Lovingkindness Meditation (Video link)
The Election Series (3 Part Series Starting September 25th)
Kindness in a Fractured World (Online Course starts October 9th)
Real Change (Affiliate Link)
More election resources from Sharon at her website.

See our page on Spiritual Practices for Political Engagement for offerings from all our guests.

Connect with Sharon on her website or through the socials @sharonsalzburg (Facebook, Instagram, X, Threads, Youtube, Medium, LinkedIn)

Connect with me at katie@thiselection.org or on instagram @katie.m.cochran.

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