In this third week of Sharon Salzberg’s retreat, “Mindfulness and Emotions,” she dives into the mercurial realm of emotional feelings, asking, “Is there a quality of happiness that we can experience that is not subject to changing conditions?” The answer, of course, is yes, which we can discover and develop with the power of our own awareness.

We experience all kinds of feelings—from joy to anger to confusion to clarity. The point of mindfulness, Sharon explains, is not to eliminate a certain set of feelings, or to sustain another set, but instead to cultivate our awareness of how we relate and respond to our shifting emotions.

“When conditions come together for something to arise, it will arise. How we then relate to it makes of all of the difference.”

If you are a Tricycle Supporting or Sustaining Member, you can watch this week’s retreat here. If not, join or upgrade your membership here.

Check out the preview of this week’s retreat below:

Thank you for subscribing to Tricycle! As a nonprofit, to keep Buddhist teachings and practices widely available.