The Buddhist teachings have the power to transform our lives for the better, says Sharon Salzberg, and all we need to bring about this transformation can be found in the ordinary events of our everyday experiences. Salzberg distills more than twenty-five years of teaching and practicing meditation into a series of short essays, rich with anecdotes and personal revelations, that offer genuine aid and comfort for anyone on the spiritual path. Many chance moments, both small and profound, serve as the basis for Salzberg's teachings: hearing a market stall hawker calling "I have what you need!"; noting hotel guests' reactions to a midnight fire alarm; watching her teacher, Dipa Ma, bless a belligerent dog; seeing the Dalai Lama laughing uproariously at his own mistake. Each passing moment, Salzberg shows, can help us down the path toward "a seamlessness of connection and an unbounded heart."

"The tone of these wonderfully conversational musings reminiscences is so tender and so sensible that it soothes the heart and strengthens resolve and insight just in the reading. Visiting Sharon's gentle teachings can't help but breathe new life into one's meditation practice, and more meditation into one's life. "
------- John Kabat-Zinn

A Heart As Wide as the World: Stories on the Path of Lovingkindness, Sharon Salzberg, Shambhala Publications, Paperback, 192 pages, $12.95

Sharon Salzberg has studied and practiced meditation with Burmese, Indian, and Tibetan teachers for the past twenty-five years. She is cofounder of the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies and the Insight Meditation Society. Salzberg directs meditation retreats throughout the United States and abroad.