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Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World
From one of most prominent figures in the field of meditation comes a guidebook for how to use mindfulness to build our inner strength, find balance, and help create a better world
In today's fractured world we're constantly flooded with breaking news that cause anger, grief, and pain. People are feeling more stressed out than ever and in the face of this fear and anxiety they can feel so burnt out and overwhelmed that they end up frozen in their tracks and can't do anything. In Real Change Sharon Salzberg, a leading expert in Lovingkindness meditation, shares sage advice and indispensible techniques to help free ourselves from these negative feelings and actions. She teaches us that meditation is not a replacement for action, but rather a way to practice generosity with ourselves and summon the courage to break through boundaries, reconnect to a movement that's bigger than ourselves, and have the energy to stay active.
Consulting with veteran activists and social change agents in a variety of fields, Salzberg collects and shares their wisdom and offers the best practical advice to foster transformation in both ourselves and in society. To help tame our inner landscape or chaos, Salzberg offers mindfulness practices that will help readers cultivate a sense of agency and stay engaged in the long-term struggle for social change.
Whether you're resolving conflicts with a crochety neighbor or combating global warming, Real Change will help guide you with the fundamental principles and mindfulness practices that will lead to the clarity and confidence that lets us lift a foot and take our next step into a better world.
In today's fractured world we're constantly flooded with breaking news that cause anger, grief, and pain. People are feeling more stressed out than ever and in the face of this fear and anxiety they can feel so burnt out and overwhelmed that they end up frozen in their tracks and can't do anything. In Real Change Sharon Salzberg, a leading expert in Lovingkindness meditation, shares sage advice and indispensible techniques to help free ourselves from these negative feelings and actions. She teaches us that meditation is not a replacement for action, but rather a way to practice generosity with ourselves and summon the courage to break through boundaries, reconnect to a movement that's bigger than ourselves, and have the energy to stay active.
Consulting with veteran activists and social change agents in a variety of fields, Salzberg collects and shares their wisdom and offers the best practical advice to foster transformation in both ourselves and in society. To help tame our inner landscape or chaos, Salzberg offers mindfulness practices that will help readers cultivate a sense of agency and stay engaged in the long-term struggle for social change.
Whether you're resolving conflicts with a crochety neighbor or combating global warming, Real Change will help guide you with the fundamental principles and mindfulness practices that will lead to the clarity and confidence that lets us lift a foot and take our next step into a better world.
240 pages, Hardcover
Published September 1, 2020
402 people are currently reading
4034 people want to read
About the author
Sharon Salzberg
77 books1,375 followersOne of America’s leading spiritual teachers and authors, Sharon Salzberg is cofounder of the Insight Meditation Society (IMS) in Barre, Massachusetts. She has played a crucial role in bringing Asian meditation practices to the West. The ancient Buddhist practices of vipassana (mindfulness) and metta (lovingkindness) are the foundations of her work.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 127 reviews
July 27, 2020
Sharon Salzberg has been a voice of sanity and assurance for me during the quarantine and pandemic. launched Real Change on my Kindle app back in early April, and dipped into my free advance copy. Each night for months, reading just a few pages at a time, I found myself reminded of the power of the breath to ground myself deeply in the present moment, to cleanse myself of fear and worry, and to allow the oxygen of hope to wash over me. Along with instructions for practicing mindfulness, Real Change: Mindfulness to Heal Ourselves and the World (published by Flatiron books) is filled with stories of activists and peacemakers who circumvent burnout and battle fatigue by employing mindfulness to replenish their minds, energize their bodies, and spark their spirits as they undertake the missions they’re called to and the visions they’re pursuing to bring about healing, justice, and positive change in the world. This wise, compassionate, and inspiring book deserves a permanent place on any bedside table. I know I’ll be returning to it again and again. You can get your copy on September 1st.
October 18, 2020
I'm sad to say that I did not enjoy this book. Sharon Salzberg is my favorite Buddhist author and I've read nearly all of her books, which have greatly impacted and changed my life. Although this book is beautifully written and with the same recognizable comfort and understanding all of Salzberg's works, for me, this book lacked a clear objective or message. I found myself glossing over the words and chapters, and did not absorb the point of this book.
September 16, 2020
There’s a well-known play on words that many Buddhist meditation practitioners have probably read or heard on more than one occasion – rather than “don’t just sit there, do something!”, the meditator is exhorted “don’t just do something, sit there!” The inversion of the original phrase into its unexpected reversal is of course clever and catchy, but on closer examination, neither version is very complimentary. Anyone to whom the first command is issued is being perceived as so inactive as to be practically useless, while the one on the receiving end of the second command is being seen as too overactive to accomplish anything of value. Each recipient is equally unskillful and ineffective in their opposite modes of being.
In her timely new book Real Change, the prominent Buddhist teacher and author Sharon Salzberg proposes a way to bridge the gap between these two conflicting extremes – by the skillful practice of mindfulness meditation. Early on in the book’s introduction, she defines her task as exploring “the intersection between the activity of working toward change in the world and the clarity and compassion arising from mindfulness and lovingkindness practice.” Sitting and doing, we learn, are not opposites; they’re complements.
A few chapters later, in a memorable paragraph that brought John Lennon’s classic song “Imagine” to mind, she envisions “a world where our interconnection is a deeply known and motivating force, where no one is left out, where the innate dignity of every person is acknowledged, and where hatred and fear and greed can be tempered.”
Interconnection is the key Buddhist concept illuminating Salzberg’s vision of real change. It’s what calls forth our compassion for the suffering of others, motivating us to engage in activism in the first place. Interconnection is also what infuses our activism with an awareness of the complex nature of all phenomena, so that we have the wisdom to understand that there is no single sweeping heroic act that will change everything all at once; instead, we begin to realize that there are many smaller concerted actions that can change certain particular things in relatively brief periods of time, and that such incremental changes alter the overall scheme of causes and conditions that comprise our interconnected world.
Salzberg concludes with a brilliant discussion of the Buddhist virtue that can sustain us over a lifetime of creating change and living with change – equanimity, or as she refers to it in her closing chapter’s title, exquisite balance. First, she describes this quality in her own words – “the voice of wisdom, being open to everything, able to hold everything. Its essence is complete presence.” Then she illuminates it, with a reference to Kierkegaard’s embrace of the twin poles of the necessary (the fixed state of the universe in the present moment, as brought about by all the causes and conditions that have given rise to it) and the possible (the everchanging nature of all things, allowing for aspiration and transformation).
This is what sustains us, mindfulness practitioners and social activists alike – to cultivate the exquisite balance of holding everything, all that currently is and all that potentially can be. This warm and wise book points the way.
In her timely new book Real Change, the prominent Buddhist teacher and author Sharon Salzberg proposes a way to bridge the gap between these two conflicting extremes – by the skillful practice of mindfulness meditation. Early on in the book’s introduction, she defines her task as exploring “the intersection between the activity of working toward change in the world and the clarity and compassion arising from mindfulness and lovingkindness practice.” Sitting and doing, we learn, are not opposites; they’re complements.
A few chapters later, in a memorable paragraph that brought John Lennon’s classic song “Imagine” to mind, she envisions “a world where our interconnection is a deeply known and motivating force, where no one is left out, where the innate dignity of every person is acknowledged, and where hatred and fear and greed can be tempered.”
Interconnection is the key Buddhist concept illuminating Salzberg’s vision of real change. It’s what calls forth our compassion for the suffering of others, motivating us to engage in activism in the first place. Interconnection is also what infuses our activism with an awareness of the complex nature of all phenomena, so that we have the wisdom to understand that there is no single sweeping heroic act that will change everything all at once; instead, we begin to realize that there are many smaller concerted actions that can change certain particular things in relatively brief periods of time, and that such incremental changes alter the overall scheme of causes and conditions that comprise our interconnected world.
Salzberg concludes with a brilliant discussion of the Buddhist virtue that can sustain us over a lifetime of creating change and living with change – equanimity, or as she refers to it in her closing chapter’s title, exquisite balance. First, she describes this quality in her own words – “the voice of wisdom, being open to everything, able to hold everything. Its essence is complete presence.” Then she illuminates it, with a reference to Kierkegaard’s embrace of the twin poles of the necessary (the fixed state of the universe in the present moment, as brought about by all the causes and conditions that have given rise to it) and the possible (the everchanging nature of all things, allowing for aspiration and transformation).
This is what sustains us, mindfulness practitioners and social activists alike – to cultivate the exquisite balance of holding everything, all that currently is and all that potentially can be. This warm and wise book points the way.
January 27, 2022
Real change is full of advice, suggestions and reflections. Each chapter ends with a thought-provoking meditation and challenges the reader how to live mindfully and make a difference in a time where the world feels divided and is struggling with issues of the pandemic, poverty, homelessness among many other issues.
the book is a quick read and inspiring!
the book is a quick read and inspiring!
February 6, 2022
In the last couple of years, I've withdrawn from social media and have distanced myself from following politics firsthand – although I have friends and family members who keep me engaged in politics. How does one see problems in the world without being overwhelmed by them? Without distancing?
How do we listen to someone's pain, especially when it echoes with experiences in our own life? Sharon Salzberg suggests meditation can help us center enough to hear someone else's pain without being triggered, that it can help us see ourselves – and others – as more than only pain.
Pain can lead us down a series of misguided paths. As Salzberg quoted someone (everyone in the world has been said to say this), “Anger is like swallowing poison hoping it kills the other guy.” She suggests anger is our choice of tool when we feel weak and helpless. Our goal should, instead, be to fully acknowledge the other person's suffering as well as our own without letting that suffering define or overtake us. To give others and ourselves permission to feel rather than invalidating that experience.
In some ways, to be able to face pain, listen to it without being overwhelmed, and make effective change, we have to be effective "gyroscopes," finding calm and steadiness under stress. As Salzberg says, "that balance is loose and limber, capable of ducking some of what’s coming and getting quickly back to true" (p. 197). If knocked over, it gracefully rights itself. Like a gyroscope, in order to be agile and responsive, we have to have a strong core, perhaps from our sense of meaning and purpose. We also have to develop reasonable boundaries, where we are no longer completely responsible for everything and we set reasonable expectations, not everything has to be worked out now. This balance comes, as she says, from breathing, so we can appreciate what comes next.
Image from this video, Incredible Science
Salzberg offers steps to her challenging goals both from interviews with people working in the field who are finding equanimity while responding to familial, community, national or international events. Initially, it felt like she used too many examples, although she continued their stories across chapters in effective ways. She also ended her chapters with guided meditations, including variations on her lovingkindness meditations, which I think of as her central theme.
I've read and listened to many books and speakers talking about meditation. Many of these have been inspiring, as was this one. Real Change seemed to put ideas into practice for me more easily than most.
How do we listen to someone's pain, especially when it echoes with experiences in our own life? Sharon Salzberg suggests meditation can help us center enough to hear someone else's pain without being triggered, that it can help us see ourselves – and others – as more than only pain.
Pain can lead us down a series of misguided paths. As Salzberg quoted someone (everyone in the world has been said to say this), “Anger is like swallowing poison hoping it kills the other guy.” She suggests anger is our choice of tool when we feel weak and helpless. Our goal should, instead, be to fully acknowledge the other person's suffering as well as our own without letting that suffering define or overtake us. To give others and ourselves permission to feel rather than invalidating that experience.
In some ways, to be able to face pain, listen to it without being overwhelmed, and make effective change, we have to be effective "gyroscopes," finding calm and steadiness under stress. As Salzberg says, "that balance is loose and limber, capable of ducking some of what’s coming and getting quickly back to true" (p. 197). If knocked over, it gracefully rights itself. Like a gyroscope, in order to be agile and responsive, we have to have a strong core, perhaps from our sense of meaning and purpose. We also have to develop reasonable boundaries, where we are no longer completely responsible for everything and we set reasonable expectations, not everything has to be worked out now. This balance comes, as she says, from breathing, so we can appreciate what comes next.
Image from this video, Incredible Science
Salzberg offers steps to her challenging goals both from interviews with people working in the field who are finding equanimity while responding to familial, community, national or international events. Initially, it felt like she used too many examples, although she continued their stories across chapters in effective ways. She also ended her chapters with guided meditations, including variations on her lovingkindness meditations, which I think of as her central theme.
I've read and listened to many books and speakers talking about meditation. Many of these have been inspiring, as was this one. Real Change seemed to put ideas into practice for me more easily than most.
November 6, 2025
.5 stars for writing
1 star for premise
1 star for research
0 stars for impact
0 stars for liking it
Not bad...not really for me though. A little simplistic for my taste. I may need to sit for a bit and come back to it.
1 star for premise
1 star for research
0 stars for impact
0 stars for liking it
Not bad...not really for me though. A little simplistic for my taste. I may need to sit for a bit and come back to it.
November 10, 2020
I have probably read everything written by this author. So my criticism for her writing is unusual. Somehow it just felt disjointed to me. Perhaps her reference to various people and their experiences interrupted the flow of her intention, and thus my concentration. I did like the fact that she concluded every chapter with a meditation related to that theme.
January 7, 2021
This book is an excellent guide for social activism and meditations to support social activism and prevent burn out.
September 10, 2020
In this book Sharon Salzberg offers wisdom and guidance for how to maintain a meditation and mindfulness practice amid trauma, grief, anger, and burnout. This book feels very timely and written in response to recent events. She assumes her readers are interested and invested in their own wellbeing and the wellbeing of others, and she provides counsel on techniques for preventing burnout and feeling overwhelmed given current national and global circumstances.
I have read other books from Salzberg that were more narrative in tone. She doesn't necessarily follow a clear narrative in this book - instead, she offers some guidance and many anecdotes from activists, academics, researchers, and other leaders she has interviewed. It is clear that the author is also answering these questions for herself as well as for her audience. She is committed to mindfulness and meditation as powerful tools for transformation and grounding. I agree. I would, however, caution that for many people meditation and mindfulness alone will not resolve trauma or grief. They are very useful practices, but may need to be supplemented by medical intervention or work with a licensed counselor or therapist. Salzberg does not suggest that they will - but, I would have appreciated a note or an aside about other ways to address these very serious issues, and that mindfulness and meditation can be used with other methods of healing as well.
Salzberg has brought together many different perspectives from various interviews, and she relies more on these interviews than in past books. This was helpful in illustrating the variety of ways one can feel stressed or overstretched, what that feels like for different people, and how people from many different backgrounds are working to address their own needs while continuing in their activism. I highlighted many portions to return to later. This was an affirming book to read - even at this moment.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
I have read other books from Salzberg that were more narrative in tone. She doesn't necessarily follow a clear narrative in this book - instead, she offers some guidance and many anecdotes from activists, academics, researchers, and other leaders she has interviewed. It is clear that the author is also answering these questions for herself as well as for her audience. She is committed to mindfulness and meditation as powerful tools for transformation and grounding. I agree. I would, however, caution that for many people meditation and mindfulness alone will not resolve trauma or grief. They are very useful practices, but may need to be supplemented by medical intervention or work with a licensed counselor or therapist. Salzberg does not suggest that they will - but, I would have appreciated a note or an aside about other ways to address these very serious issues, and that mindfulness and meditation can be used with other methods of healing as well.
Salzberg has brought together many different perspectives from various interviews, and she relies more on these interviews than in past books. This was helpful in illustrating the variety of ways one can feel stressed or overstretched, what that feels like for different people, and how people from many different backgrounds are working to address their own needs while continuing in their activism. I highlighted many portions to return to later. This was an affirming book to read - even at this moment.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.
July 4, 2022
Excellent book on Mindfulness! Salzberg is one of my favourite allys in the field of meditation practice — here you will learn, amongst others, about agency, from anger to courage, grief to resilience, inerconnectedness, clarify, equanimity. So many passages marked as highlights. Truly helpful read to restore faith in oneself and the world at large.
One of my favourite quotes:
„Physical or emotional pain is often irregular, abrupt, and fitful, and that‘s what makes it harder to bear. If we always knew when it was coming, we might more easily acclimate ourselves to it. The fact that it comes upon us suddenly is yet another reason to have long-term strategies for working with pain. Hoping it will never come is not a strategy.“
One of my favourite quotes:
„Physical or emotional pain is often irregular, abrupt, and fitful, and that‘s what makes it harder to bear. If we always knew when it was coming, we might more easily acclimate ourselves to it. The fact that it comes upon us suddenly is yet another reason to have long-term strategies for working with pain. Hoping it will never come is not a strategy.“
October 5, 2020
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this title. I wanted to love this book. I often find great comfort and wisdom in other texts by Buddhist authors, such as Pema Chodron, but this book fell short for me. It was choppy and lacked a coherent overall narrative. I didn't leave with a sense of how to enact real change, and heal myself or the world.
I did appreciate the meditations at the end of each chapter, but the rest really didn't intrigue or engage me. I've read some other books recently on similar themes that were much more impactful and cohesive, and this one just didn't compare.
I did appreciate the meditations at the end of each chapter, but the rest really didn't intrigue or engage me. I've read some other books recently on similar themes that were much more impactful and cohesive, and this one just didn't compare.
November 26, 2020
This book was difficult to read at first. It just seemed to bop all over the place. But about 3/4 through I realized why so many recommend her work. She brings hope and reminds us being present is sometimes enough.
November 28, 2021
Short, thoughtful, clearly written treatise on how mindfulness meditation can support and fortify activists and people fighting for social change.
March 8, 2022
Ugh. So many contradictory, cliche platitudes. Just ugh.
October 14, 2022
what a beautiful, perspective-changing book. There was such a radiant calm and strong but soft sense of peace in myself after reading this. I thank my bookfriends for recommending this 💛
Notes on Real Change:
-practice Mindfulness and Loving Kindness meditations for ourselves and others.
-“Soul Wound” (identity, morality and our relationship to society)
-Gaslighting: efforts to manipulate someone’s perception of reality to the point that they question their sanity.
-my “North star” -values like respect for myself & others, commitment to balance and belief in the healing power of Love.
-“Tell me something good”
-“Transportable tranquility” -having peace wherever you go. Tranquillity itself is not freedom from the storm but peace within it.
-Inner strength and resiliency in the face of difficult circumstances. Bolstered by community, nature, music, poetry.
-because it is in recognizing those (exemplary human qualities) that we remember what’s possible for us.
-it is never the same play, because it’s completed by the audience and by the energy that is in the room.
-the legacy of our societies, our priorities, our choices.
-no punishment is worse than the punishment of a wage/ salary yo can’t live on.
-how we marry empowerment to our love for the world and what matters to us.
-the important word is gentle.
-that these feelings are just visiting, they are not essentially who we are.
-a wise woman refuses to become anyone’s victim.
-The Dark night of the soul: intense, deep, powerful, life changing pain.
-how we fully acknowledge the suffering but at the same time not let it define/ overtake us.
-Grief is praise because it is the natural way love honors what it misses.
-Creating change requires enduring energy. It takes profound willingness to shift to this dynamic.
-you are not destroyed by it. you have more spaciousness, more lift.
-silent retreats: zero judgements to self.
-empowered, calm, whole, balance, harmony, groundedness and dignity.
-Breathe deep: respond in this moment for this moment.
-“May i be safe, may i be happy and healthy, may i live with ease.”
-coming home to ourselves.
-“benevolent contagion” cultivating generosity, acknowledging joy, seeing what e have to be grateful for.
-realizing what we can do, what we can’t do and what we can control.
-periods of silence, time of solitude and social media withdrawal.
-we connect by recognizing ourselves in one another. “If you could stand in someone else’s shoes, hear what they hear, see what they see, feel what they feel, would you treat them
differently?”
-3 E’s: excellence, engagement and empathy.
-“othering” - “just like me”
-I might develop compassion for someone but also reject their efforts to dictate what I do with my life.
-Compassion, Forgiveness, Grace- doesn’t have to come from the person who was wronged.
-Life is a team sport.
-replace judgement with curiosity. Challenge, interrogate and understand your source of resistance.
-your involvement in them that’s the problem, not the fact that they arose to begin with. We learn to let go.
-the deepest roots of harm are expressed in moral codes, philosophies, religious tenets and beliefs.
-“network looking” -carefully observing a web of interrelationships.
-“sati-sampajanna” -mindfulness and clear comprehension
-is the action I’m intending really in accord with my purpose in life?
-“you’d better be glad i meditate.” Thats space brings us the wisdom that keeps us. from getting lost in immediate reactivity.
-equanimity: we cradle both the immense sorrow and the wonderousness of life at the same time.
-Spacious stillness and Radiant calm.
-a “near enemy” is a quality that can masquerade as the one we want to cultivate.
-the ability to continually begin again.
-do what you can do with what’s in front of you.
-“for us there is only the trying, the rest is not our business.” -TS Elliot
-the result of an action is only part of its value. 2 significant aspects: the intention giving rise to the action and the skillfulness to which we perform it.
Notes on Real Change:
-practice Mindfulness and Loving Kindness meditations for ourselves and others.
-“Soul Wound” (identity, morality and our relationship to society)
-Gaslighting: efforts to manipulate someone’s perception of reality to the point that they question their sanity.
-my “North star” -values like respect for myself & others, commitment to balance and belief in the healing power of Love.
-“Tell me something good”
-“Transportable tranquility” -having peace wherever you go. Tranquillity itself is not freedom from the storm but peace within it.
-Inner strength and resiliency in the face of difficult circumstances. Bolstered by community, nature, music, poetry.
-because it is in recognizing those (exemplary human qualities) that we remember what’s possible for us.
-it is never the same play, because it’s completed by the audience and by the energy that is in the room.
-the legacy of our societies, our priorities, our choices.
-no punishment is worse than the punishment of a wage/ salary yo can’t live on.
-how we marry empowerment to our love for the world and what matters to us.
-the important word is gentle.
-that these feelings are just visiting, they are not essentially who we are.
-a wise woman refuses to become anyone’s victim.
-The Dark night of the soul: intense, deep, powerful, life changing pain.
-how we fully acknowledge the suffering but at the same time not let it define/ overtake us.
-Grief is praise because it is the natural way love honors what it misses.
-Creating change requires enduring energy. It takes profound willingness to shift to this dynamic.
-you are not destroyed by it. you have more spaciousness, more lift.
-silent retreats: zero judgements to self.
-empowered, calm, whole, balance, harmony, groundedness and dignity.
-Breathe deep: respond in this moment for this moment.
-“May i be safe, may i be happy and healthy, may i live with ease.”
-coming home to ourselves.
-“benevolent contagion” cultivating generosity, acknowledging joy, seeing what e have to be grateful for.
-realizing what we can do, what we can’t do and what we can control.
-periods of silence, time of solitude and social media withdrawal.
-we connect by recognizing ourselves in one another. “If you could stand in someone else’s shoes, hear what they hear, see what they see, feel what they feel, would you treat them
differently?”
-3 E’s: excellence, engagement and empathy.
-“othering” - “just like me”
-I might develop compassion for someone but also reject their efforts to dictate what I do with my life.
-Compassion, Forgiveness, Grace- doesn’t have to come from the person who was wronged.
-Life is a team sport.
-replace judgement with curiosity. Challenge, interrogate and understand your source of resistance.
-your involvement in them that’s the problem, not the fact that they arose to begin with. We learn to let go.
-the deepest roots of harm are expressed in moral codes, philosophies, religious tenets and beliefs.
-“network looking” -carefully observing a web of interrelationships.
-“sati-sampajanna” -mindfulness and clear comprehension
-is the action I’m intending really in accord with my purpose in life?
-“you’d better be glad i meditate.” Thats space brings us the wisdom that keeps us. from getting lost in immediate reactivity.
-equanimity: we cradle both the immense sorrow and the wonderousness of life at the same time.
-Spacious stillness and Radiant calm.
-a “near enemy” is a quality that can masquerade as the one we want to cultivate.
-the ability to continually begin again.
-do what you can do with what’s in front of you.
-“for us there is only the trying, the rest is not our business.” -TS Elliot
-the result of an action is only part of its value. 2 significant aspects: the intention giving rise to the action and the skillfulness to which we perform it.
July 21, 2025
As a long time reader of Sharon Salzburg, I was incredibly disappointed by this book.
Unlike her other works, Real Change lacks clarity, scope, and organization. There are many times where the passages were discordantly shoved together, with no continuous throughput to tie them to one another. Often times, I wasn’t sure what concept or tenet of Buddhism we were even discussing. It was extremely hard to glean a broader picture or concrete takeaways.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the redundancy between this book and Salzberg’s other works. The last chapter contained 3 stories that were told in Real Love. Though I did not keep a running tally, I encountered numerous recollections throughout the entire book that I remember reading in either Real Happiness, Real Love, or Lovingkindness.
My conclusion is that the motivation for this book was not fidelity to Buddhism or an expansion of Salzberg’s cannon, but rather a push from a publisher to get more works out or a need from the author to publish for income. Despite being a longtime consumer and fan of Salzberg’s work, I cannot help but recommend that ANY potential interested reader pass on this particular title.
Unlike her other works, Real Change lacks clarity, scope, and organization. There are many times where the passages were discordantly shoved together, with no continuous throughput to tie them to one another. Often times, I wasn’t sure what concept or tenet of Buddhism we were even discussing. It was extremely hard to glean a broader picture or concrete takeaways.
The biggest disappointment, however, was the redundancy between this book and Salzberg’s other works. The last chapter contained 3 stories that were told in Real Love. Though I did not keep a running tally, I encountered numerous recollections throughout the entire book that I remember reading in either Real Happiness, Real Love, or Lovingkindness.
My conclusion is that the motivation for this book was not fidelity to Buddhism or an expansion of Salzberg’s cannon, but rather a push from a publisher to get more works out or a need from the author to publish for income. Despite being a longtime consumer and fan of Salzberg’s work, I cannot help but recommend that ANY potential interested reader pass on this particular title.
June 12, 2021
3.5*
This book is what I would consider... a mindful, delicate hug. While it did offer interesting insight and encouraged me to dive back into mindfulness and meditation, and shared gentle advice that reshaped my perspectives, but nothing I haven’t heard before. However, that’s all it really was; a hug, a reminder. The majority of the book, too, was quotes from other people, and politics. While I enjoyed most of the stories, it’d occasionally throw me off. As some other reviews said, I’m not sure the author had any clear goal with this book. It wasn’t completely clear, and some sections I found unnecessary. In theory, the message that I found was: meditate, meditate, meditate, be present, allow, and be self-compassionate to yourself in others.
It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend/say is a must-read. But, for those wanting some comfort in this time as well as gentle nudges and reminders, I’d say to check this one out if you’d like!
This book is what I would consider... a mindful, delicate hug. While it did offer interesting insight and encouraged me to dive back into mindfulness and meditation, and shared gentle advice that reshaped my perspectives, but nothing I haven’t heard before. However, that’s all it really was; a hug, a reminder. The majority of the book, too, was quotes from other people, and politics. While I enjoyed most of the stories, it’d occasionally throw me off. As some other reviews said, I’m not sure the author had any clear goal with this book. It wasn’t completely clear, and some sections I found unnecessary. In theory, the message that I found was: meditate, meditate, meditate, be present, allow, and be self-compassionate to yourself in others.
It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend/say is a must-read. But, for those wanting some comfort in this time as well as gentle nudges and reminders, I’d say to check this one out if you’d like!
August 7, 2024
In Real Change, Sharon Salzberg provides a framework and mindset for addressing the sense of despair that comes with overwhelm, anger, and injustice. Our world seems to create an onslaught of atrocities for us to consume, and with the internet and social media, that barrage is only amplified to an unbearable degree. Many feel immobilized by the constant exposure to fear and rage, whether in personal slights or broader societal inequalities. Real Change offers a way to observe these injustices, process them in a balanced way, and find the best approach to make a positive difference. This is a great tool for developing equanimity and learning more about ourselves in the process, identifying inherited biases and learning to stop reactionary behaviors before they become problematic. I plan to revisit this book over and over to stay grounded in an evolving world.
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October 31, 2021The world can often feel like a harsh place that’s only getting worse. Yet, many people still find the strength to fight for a better future. Mindfulness and meditation can provide excellent tools to keep up the struggle even in the face of adversity. Bolster your own activist spirit by acknowledging negative emotions, creating space for self-care and joy, and always approaching difficult feelings with a sense of equanimity and an eye on the long-term.
Actionable advice:
Remember that your emotions are temporary.
Even the most grounded individual will sometimes experience difficult emotions like anger or hatred. When this happens, remind yourself that these unpleasant moments are just fleeting. A session of mindfulness meditation will help reveal the calmer bedrock of feeling that lies underneath.
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Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work.
Imagine a dedicated human rights activist. Each day, she tirelessly advocates for the issues she cares about – issues like gender equality, fairer wages, and better access to healthcare.
Now, suppose that one day, this activist forgets her lunch. By noon, she’s hungry; by afternoon, she’s starving. But, the only food in the office is a bunch of bananas. Unfortunately, each time she glances at the fruit, she faces a moral dilemma: she’s worried about the exploitative conditions in banana fields and the environmental cost of banana production.
The activist wants to keep working, yet she’s feeling faint. What should she do? Obviously, she should just eat the banana already!
The key message here is: Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work.
Activism, care work, and other service-oriented callings require a phenomenal degree of passion and dedication. But, even the most determined and steadfast people can’t give 100 percent of themselves, 100 percent of the time. In fact, attempting to do so is a recipe for breakdown and burnout.
So, when it comes to managing your time and effort, it’s crucial to build in space for rest, recovery, and recuperation. Making a habit of taking care of yourself both mentally and physically will leave you better able to work toward your goals in the long run. Sometimes, this practice is called self-care or building a coping bank.
Self-care comes in many forms. For instance, Myles Horton, founder of the Highlander Folk School, combated burnout by taking time to rest and reflect in the natural world around his workplace. Shantel Walker, an organizer in the Fight for 15 minimum wage movement, blows off steam by going on long, leisurely bike rides. In both cases, taking a break from the stress of work makes each person more effective when they return to their tasks.
But, self-care can also take place on the job. All too often, we assume that serious work must be accompanied by a serious demeanor. But, the opposite is true. It’s entirely possible to find joy in your labor. During the 1960s protest marches, participants didn’t cry and mourn. Instead, they joined their voices together and sang joyful tunes. Buddhists call this practice gladdening the mind and it can make even the most difficult struggles more manageable.
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Eliminate cognitive bias through deep, introspective thinking.
Here’s a simple riddle for you: A man and his son are involved in a horrible car accident. Tragically, the man dies and the boy is rushed to the hospital. On arriving, the chief surgeon is aghast, declaring, “I can’t operate on this child, he’s my son!”
So, here’s the question – who is the surgeon? The answer often stumps even the most astute minds. After all, the father died, so he can’t be the attending physician. But, take a moment to think and the answer is obvious: the doctor is the boy’s mother.
Oddly, people overlook this solution nearly 80 percent of the time. It’s a powerful demonstration of how easily old biases can cloud our perception of reality.
The key message here is: Eliminate cognitive bias through deep, introspective thinking.
Our minds don’t perceive the world with perfect accuracy. In fact, in order to process reality efficiently, our brains constantly take mental shortcuts, leaps of logic, and make unconscious adjustments to how we understand what’s happening around us. In some cases, these cognitive biases help us navigate life more smoothly, but just as often they cloud our judgment.
One common cognitive bias is the fundamental attribution error. This is the tendency to understand human behaviors differently based on group affiliation. For instance, if a close friend is curt and rude, you’ll chalk up their behavior as no big deal – you’ll think “She’s just having a bad day.” But, if a stranger from an outside group is acting gruffly, you may unconsciously think, “Well, people like that are just inherently impolite.”
Such biases are dangerous because they stop us from seeing others as truly complex individuals. And habitually succumbing to these types of bias can warp our understanding of reality so deeply, that we may foster racist, sexist, or discriminatory beliefs. According to the author, despite usually being very socially aware, doctors often prescribe Black patients fewer painkillers than white patients because of outmoded ideas about racial differences.
You can begin grappling with your own unconscious bias with awareness meditation. This form of meditation encourages you to investigate your identity and background and how they may influence your view of the world. To practice, simply enter a calm, meditative state, and consider your own experiences and thought processes – you may be surprised at the hidden biases lurking in your psyche.
Actionable advice:
Remember that your emotions are temporary.
Even the most grounded individual will sometimes experience difficult emotions like anger or hatred. When this happens, remind yourself that these unpleasant moments are just fleeting. A session of mindfulness meditation will help reveal the calmer bedrock of feeling that lies underneath.
---
Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work.
Imagine a dedicated human rights activist. Each day, she tirelessly advocates for the issues she cares about – issues like gender equality, fairer wages, and better access to healthcare.
Now, suppose that one day, this activist forgets her lunch. By noon, she’s hungry; by afternoon, she’s starving. But, the only food in the office is a bunch of bananas. Unfortunately, each time she glances at the fruit, she faces a moral dilemma: she’s worried about the exploitative conditions in banana fields and the environmental cost of banana production.
The activist wants to keep working, yet she’s feeling faint. What should she do? Obviously, she should just eat the banana already!
The key message here is: Build long-term success by caring for yourself and finding joy in your work.
Activism, care work, and other service-oriented callings require a phenomenal degree of passion and dedication. But, even the most determined and steadfast people can’t give 100 percent of themselves, 100 percent of the time. In fact, attempting to do so is a recipe for breakdown and burnout.
So, when it comes to managing your time and effort, it’s crucial to build in space for rest, recovery, and recuperation. Making a habit of taking care of yourself both mentally and physically will leave you better able to work toward your goals in the long run. Sometimes, this practice is called self-care or building a coping bank.
Self-care comes in many forms. For instance, Myles Horton, founder of the Highlander Folk School, combated burnout by taking time to rest and reflect in the natural world around his workplace. Shantel Walker, an organizer in the Fight for 15 minimum wage movement, blows off steam by going on long, leisurely bike rides. In both cases, taking a break from the stress of work makes each person more effective when they return to their tasks.
But, self-care can also take place on the job. All too often, we assume that serious work must be accompanied by a serious demeanor. But, the opposite is true. It’s entirely possible to find joy in your labor. During the 1960s protest marches, participants didn’t cry and mourn. Instead, they joined their voices together and sang joyful tunes. Buddhists call this practice gladdening the mind and it can make even the most difficult struggles more manageable.
---
Eliminate cognitive bias through deep, introspective thinking.
Here’s a simple riddle for you: A man and his son are involved in a horrible car accident. Tragically, the man dies and the boy is rushed to the hospital. On arriving, the chief surgeon is aghast, declaring, “I can’t operate on this child, he’s my son!”
So, here’s the question – who is the surgeon? The answer often stumps even the most astute minds. After all, the father died, so he can’t be the attending physician. But, take a moment to think and the answer is obvious: the doctor is the boy’s mother.
Oddly, people overlook this solution nearly 80 percent of the time. It’s a powerful demonstration of how easily old biases can cloud our perception of reality.
The key message here is: Eliminate cognitive bias through deep, introspective thinking.
Our minds don’t perceive the world with perfect accuracy. In fact, in order to process reality efficiently, our brains constantly take mental shortcuts, leaps of logic, and make unconscious adjustments to how we understand what’s happening around us. In some cases, these cognitive biases help us navigate life more smoothly, but just as often they cloud our judgment.
One common cognitive bias is the fundamental attribution error. This is the tendency to understand human behaviors differently based on group affiliation. For instance, if a close friend is curt and rude, you’ll chalk up their behavior as no big deal – you’ll think “She’s just having a bad day.” But, if a stranger from an outside group is acting gruffly, you may unconsciously think, “Well, people like that are just inherently impolite.”
Such biases are dangerous because they stop us from seeing others as truly complex individuals. And habitually succumbing to these types of bias can warp our understanding of reality so deeply, that we may foster racist, sexist, or discriminatory beliefs. According to the author, despite usually being very socially aware, doctors often prescribe Black patients fewer painkillers than white patients because of outmoded ideas about racial differences.
You can begin grappling with your own unconscious bias with awareness meditation. This form of meditation encourages you to investigate your identity and background and how they may influence your view of the world. To practice, simply enter a calm, meditative state, and consider your own experiences and thought processes – you may be surprised at the hidden biases lurking in your psyche.
December 30, 2020
Lovely, compassionate and thoughtful. I’m letting this one marinate in me before I say more.
January 3, 2023
Timely and full of interesting insights, facts, and stories.
July 10, 2022
I rarely ever read blurbs before starting on a book so Real Change wasn't what I was expecting, but it didn't disappoint.
Sharon Salzberg interviewed a wide range of individuals (most of whom are activists in some way) for this book, and shared their advice on how to navigate our fractured world. Because a significant chunk of the book comprises advice that isn't necessarily related to Buddhist philosophy, I'd recommend Real Change to people who are interested in learning about mindfulness, loving kindness, and equanimity, but aren't too comfortable with reading Buddhist philosophy.
What I love most about the book is that Salzberg advocates for practicing mindfulness not just for personal healing, but also so that we can be better people in the world. I appreciated the chapter on equanimity and activism, and she suggests meditation practices at the end of each chapter too.
Sharon Salzberg interviewed a wide range of individuals (most of whom are activists in some way) for this book, and shared their advice on how to navigate our fractured world. Because a significant chunk of the book comprises advice that isn't necessarily related to Buddhist philosophy, I'd recommend Real Change to people who are interested in learning about mindfulness, loving kindness, and equanimity, but aren't too comfortable with reading Buddhist philosophy.
What I love most about the book is that Salzberg advocates for practicing mindfulness not just for personal healing, but also so that we can be better people in the world. I appreciated the chapter on equanimity and activism, and she suggests meditation practices at the end of each chapter too.
January 15, 2021
Amazing! This is exactly the book I needed to read to start off 2021. I had been struggling with basic existential questions and struggling with meditation. What am I doing, really... Am I making a difference? And what is sitting and focusing on the breath doing for me or anyone else? Is it worth my time? This book gave me a resounding YES. It reminded me that my meditation matters, my career matters, all of my little actions that I do daily matter. Sharon writes in a very down to earth yet poignant way about how we can make a difference in the world. This is now one of my favorite books.
January 27, 2021
While there was a lot of good content in this book, I found it difficult to read. The writing style was not very fluid, and some “dialogue” or points were inserted without serving a clear purpose. Despite this, I enjoyed the structure (with a practice/application at the end of each chapter), and some quotes were quite poignant.
Also, a little side note:
I am trying to start giving more accurate ratings, so two stars is not meant to be a bad review. I want to expand the range of ratings I use, so two stars is “okay.” I could read this book, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
Also, a little side note:
I am trying to start giving more accurate ratings, so two stars is not meant to be a bad review. I want to expand the range of ratings I use, so two stars is “okay.” I could read this book, but I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it.
October 17, 2020
This book is an amazing source of inspiration and has literally made a difference (in my life). Having recently been a “victim” of the covid-cutbacks, I was let go from my employer after 27 years of service. This book or should I say Sharon, has inspired me to utilize my current “downtime” for good and to give back to my community via volunteerism. A must read for these times.
May 21, 2021
This was my first book from Sharon Salzberg. I don’t know how I missed reading her earlier works. This is more of a book that activists need to read, but it doesn’t mean that even those who are ‘ordinary’ shouldn’t. There were some beautiful stories I loved and some inspiring people. There would be other books from Salzberg that are probably more ‘personal.’ I look forward to reading those.
September 30, 2020
When I began meditation I was seeking peace for myself. After exploring Metta (loving-kindness) something in me shifted. In this world we sometimes feel extremely helpless. There are so many hardships, too many sides and avenues for them to enter our lives. Anger and resentment are the forefront of so many peoples lives. Getting lost in anger is such a threat to happiness. “Resentment, anger’s simmering cousin”, “we allow resentment to replay again and again, it dominates our thinking”. Anger is a path to change, that’s powerful! “Angers always the bodyguard of our wounded ness” WOW!! It’s okay to be angry, because it opens. Us up to REAL CHANGE.
I truly believe that just by opening our hearts and offering compassion to EVERYONE...we can skillfully and beautifully alter our environment. This book lets you know that if you feel as if you want to help, or be of service you can do so by simply being compassionate towards others and seeing them. Being present with what pain we have as well as the pain or suffering others have can be enough to let them know they are heard and seen. Sharon speaks of pain without suffering, “a profound potential of the human heart”, so beautiful. The understanding that change is a step by step process, it doesn’t happen overnight, and sometimes those creating the change don’t even see the end result. Trusting in each moment as an opportunity to bring light instead of fueling negativity is one tiny little event, but may be what steers the direction of ones life towards a better path. Thank you for this book Sharon Salzberg, I do believe that my smile, my practice, and compassion I offer is enough, and when it seems I can do more, I surly will.
I truly believe that just by opening our hearts and offering compassion to EVERYONE...we can skillfully and beautifully alter our environment. This book lets you know that if you feel as if you want to help, or be of service you can do so by simply being compassionate towards others and seeing them. Being present with what pain we have as well as the pain or suffering others have can be enough to let them know they are heard and seen. Sharon speaks of pain without suffering, “a profound potential of the human heart”, so beautiful. The understanding that change is a step by step process, it doesn’t happen overnight, and sometimes those creating the change don’t even see the end result. Trusting in each moment as an opportunity to bring light instead of fueling negativity is one tiny little event, but may be what steers the direction of ones life towards a better path. Thank you for this book Sharon Salzberg, I do believe that my smile, my practice, and compassion I offer is enough, and when it seems I can do more, I surly will.
February 13, 2021
I'm new to the author's work, but found an article she co-authored on the mental health of health care workers in the context of the pandemic that cited a recent survey where more than three of four reported burnout and 93% are stressed. The effect of the repeated trauma those they are are feeling takes it toll on the care givers. That led me to this, the most recent book of hers. The title caught me with the wording evoking the Hebrew phrase "Tikkun Olam" or heal the world. Little did I know of the profound impact that learning about Buddhism through an undergraduate course decades ago led her down this path to become a renown figure in the teaching of meditation and the use of mindfulness. The first half of the book included vignettes from interviews from numerous activists and those involved in social change, but I found the flow of the second half of the book more useful such as the discussion on equanimity. Overall it was an interesting read into how a meditation practice has the potential to provide an anchor for people confronting emotionally charged periods in life.
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