May 11, 2023

A live online conversation with renowned teacher and author Sharon Salzberg, researcher Emily Lindsay, Ph.D.; Tibetan meditation master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal; and host Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D.

No matter how many friends we have on social media or how many people we are surrounded by, loneliness can be a constant companion. We may be yearning for a sense of support or connection, or feeling that we don’t quite fit in. We search for friendship, community, and intimacy, but what are we really seeking? Can meditation help us to feel more fulfilled and connected, even when we’re alone? Our panelists discuss the roots of loneliness from the perspectives of both science and spirituality.

View live on Facebook to join the chat.

Related:

• This dialog is part of a one-month exploration of loneliness & connection in a free yearlong program.
• Thursday, May 4, 2023, 12 noon New York time: “Embracing Loneliness, Cultivating Connection,” a live online teaching with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.
• Friday, May 5, 2023, 10 a.m. New York time: 24-Hour Full Moon Practice, “Embracing Loneliness, Cultivating Connection.” Opens with a teaching and meditation guided by Marcy Vaughn.
• NEW! Begins Friday, May 12: a free, month-long interactive online course, “Embracing Loneliness, Cultivating Connection.” Four Fridays at 12 noon New York time with Aleezé Sattar Moss, via Zoom. Class size is limited. Includes weekly small-group sessions.
• “Overcoming Loneliness: Finding the Friend Within,” a 2015 teaching and guided meditation with Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche.

About the Presenters

Sharon Salzberg is a meditation pioneer, world-renowned teacher, and New York Times bestselling author. More than 45 years ago, she was one of the first to bring mindfulness and loving-kindness meditation to mainstream American culture, inspiring generations of meditation teachers and wellness influencers. Sharon is co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Mass., and the author of 12 books, including the New York Times bestseller Real Happiness, now in its second edition; and her seminal work, Lovingkindness. Her 2023 release, Real Life: The Journey from Isolation to Openness and Freedom, is now available from Flatiron Books in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats. Her podcast, The Metta Hour, has amassed 6 million downloads and features interviews with thought leaders from the mindfulness movement and beyond.
More about Sharon Salzberg

Emily Lindsay, Ph.D., is a research professor in psychology at the University of Pittsburgh. Her theory-driven research shows that mindfulness interventions improve health outcomes via stress buffering pathways and that acceptance training is a key component of mindfulness interventions that drives these effects. Her current work examines whether mindfulness interventions impact stress responding in ways that offset health risk among people exposed to early life adversity. Long-term, she hopes to contribute to the goal of addressing inequities in public health.
More about Emily Lindsay

Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche is an acclaimed author and a respected teacher of students worldwide. He completed an 11-year course of traditional studies at the Bön Dialectic School at Menri Monastery near Dolanji, India, and was awarded his geshe degree in 1986. He now lives as a householder, and has been living and teaching in the West for more than 30 years. As the founder and spiritual director of Ligmincha International, he has established numerous centers and institutes of learning in the United States, Mexico, South America, Europe and India. He regularly offers online teachings in the form of live webcasts, online workshops and YouTube videos, and is renowned for his clear, engaging teaching style and his dedication to making the ancient Tibetan teachings highly accessible and relevant to the lives of Westerners. His many books include Awakening the Luminous Mind: Tibetan Meditation for Inner Peace and Joy and The True Source of Healing: How the Ancient Tibetan Practice of Soul Retrieval Can Transform and Enrich Your Life (Hay House, 2015).
More about Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D. (host) serves as director of research for Ligmincha International. He has studied in the Tibetan traditions since 1989, and for nearly 30 years in the Bön Tradition with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He holds a Ph.D. in Tibetan religions from Rice University and is the director of the Mind Body Spirit Institute at the Jung Center of Houston. For the last 20 years he has been teaching and researching the benefits of Tibetan mind-body practices for people touched by cancer. He is a Contemplative Fellow at the Mind & Life Institute, and is the author of Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition (Snow Lion, 2009), Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being (Hay House, 2018), and Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath, and Mind (Wisdom Publications, 2021).