Audio only version here Meditation begins at 17:18 Dear Open Heart Project, I hope you are well and safely-sheltered, and that your loved ones are as well. We are all riding the waves of uncertainty, feeling everything from fear t0 gratitude. There is a sense of confinement and also of possibility. It is too early to make sense of anything,... READ MORE
Audio only version here Meditation begins at 12:22 Dear Open Heart Project, I hope you are well and staying strong during this very uncertain time. As mentioned last week, I’m returning to sending you a new video each week rather than once a month. At this time, it feels good and right to be in closer contact. Please do let... READ MORE
Audio only version here Meditation begins at 13:25 Dear Open Heart Project, I hope you and your loved ones are faring well during this uncertain time. Please be sure to take excellent care of yourself, as best you can. Whenever possible, send out wishes for the health and well being of those healthcare workers and first responders who are putting... READ MORE
I hope you are well and healthy and the same is so for all your loved ones. When I was thinking about this week’s slogan in light of all the coronavirus anxiety, I thought for a moment to offer something more immediately relevant than a thousand-year old slogan. Until I realized that this week’s slogan is exactly that. I realize... READ MORE
The main reason I find to be hopeful is the beauty and profundity of the dharma. The more I turn my mind toward it, the more empowered I feel. The more empowered I feel, the more energy I have to be of benefit. The more I turn my mind toward chaos, the less I have. . Obviously, no one has... READ MORE
Over in the Open Heart Project sangha, we are studying the 59 slogans of Atisha which is a thousand-year old practice for training the mind for loving-kindness and wisdom. This week, our seemingly elliptical slogan is “In all activities, train with slogans.” . In other words, slogans are good. The truth is, you are already following this instruction. However, the... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 11:16 Dear Open Heart Project, Hello, dear ones! I am so happy to be in touch with you today. I hope you are well and feeling confident in yourself. These are stressful times, there is no doubt. It can be hard to know where to turn when the news becomes too damn... READ MORE
In 2020, the Open Heart Project sangha is exploring the 59 slogans of Atisha, one per week. These slogans are also called lojong (or mind training) practice. They are exceptionally dense. So much meaning is packed into each slogan. Their meaning is not understood through the intellect. Rather, it is arrived at through contemplation. . How is contemplation different than... READ MORE
Hello, I hope you are well and feeling happy. Or happy-ish. Or happiest. . At the Open Heart Project, we are studying the 59 slogans of Atisha, a thousand-year old practice also known as lojong. The slogans are incredibly pithy and dense. They are like objects that expand in water only, here, the water is your awareness. All you have... READ MORE
Over in the Open Heart Project sangha, we are engaged in an ancient practice called lojong or mind training. In this practice, we train our minds through the contemplation of slogans. There are 59. This week, we are on slogan #6: . “In post-meditation, be a child of illusion.” . Two questions arise immediately. . First, what is post-meditation? One... READ MORE
In the Open Heart Project sangha, we are contemplating one slogan per week from the 59 lojong (mind-training) slogans of Atisha. They date back over one thousand years. . There are 59 “slogans” which range from the obvious (First, train in the preliminaries) to the inspirational (Thank everyone) to the fascinatingly inscrutable (Three objects, three poisons, three seeds of virtue).... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:45 Dear Open Heart Project, Welcome new members of the Open Heart Project! If this is our first time sitting together, I am grateful for the opportunity to practice meditation together. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to mention in the blog post comments. If are not a new member: I... READ MORE
