Sometimes I wake up in the morning and the first thing I do is freeze in the face of the world’s ills. Then I think about what’s on my to-do list and wonder if I can actually do any of the things I hope to. Am I capable or just a capable poser? Will there be something in my email... READ MORE
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Meditation practice begins at 13:45.
Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I hope you and yours are well and safe. I so appreciate your responses to our recent questionnaire about these videos and what might make them more useful to you. Very grateful to all who took the time to respond to these five questions. Please click here to add your voice! Before this week’s meditation... READ MORE
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It was a genuine pleasure to hear from author, meditation and yoga guide, activist and all-around amazing human, Nikhol Atkins and to explore her new book, Book of Boobs: A Visual Journey Through Breast Cancer. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. You can learn more about Nikhol’s book and purchase your own copy here. If... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 14:32.
Hello, Open Heart Project. I hope you are well and finding ways to be joyful and kind (to yourself, others, the planet). This video suggests three ways we can work with so-called negative emotions. There are so many all over the place! It can be very difficult to figure out how to work with rage, fear, and, perhaps most dangerous,... READ MORE
I know we are all thinking about what we can do to help the world. I mean, what else could possibly be worth thinking about? The crazier the world gets, the more I feel both ashamed of my personal concerns and also cling to them as particularly meaningful. Because the world is so incomprehensible, I take refuge in what I... READ MORE
Audio only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 10:32 Hello, dear meditator. How are you? I hope you are well and feeling happy. Basically everyone I have ever known finds it difficult to be consistent with their practice and, further, basically everyone thinks this is because they lack discipline. I suggest that this is probably not the issue. Before... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 11:59. Dear Open Heart Project, I know that meditation is counseled as a way to de-stress, develop greater powers of concentration, and get a better night’s sleep. All true! However, it is also a path to true, lasting joy. All we have to do, at least from time to time, is jump... READ MORE
Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, We’ve discussed two of the three aspects of the awakened mind—compassion and wisdom. Today I’d like to offer just a few thoughts on the third quality—power. When we think about the quality of power, I’m sure many things come to mind. Some are positive—the certainty of a strong ruler or the beneficence of a saint.... READ MORE
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Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. The first is compassion. The second quality, wisdom, is the topic of today’s post. When it comes to what it really means to be wise, it’s easy to posit all sorts of definitions from really, really smart to deeply insightful to maybe simply being old and... READ MORE
Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. Although I’ve said many times that having goals for your practice is a bad idea, I’m now going to suggest that there actually are goals and they are to realize these three qualities. However, the path is not accomplished by conventional means. Interestingly, these qualities arise... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 5:59 Hello there, This week, we review the last of the four immeasurable qualities: equanimity. We’ve already spoken about the first three: Loving kindness and Compassion and Sympathetic Joy. The final “immeasurable” is the all-important equanimity. The first three have a very distinct sense of warmth while equanimity can convey something cooler—which... READ MORE
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