January 10, 2020 |
This week’s question is from Roxana: “Can you provide meditations on how to obtain tranquility/calmness/serenity in anxious moments.” . If you’d like me to answer your questions about meditation, please email your question to me. xo Susan
July 12, 2018 |
As some of you may know, there is a great deal of trauma being exposed in the world of Shambhala where I have studied and practiced Buddhism for more than 20 years. It centers on the clergy sexual abuse perpetrated by Sakyong Mipham, the lineage-holder. The stories of abuse are captured here in a report from Andrea Winn’s Project Sunshine,... READ MORE
June 30, 2018 |
Dear friends, students, and Shambhala Sangha, If you haven’t heard, the head of my Shambhala lineage has been accused of clerical sexual abuse. The community is reeling. Whether you are in the Open Heart Project community or are a fellow Shambhala practitioner, I want to share with you my own thoughts and feelings about what is going on. First, thank... READ MORE
May 15, 2018 |
Can’t wait to share it with you. I hope you will find it inspiring, useful, and real. It is about what it really takes to open your heart in a love relationship. We are self-publishing this, y’all. I wrote this book for us specifically. Every single decision that has gone into creating it has been made with you in mind.... READ MORE
August 14, 2017 |
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #24. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Torsten from Berlin raises an excellent question, one for the ages. If mindfulness is about being present, how... READ MORE
July 31, 2017 |
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #23. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Katia’s question is about figuring out the balance between kindness toward others and self-care. In this answer, I... READ MORE
July 27, 2017 |
I’m a 20+ year practitioner in a Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. It is based on teachings brought to the West by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. There are things in these seemingly straightforward sentences that might piss some people off. There are people who say that the Vajrayana (the third “yana” or vehicle of Buddhist teachings, aka the esoteric teachings) is not even... READ MORE
July 18, 2017 |
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #21. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. This week’s question is truly fascinating. Our questioner has discovered that since beginning a meditation practice, his mind... READ MORE
May 31, 2017 |
(Parts of this piece were published previously, but as our wedding anniversary approaches, I felt compelled to update it.) Next month, my partner and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Nineteen years. How the hell did that happen?! As we get ready to celebrate nearly two decades of wedded bliss, (and also of wedded hell, confusion, joy, and mystery), I’ve... READ MORE
May 15, 2017 |
Even though Buddhism is often associated with ascetic practices done by people in robes, as a 20+ year practitioner, it has been useful to apply core Buddhist teachings to my love life. Buddhist practice and study were helpful when I fell in love, got my heart broken, and, now, in marriage. In a recent post, I offered a way to... READ MORE
May 5, 2017 |
Earlier this week, I posted about applying the wisdom of Buddhism to romantic relationships. Is it even possible? Advisable? As a Buddhist and a wife, I would say yes. Relationships have periods of closeness and distance and no one can really tell you what governs their coming and going. It’s a mystery. During one such period of distance with my... READ MORE
May 2, 2017 |
My 19th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. HOLY CRAP. I never in a million years imagined that I would be with one person for this long. Our marriage has been more than I could have hoped for but nothing I would ever have expected. Like most of us, when I was young, I dreamed of finding the right relationship.... READ MORE