I just finished teaching two retreats at Dechen Choling Retreat Center in France, “The Open Heart Retreat” followed by “Fearless Creativity: A Meditation and Writing Retreat.” On the last day of the last program, a student kindly asked what it felt like for me when a retreat was over. Our group was sitting at the breakfast table in the main... READ MORE
I just finished teaching an Open Heart retreat in beautiful Dechen Choling which is situated in rural south-central France, near Limoges. The beauty here reminds me of what the world felt like when I was a kid in summertime: Verdant, lush, quiet, warm…all you want to do is be outside. These words are misleadingly prosaic… But when you arrive here... READ MORE
In addition to creating a new online home (this redesigned website!!), I’ve taken a leap and decided to move to a new offline home as well—a workspace that is separate from my personal home. For years, I have worked at home and there are many things I love about doing so. There is something powerful about removing the separation between work... READ MORE
I am so excited about my new website. I could not be happier with the design and, as important, with the increased clarity about what exactly is going on here and how you might take advantage of it. I was a little surprised by how emotional the redesign process was. Every decision had repercussions for me, for you, for the... READ MORE
I was teaching a workshop in Baltimore this past weekend, just as the rioting and agitation of the protests was ramping up. We all felt frozen. One of the students brought up this question—what are we supposed to do? What, as non-violent people, do we do when faced with violence, including our own? She was enraged at everyone. Enraged at... READ MORE
I wanted to use today’s email to respond to a post (on our Facebook page) from Barba Twin regarding anger and forgiveness. In it, she describes a situation that many of you may be familiar with: a relationship that has ended with no opportunity for closure. The person seeking it is then left on his or her own to find... READ MORE
In creating the Open Heart Project, we are building something astonishing: the world’s first completely virtual, thoroughly robust, dharmically honest meditation center. My thoughts on how it went in 2014, where we are going in 2015, and the fascinating challenges encountered. [social_share/]
Translation courtesy of Yolanda Andrade. Tal vez han visto las noticias donde hombres armados abrieron fuego en las oficinas de la “revista satírica” Charlie Hebdo, publicación francesa que en el pasado ha enfurecido a los extremistas islámicos. 12 personas, incluyendo el famoso caricaturista francés, fueron asesinadas. Pensé que era un chiste, No lo es. Nada puede mejorar lo sucedido. No hay explicación... READ MORE
(traduction française de Elise Maes Le Goff) Texte original Aujourd’hui des hommes armés ont ouvert le feu dans les bureaux du magazine satirique Charlie Hebdo qui avait soulevé par le passé la colère d’islamistes extrémistes. Douze personnes, dont des dessinateurs célèbres en France, ont été tués. J’ai cru que c’était une blague. Mais non. Rien ne peut rendre cela acceptable.... READ MORE
Perhaps you have seen the news today that gunmen opened fire on the offices of the “satirical magazine” Charlie Hebdo, a publication in Paris, France that has in the past angered Islamist extremists. Up to 12 people, including famous French cartoonists, were killed. I thought it was a joke. It is not. Nothing... READ MORE
Given at the Shambhala Mountain Center’s “Awake in the World” conference in October 2014, Susan Piver discusses relationships, buddhism and the dharma.
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