Thank you to everyone who registered for this talk on my new book, Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra. During our conversation yesterday, some expressed (understandable) uncertainty about which skandha (heap) went with which sense perception and so on. I made this very inadequate drawing that hopefully clarifies more than it confuses. Love, Susan
Thank you to all who registered to learn more about this new course, Buddhism Beyond Belief. It was a joy to talk with you about the Buddhist path. I hope you found it illuminating, inspiring, and useful. To continue the conversation, please consider signing up for Buddhism Beyond Belief. Here is the curriculum: Curriculum (some topics subject to change to... 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
Thank you to all who registered to learn more about this new course, Buddhism Beyond Belief. It was a joy to talk with you about the Buddhist path. I hope you found it illuminating, inspiring, and useful. To continue the conversation, please consider signing up for Buddhism Beyond Belief. Here is the curriculum: Curriculum (some topics subject to change to... READ MORE
Hello, excellent Open Heart Project practitioners. As we approach what may be an extremely tumultuous week here in the US and elsewhere, I wanted to share again something I posted a few months ago in the hope that it will support and strengthen you. I’m reflecting on a time I posted this message to social media: “What if we never... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 15:30
It seems we are in a time of heightened anxiety and fear–and for very understandable reasons. Most suggestions and techniques for calming yourself focus on altering your inner state by various means. Makes sense! But this is often not enough. In this week’s video, I make some suggestions from my Buddhist training about creating an environment from which you can... READ MORE
Audio only version is here.
Meditation begins at 16:15
Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project practitioners, May all beings discover their inherent sanity and decency. Although it may sound improbable, meditation is a direct conduit to such qualities. It introduces space between what we think and what we do, how we feel and the conclusions we draw about self and other. Truly, the world is in need of people who... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 12:14
Hello, I hope you and your loved ones are well. Before today’s 10-minute meditation, I share some thoughts about the first noble truth of Buddhism–that life is suffering (or unsatisfying). Thanks a lot, Buddha! Not exactly what I was hoping to hear. Nonetheless…there is power and even joy in abiding in reality. In your life. IRL (in real life). It’s... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 12:00
Dear wonderful Open Heart Project, It’s possible you thought, as did I, that meditation would help you feel…less. Less rage. Less sorrow. I’d have even settled for less crankiness. No such luck–I’m still a human being. I made this video for those of you who fear that anger or other so-called negative emotions mean you are not a spiritual person.... READ MORE
This morning while I was meditating, I pictured myself punching a particular Presidential candidate in the face. I wished he was dead. I found myself hoping that someone would kill him. While I was meditating, y’all. As lame as I may be as a meditator and a Buddhist, I recognized that this was the wrong way to go. Even though... READ MORE
In the Buddhist view, there are three ways to practice the dharma. (Determining the way that is right for you is a matter of karma and inspiration.) The first way is the path of monasticism. This is fairly straightforward in terms of understanding what is meant. You renounce this world and the things of this world—money, sex, buying a house,... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 21:17
Hello, First off, I want to say that if you are struggling with grief or depression, you may not want to listen to this because I cry and talk about my own sorrows. In this video, I share about my loss of a beloved household member, our cat, Sly. I didn’t know if I could talk about it because I... READ MORE
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