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There’s more to meditation than feeling better

May 11, 2026   |   Leave a reply

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, I heard something the other day in the morning meditation at The Open Heart Project sangha: a thoughtful, well-done study confirms that meditation improves your brain and can make you happier. That’s meaningful and encouraging. It also reminded me that there’s another kind of understanding of meditation, one that comes from thousands of years of... READ MORE

Do Buddhists pray?

May 4, 2026   |   3 Comments

Audio only version here.
​​​​​​​Meditation practice begins at 9:01.

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project meditator. We moved to a new house recently and the effort to make a relationship to a new space has been front of mind. How do you connect with unseen energies? How do you fill a space with unseen goodness? Alleviate unseen obstacles?  When an Open Heart Project sangha member asked if Buddhists pray, I... READ MORE

Unsettled, but not alone

April 27, 2026   |   1 Comment

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, I wrote to you recently about not feeling settled, about living among boxes and in-between spaces, about that strangely tender mix of disorientation and possibility. I had a feeling many of you would understand, but, I didn’t quite anticipate the depth, honesty, and humanity of what you shared in return. A special thanks to all... READ MORE

Not settled, still practicing

April 20, 2026   |   1 Comment

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, I’m writing to you from a new home. Moving, as you may know, has a way of revealing everything at once. There is the thrill of beginning again, of opening a door and not quite knowing how the light will fall in the afternoon. And there is also the compression of it all, the boxes,... READ MORE

Meditation is not for self-help. It’s for mystics.

April 13, 2026   |   9 Comments

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, I am thrilled and nauseated and delighted to say that I’ve finished the manuscript for my next book. Thrilled, because it was created to honor my extraordinary teachers of the last three decades. Nauseated, because what writer isn’t. Delighted because it’s done. It should be out in the next few months. It will be self-published... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Eighth Step of the Eightfold Path

April 6, 2026   |   6 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 13:58

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, So far in our exploration of the Noble Eightfold Path, we have been laying a foundation for how we see, how we act, and how we meet our lives. We began with Right View and Right Intention, then moved into Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, and most recently, Right Mindfulness, returning to the placement of attention and... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Seventh Step of the Eightfold Path

March 30, 2026   |   3 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 15:21

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, So far in our exploration of the Noble Eightfold Path, we have been laying a foundation for how we see, how we act, and how we meet our lives. We began with Right View and Right Intention, then moved into Right Speech, Right Action, and Right Livelihood, and most recently, Right Effort, the commitment to... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Sixth Step of the Eightfold Path

March 23, 2026   |   1 Comment

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 4:38

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, So far, in our conversations about the Noble Eightfold Path, we have explored Right View, seeing clearly; Right Intention, examining our motivations; Right Speech, verifying the honesty of our words; and Right Action, understanding our impact and committing to non-harm; and Right Livelihood, bringing our work and resources into alignment with the path. Now we... READ MORE

The New Edition of The Buddhist Enneagram

March 16, 2026   |   Leave a reply Two wisdom traditions, one path of insight The Buddhist Enneagram New edition with Shambhala Publications

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, Today I wanted to let you know that my book, The Buddhist Enneagram, has just been released in a new edition by Shambhala Publications. The book explores how the wisdom of Buddhism and the Enneagram can illuminate each other. Together, these two systems offer a powerful way to understand how we move through the world,... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Fifth Step of the Eightfold Path

March 9, 2026   |   1 Comment

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 21:07

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. In our conversations about the Noble Eightfold Path, we have explored Right View, seeing clearly; Right Intention, examining our motivations; Right Speech, verifying the honesty of our words; and Right Action, understanding our impact and committing to non harm. Today we move on to the fifth step: Right Livelihood. How can we turn work, money,... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Fourth Step of the Eightfold Path

March 2, 2026   |   1 Comment

Audio only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 15:34

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, In our talks about the Noble Eightfold Path, so far we have explored Right View (seeing things clearly), Right Intention (evaluating our motivations), and Right Speech (verifying the honesty of our words). Now we look at what we actually do in Right Action. Right Action is straightforward. Do not harm. Do not take what is... READ MORE

Ancient Wisdom for Difficult Times: The Third Step of the Eightfold Path

February 23, 2026   |   1 Comment

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 21:36

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I hope you are well and staying steady in these very unsteady times. There is so much upheaval in our country and around the world. Strong views. Strong emotions. A lot of suffering. Where to begin to find any type of steadiness? In Buddhist thought, there are 8 steps on the path to sanity. We... READ MORE

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