SUSAN’S
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In-person retreats coming up in 2023

April 24, 2023   |   Leave a reply

Audio only version here. Dear Open Heart Project, Many years ago, I asked my meditation teacher what I could do to deepen my practice. I mean, I tried to practice most days but at a certain point, I started to wonder: what the hell am I doing? Sitting here doing nothing but thinking about this and that? I think I... READ MORE

The most helpful (and confounding) view of the spiritual journey

April 17, 2023   |   18 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 11:27. Dear Open Heart Project, Hello, I hope you are well! Also, I cut all my hair off! On purpose! In this video, I share some thoughts with you about something I’ve been thinking about in relation so my own spiritual journey, what in Buddhism is called “the middle way”. What is... READ MORE

Cultivating a Compassionate Mind: Step 4

April 10, 2023   |   6 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 18:06. Dear Open Heart Project, Welcome to the final video in this series on Cultivating a Compassionate Mind. Week 1: Affection for the World Week 2: Faith in the Right Situations Week 3: Compassion for Sentient Beings Now we come to Bravery, the fourth quality. In this view, bravery begins with developing... READ MORE

Cultivating a Compassionate Mind: Step 3

April 3, 2023   |   5 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 14:21. Dear Open Heart Project, Welcome to the third video in our series: Cultivating a Compassionate Mind. We’ve discussed Affection for the World and Faith in the Right Situations so far. Now we come to Compassion for Sentient Beings. This may sound straightforward, like, of course! If I want to cultivate a mind... READ MORE

Cultivating a Compassionate Mind: Step 2

March 27, 2023   |   4 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 17:03. Dear Open Heart Project, Last week, we discussed the first of four qualities that help cultivate a compassionate mind: Affection for the World, which doesn’t mean liking everything or pretending to; rather it means being present for everything. This week, we discuss the second: Faith in the Right Situations. What is... READ MORE

Cultivating a Compassionate Mind: Step 1

March 20, 2023   |   6 Comments

NOTE!! When I made this video, I had a black eye—as you can see. I slipped on ice! It looks worse than it felt and I totally fine now   xoxo S Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:36. Dear Open Heart Project, It is an honor to send you this first of four videos in a series... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 7

March 13, 2023   |   3 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:36. Dear Open Heart Project, Today we wrap up this video series: The Seven Qualities of the Dharmic Person. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. The second, contentment, can be found here. The third, fewer activities, is here, the fourth, good conduct, is here, and the fifth, awareness of the teacher... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 6

March 6, 2023   |   Leave a reply

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:15. Dear Open Heart Project, I’m so glad you are signed up for this video series: The Seven Qualities of the Dharmic Person. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. The second, contentment, can be found here. The third, fewer activities, is here, the fourth, good conduct, is here, and the fifth,... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 5

February 27, 2023   |   8 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:06. Dear Open Heart Project, I’m so glad to continue sharing with you this series on the 7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person, or Meditator. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. The second, contentment, can be found here. The third, fewer activities, is here and the fourth, good conduct, is here.... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 4

February 20, 2023   |   4 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 10:28. Dear Open Heart Project, I’m so glad you are signed up for this video series: The Seven Qualities of the Meditator, aka, Dharmic Person. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. The second, contentment, can be found here. The third, fewer activities, is here. This week, we come to the fourth... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 3

February 13, 2023   |   4 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 16:14. Dear Open Heart Project, I’m so glad you are signed up for this video series: The Seven Qualities of the Dharmic Person. Today we discuss the third quality. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. The second, contentment, can be found here. This third quality is called fewer activities. It seems that... READ MORE

7 Qualities of the Dharmic Person: Part 2

February 6, 2023   |   5 Comments

Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 12:11. Dear Open Heart Project, Hello! I hope you are well. This video is the second in this series, “The Seven Qualities of the Dharmic Person” (aka you). These qualities arise organically from our meditation practice. The first quality, passionlessness, was discussed here. I include the link in case you missed it/are... READ MORE