Hello Open Heart Project, Since The Wisdom of a Broken Heart came out, I’ve had the honor of speaking with many people who are meeting this incredibly difficult life passage with courage and tenderness. We talk about the endless waves of grief, fear, and rage and how one could possibly weather them. We talk about the valuable, hard-won heart opening that can... READ MORE
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Meditation begins at 12:47
Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project, I have three basic suggestions for how Buddhist wisdom can help with heartbreak. Two weeks ago, we talked about the first step which involves figuring out how to work with your racing or clouded mind. Last week, I made suggestions for working with the overwhelming energy of the heart. This week, I share some thoughts... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 16:10
Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project, I have three basic suggestions for how Buddhist wisdom can help with heartbreak. Last week we talked about the first step which involves figuring out how to work with your racing or clouded mind. This week, I make suggestions for working with the overwhelming energy of the heart which, when shattered or upset, overflows with... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 14:36
Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project, Many years ago, I wrote a book called The Wisdom of a Broken Heart about how Buddhist wisdom helped me with my own broken heart. I get emails and messages about the impact of this book more than anything I have ever written. I am gratified to know it is useful. (Last year, I updated... READ MORE
Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 7:40
Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project, Hello, I hope you are well and finding sources of peace within yourself and around yourself. Did you know that within the OHP there is something called the Open Heart Project Sangha? We explore a different theme each month and recently that theme was something called the Four Karmas which describe four different ways to... READ MORE
Audio only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 10:32 Hello, dear meditator. How are you? I hope you are well and feeling happy. Basically everyone I have ever known finds it difficult to be consistent with their practice and, further, basically everyone thinks this is because they lack discipline. I suggest that this is probably not the issue. Before... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 11:59. Dear Open Heart Project, I know that meditation is counseled as a way to de-stress, develop greater powers of concentration, and get a better night’s sleep. All true! However, it is also a path to true, lasting joy. All we have to do, at least from time to time, is jump... READ MORE
Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, We’ve discussed two of the three aspects of the awakened mind—compassion and wisdom. Today I’d like to offer just a few thoughts on the third quality—power. When we think about the quality of power, I’m sure many things come to mind. Some are positive—the certainty of a strong ruler or the beneficence of a saint.... READ MORE
Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. The first is compassion. The second quality, wisdom, is the topic of today’s post. When it comes to what it really means to be wise, it’s easy to posit all sorts of definitions from really, really smart to deeply insightful to maybe simply being old and... READ MORE
Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. Although I’ve said many times that having goals for your practice is a bad idea, I’m now going to suggest that there actually are goals and they are to realize these three qualities. However, the path is not accomplished by conventional means. Interestingly, these qualities arise... READ MORE
Hello Open Heart Project, Seth Godin, the marketing genius, writer, teacher, and all-around awesome person is one of my idols. I receive his blog posts every day and, although our topics are different, in many ways I model my work on his for its clarity, usefulness, and soulfulness. He wrote a wonderful post about how empathy is the most important... READ MORE
In the Shambhala Buddhist lineage, we say that meditation trains us to be warriors in our lives—fearless, open hearted, and genuine. Today I want to talk about fearlessness and its connection to meditation practice and I’ll start out by relating a story I heard Pema Chödrön tell in one of her books. It is about her teacher, the founder of... READ MORE
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