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What Ritual Makes Possible

May 18, 2026   |   4 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 11:54

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I hope you are finding steadiness and connection wherever you are. Before today’s sit, I share some thoughts about ritual and why I believe it matters so much in spiritual practice. Meditation can certainly help us sleep better, reduce stress, or become more patient. Those things are real and valuable. But when practice becomes only... 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

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

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

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

February 16, 2026   |   2 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 11:58

Hello Wonderful Open Heart Project, In this talk, we continue exploring the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, focusing on the second step: Right Intention. Right Intention grows out of Right View, which is the willingness to see clearly. When we practice seeing things clearly, the question becomes very practical: How do we live? How do we move... READ MORE

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

February 9, 2026   |   2 Comments

Audio only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 16:14.

Hello, dear Open Heart Project. I hope you are well and finding steadiness as we move through such uncertain and charged times, both here in the US and around the world. This video series I’m sharing was created in the past, but I find that the Eightfold Path feels even more relevant now. When fear, division, and violence are shaping... READ MORE

Strength in a Time of Crisis: What Helps?

February 2, 2026   |   5 Comments

Audio only version here.
Guided meditation here.

Hello Open Heart Project, Each morning, the Open Heart Project Sangha gathers to meditate and to tell the truth about what is happening. Recently, the group was larger than usual. That alone says something about the moment we’re in. I don’t have a teaching that makes this time acceptable or less painful. There is no way to explain it away.... READ MORE

Staying Close to What Supports You

January 19, 2026   |   7 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 17.23

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I’ve been reflecting on how easily meditation practice can fade into the background when life gets busy or uncertain. Not because it doesn’t matter, but because the very moments when we need it most are often the moments when it’s hardest to remember to turn toward it. What I keep coming back to is this:... READ MORE

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