SUSAN’S
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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   |   1 Comment

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

Balancing Kindness and Self-Protection with Difficult People

January 12, 2026   |   9 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 8:40

Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project, I received a thoughtful question about how to offer loving-kindness to people who feel toxic, while still honoring and protecting our own boundaries. Before today’s sit, I wanted to share a few reflections with you. If you have a question you’d like me to explore in a future video, please feel free to send it... READ MORE

How to Protect Your Mind and Your Vitality

December 15, 2025   |   4 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 16:30

Hello, dear friends, As we move toward the start of Building a Mindful New Year, I want to offer a short preview of one of the teachings we’ll explore together: the fourth paramita, exertion. We’ve spent recent weeks looking at generosity, discipline, and patience—three qualities that can bring tremendous clarity and kindness into our lives. But without exertion, their energy... READ MORE

The Strength of Patience When Everything Feels Uncertain

December 8, 2025   |   4 Comments

Audio-only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 21:26

Hello Open Heart Project, As we look ahead to Building a Mindful New Year, I’ve been reflecting on the qualities that genuinely support meaningful change. In recent weeks, we’ve explored generosity and discipline as part of the paramita teachings—capacities that help us relate to our lives with steadiness and clarity. This week, our attention turns to the third paramita, patience.... READ MORE

Discipline: The Paramita of Steadiness and Joy

December 1, 2025   |   1 Comment

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 15:24

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, I’m writing to share something I believe deeply: the second of the transcendent actions — the paramita of discipline — isn’t a matter of rigid self-control. It is a source of clarity, spaciousness, and genuine joy. Practiced well, discipline becomes the structure that supports our freedom. It’s also a perfect preparation for the new year.... READ MORE

Preparing for 2026: Starting with Generosity

November 24, 2025   |   Leave a reply

Audio only version is here
Meditation practice begins at 17:18

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. This week, we’re revisiting the first of the six paramitas — generosity. I originally recorded this teaching some time ago, but it feels especially relevant now, as we move toward the end of the year. Generosity is not only about giving material things; it’s about offering our attention, our patience, and our willingness to show... READ MORE

Secret Magic: Seeing the Sacred in Everything

October 27, 2025   |   Leave a reply

Audio-only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 11:55

Dear Open Heart Project. Over the past 2 weeks, we’ve been revisiting a series I recorded a few years ago about outer, inner, and secret magic. It still feels relevant in these complicated times. In that talk, I suggested that magic isn’t something far away or mystical. It arises right here—in the way we care for our surroundings, the gentleness we... READ MORE

For When Your Mind Wanders (It Will and It’s Part of the Practice)

October 20, 2025   |   Leave a reply

Audio-only version is here.
Meditation practice begins at 13:31

 

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, This is the second video in a series I created a few years back. You can (but you don’t have to) check out what we talked about last week here. I’ve felt the wisdom of this series more deeply lately. In hard times, the invitation in this talk is always relevant. And so that’s why... READ MORE