Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 5:59 Hello there, This week, we review the last of the four immeasurable qualities: equanimity. We’ve already spoken about the first three: Loving kindness and Compassion and Sympathetic Joy. The final “immeasurable” is the all-important equanimity. The first three have a very distinct sense of warmth while equanimity can convey something cooler—which... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 9:28 Dear Open Heart Project, Hello, my friends. I hope you are staying strong and feeling well. This week, we review the third of the four immeasurable qualities: sympathetic joy. We’ve already spoken about the first two: Loving kindness and Compassion. Next week, we’ll look at the fourth, equanimity. I know we could... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 6:30 Hello you wonderful person, This week we continue our exploration of the Four Immeasurables, those four qualities we each possess without end. Last week, we discussed the first, loving kindness. Please click on this video for thoughts on the second immeasurable quality, compassion. Where do you see compassion in your meditation... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 13:00 Hello there, I hope you are well. This week begins a four-part series to examine the Four Immeasurables, those four qualities that can help us right the balance of our inner, outer, and secret worlds. Please have a listen to this week’s talk on the first, Lovingkindness. As you know, these... 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
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 17:44. Dear Open Heart Project, Hello and welcome to video #3 in this series on the three steps, or yanas, of the spiritual path. Today we discuss the third step. (If you missed the first two or would like a refresher, the first video is here and the second video is here. While... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 26:21. Dear Open Heart Project, Hello and welcome to the second video in this series on the three steps of the spiritual journey. Today we discuss the second step. While the first step focused on stabilizing your personal situation (and practice), the second step is about the heart opening that ensues organically.... READ MORE
Audio-only version is here. Meditation practice begins at 22:23. Dear Open Heart Project, When it comes to our spiritual practices (whatever they may be), both uncertainty and possibility are always present so in some sense, we are in the perfect training ground for awakening. In the Buddhist view (and no one has to be a Buddhist to make this information... READ MORE
Dear Open Heart Project, Someone once asked me, “How does one let go of anger—not deep-rooted anger but anger over everyday trivial things? How can I learn to really let go of things that don’t matter in my life? Too much time is wasted on this use of energy!” Here’s what I said: I appreciate your wish to let go... READ MORE
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
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
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