teaching Archives - The Open Heart Project

SUSAN’S
Blog

Viewing Posts in teaching

How can I find a (trustworthy) teacher?

April 22, 2024   |   8 Comments

Audio only version is here
Meditation begins at 10:03

Hello, wonderful person, Before today’s practice, I share a few thoughts in response to a question I hear from you somewhat regularly: how to find a teacher? How do I know who and what to trust? Before today’s sit, I offer a few thoughts. Spoiler: there are no easy answers. With love,  Susan

Resource for learning more about meditation and trauma

December 21, 2018   |   Leave a reply

Mindfulness is often suggested as a panacea for, well, everything. It is not. It is especially important to be careful about practicing or teaching meditation when trauma is involved. I wanted to make sure you saw this video conversation between trauma expert and author David Treleaven, Jenna, and myself. It’s not short (a little over an hour), but if you... READ MORE

On Shambhala

June 30, 2018   |   210 Comments

Dear friends, students, and Shambhala Sangha, If you haven’t heard, the head of my Shambhala lineage has been accused of clerical sexual abuse. The community is reeling. Whether you are in the Open Heart Project community or are a fellow Shambhala practitioner, I want to share with you my own thoughts and feelings about what is going on. First, thank... READ MORE

The Teacher-Student Relationship: Liberating or a Trap?

July 27, 2017   |   33 Comments

I’m a 20+ year practitioner in a Tibetan Vajrayana tradition. It is based on teachings brought to the West by Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche. There are things in these seemingly straightforward sentences that might piss some people off. There are people who say that the Vajrayana (the third “yana” or vehicle of Buddhist teachings, aka the esoteric teachings) is not even... READ MORE

Just You and Me

January 21, 2017   |   Leave a reply

Since the presidential election, I have felt called to do more. To get involved with organizations that stand for the values I hold dear, to call my elected officials to give them a piece of my mind (or at least read one of the suggested scripts from Facebook), to march and rail and educate myself about my own ignorance and... READ MORE

I commit to you.

December 3, 2016   |   2 Comments

From the November 21 Open Heart Project newsletter, some resources for those who may be struggling with fear and confusion post-election. Hello dear meditators. This week’s newsletter is a little different because this last week in the USA has been, um, a little different. I have heard from so many of you who are confused, fearful, sad, and/or angry about... READ MORE

The Open Heart Project: 2015 Annual Report

January 5, 2016   |   11 Comments

Hello, to all! I hope your year is beginning in a delightfully auspicious way. Mine is, because I finished this $(#) annual report which has somehow taken about a week to write. (I thought it would take a couple of hours.) I share it with you here as an account of the ups and downs of 2015 which, as it... READ MORE

How was it for you? Reporting on the experience of being a teacher.

June 19, 2015   |   31 Comments

I just finished teaching two retreats at Dechen Choling Retreat Center in France, “The Open Heart Retreat” followed by “Fearless Creativity: A Meditation and Writing Retreat.” On the last day of the last program, a student kindly asked what it felt like for me when a retreat was over. Our group was sitting at the breakfast table in the main... READ MORE

We have so much to share with you

Get a new meditation from me every Monday morning