How our practice can help with a broken heart (Part 1)
February 12, 2024 | 6 CommentsAudio 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 the audiobook version because I own those rights. I wanted to update the book with some of the things I’ve learned over the last decade and also include some meditations. You can find it here if you’re interested.)
I have three basic suggestions for how Buddhist wisdom can help with heartbreak. Of course, no one has to be a Buddhist to derive benefit from them. In this video, I share some thoughts about the first suggestion (the subsequent videos over the next couple of weeks will contain reflections on the other two).
I hope you will find this of benefit. Please let me know what you think—it is always so valuable to hear from you.
With love, Susan
categorized in: meditation, open heart project
6 Comments
Thank you Susan. I appreciate how you connect the Buddhist teachings to our personal experiences with help and kindness. Sincerely, Patty.
sending love, patty! xo s
Thank you Susan, I first wrote you many years ago after I read your book. It had a very profound effect on me: my wife of 30 years had recently died, and I so much appreciated your sensitivity and openness. In a way, it pushed me to learn to work with my grief without the usual platitudes and pep talks about “moving on”. You still have my profound thanks for that.
Much love,
Glenn
Glenn, it means the world to me to receive this message. Thank you for taking the time to send it. I’m grateful we can practice together. With love, Susan
I have never told you how much your book helped me about 15 years ago. My husband of 40 years, the love of my life, found someone else and divorced me. My heart was torn open and I ended up in the hospital on the psych ward for 3 weeks. I brought your book with me and, while a patient there, I met another patient who was going through the same thing. I was discharged the day before he was, and I left your book with him so he could gain as much from reading it as I did. Thank you so much for sharing your own pain. It was by far the best “self-help” book I ever read and I have read a lot of them!
Thank you, Susan, for this teaching. I was so happy to hear that a broken heart can be related to so many experiences. Currently I am at the beginning of looking for a different “home”….maybe independent living connected with stages of care. I’ve lived in my house for 40 years and the thought of leaving it scares me to no end. I’m imagining this heartbreak (as you with your cat. How is your cat and you doing?) though it could be that I decide to just stay. So many unknowns lie ahead for me…and of course, the future is always an unknown!