A show of hands, please. What do you believe in? What are your values? What do you believe is at the heart of human nature?

What kind of world do you want to live in?

Here is what I say.

There are more people who want to act out love than hate.

There are more people who are neither Red nor Blue, no matter where they live.

There are way more people who are not fundamentalist than those who are.

There are more people who prize the values of tolerance, openness, and friendship over money, consumerism, and dogma.

There are more people who want our leaders and institutions to make the health and safety of our bodies and our planet their first priority than there are those who want to pillage both for their own benefit.

There are more of us who are willing to make some sacrifices for the greater good and than those who believe we are in this alone.

We stand by the principle that all persons have the right to choose their own belief system as long as it does not include violence against others.

We hold achievement and abundance as high priorities, but not at the expense of family, friendship, love, joy, raising healthy children, and the creation of a world of opportunity for all.

These—family, love, self-expression, creating goodness for ourselves and others, and tolerance—are the true American values. Beyond this, they are human values.

We want to restore sanity to our systems of governance, education, and commerce. We can do it because wherever lives a person who wants to abuse or kill others, there are countless others who do not.

For every businessperson who lines his or her pockets at the expense of others (or even of our very planet), there are five who give back.

For every self-interested, disingenuous politician, there are ten who would take elective office for the greater good.

And for every cynic who believes that power-grabbing and violence are simply human nature, that any person in position of power or influence would turn on his fellow man, I say there are a million who try to do otherwise everyday. I am one. You are too.

A show of hands, please.

“When a person sits and meditates, it is a special situation, a sacred act. In meditation, even the most impure, crude, or confused thoughts are regarded as sacred. You may fall asleep on your cushion or feel that you have not actually meditated at all. Even daydreams on the cushion are important. You should have the attitude that you are involved with a system and a tradition that is valid and has its roots in solid thinking. Meditation is a definite approach, an extremely valid thing to do. “-Chogyam Trungpa

This lovely meditation from Sakyong Mipham has been so healing for me. I invite you to share in it.

It was so much fun to co-teach with the excellent Ethan Nichtern, Buddhist teacher, author, activist, and pal at the New York Shambhala Center. Here is a podcast of the evening.

PS I’m teaching there April 12-14. Shambhala Training: Level 1.

From the beautiful “life is a collaboration with love,” to the very practical “watch out for idiots,”  the inscrutable “don’t forget your real job,” and the classic, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop,” a bouquet of the best advice my FB pals ever received. Whether from their mother, the Bhagavad Gita, or Katherine Hepburn, there are some real gems in here.

Choga Nyima
Where we go one…we go All!

Michelle McSweeney
Fortune cookie: All of your tomorrows will take care of themselves if today is well lived.

Melissa Johnson
“Learn to let go of attachment.” It took me years to understand what that really meant, but when I did, it was the second most freeing moment of my life.

Sherry L. Helmke
“Let things come to you.” from Tai Chi Master Frank Fong

Mary McCracken
There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Solveig Caroline Stroeer
Let go and let God.

Beth Patterson
Never go further than too far.

Diane D’Angelo
Feeling your feelings won’t kill you. Not feeling them will. Continue

Honored and delighted to sit down for a conversation with Jesse Jacobs, the founder of Samovar Tea Lounges in San Francisco.

We discussed:

• how I flunked 8th grade, never went to college—and then published six books including a New York Times bestseller
• how I overcame her phobia of flying through the kindness of strangers
• how I went from Austin cocktail waitress to music industry executive
• advice for recent college grads and anyone in the job market
• advice on love, heart break, and things to consider before tying the knot
• how I flunked meditation instruction—and then went on to launch The Open Heart Project: an unconventional meditation school

MAY 8-13

It is rare for me to travel to Europe to teach. In fact, this is the first time ever for me to lead a retreat in Europe (France, to be specific). I am psyched!!

Most Open Heart Project communal gatherings happen at a time or place that is not so convenient for those outside of North America. If you’ve ever wanted to meet in person to practice together and discuss your path, this is the time!

During this 4-day program, we will explore what it really means to have an open heart. This work begins with opening your heart to yourself by releasing guilt, shame, and the constant self criticism we live with.

When this happens, we find that only one thing remains: love.

We will rely on meditation, loving kindness practices, journaling, and small group dialogue to create a relaxed, spacious, and truly liberating inner experience. There will also be time for walks, resting, and generally letting go of our daily concerns to open to a larger reality.

To ensure that this retreat will happen, please register now. (It will cancel if there aren’t sufficient registrants). Thank you and I hope to see you there!

Open Heart Retreat
Dechen Choling
Mas Marvent
87700 St Yrieix sous Aixe, France
Tel: +33 (0)555035552

Which I really enjoyed! In which we covered the following:

During our soulful, in-depth conversation (listen here), we covered:

• Her work as a teacher, writer, and blogger interested in “extreme self knowledge” and“becoming a more truthful version of who I already am.”

• Reading psychology books at the library at 10 years old and feeling like she never fit in.

• Working as a cab driver in Boston and the“Noble Quest” she embarked on after she heard a Bruce Springsteen song that called to her!

• The”auspicious coincidence” of discovering the book “The Heart of the Buddha” By Chogyam Trungpa in 1995 and how that changed her life.

• Meditation: what is it, misconceptions, what you can expect, and can you “stop” thinking?

• What is “dharma”, “stupefaction“, and how does she gain access to the truth.

• “The bad news is your falling through the air. No parachute, nothing to hold on to. The good news is there is no ground!”

• The Open Heart Project- an online meditation project with more than 10,000 participants.

• The tools she uses in her practice, upcoming workshops she’s teaching, and MUCH more!

Last week, I blogged about vulnerability as a path. In other words, it’s not simply a choiceless state of being (we are vulnerable), it is a point of view. A stance. A way. In fact, it may be the only way to solve the problems our world faces. We could at least consider that. I mean nothing else has ever worked. Warfare, peace talks, diplomacy, terrorist attacks, charity, politics, activism…some of these things are really great and some are completely heinous. Nonetheless, they have not created peace in our world.

Could it be that we are going about it all wrong? Continue

“The only true elegance is vulnerability.” Chogyam Trungpa

Thank goodness for Brené Brown and that Ted talk on vulnerability. That over 7m people have watched is pretty mind blowing and pretty fantastic. What, I have wondered, was in those 7m+ minds as they clicked “play” or “forward” or “replay”? Were they looking for some recognition for their inner experience? Did they want their friends and family to understand something they had been trying to communicate for a long time? Did they want to reassure loved ones that it is okay to feel? Did they want to be reminded again and again that what is sweetest and most tender about them is also a source of power? 

I don’t know, but I have certainly felt all of these things in connection with that talk and this topic altogether. I’ve longed to be respected rather than doubted for my sensitivity. I’ve wanted to assure so many people—loved ones, readers, students—that their sorrows and fears are gateways to wisdom and brilliance. And I’ve needed continual support for the view that, okay, the meek may inherit the earth, but first they must protect it and ensure its survival. They are the only ones who can do it. Continue