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Traits of the Awakened Mind, Part 3: Power

August 14, 2023   |   Leave a reply

Hello wonderful Open Heart Project, We’ve discussed two of the three aspects of the awakened mind—compassion and wisdom. Today I’d like to offer just a few thoughts on the third quality—power. When we think about the quality of power, I’m sure many things come to mind. Some are positive—the certainty of a strong ruler or the beneficence of a saint.... READ MORE

Traits of the Awakened Mind, Part 2: Wisdom

August 7, 2023   |   Leave a reply

Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. The first is compassion. The second quality, wisdom, is the topic of today’s post. When it comes to what it really means to be wise, it’s easy to posit all sorts of definitions from really, really smart to deeply insightful to maybe simply being old and... READ MORE

Traits of the Awakened Mind, Part 1: Compassion

July 31, 2023   |   Leave a reply

Hello Open Heart Project, According to Buddhist thought, the awakened mind has three qualities. Although I’ve said many times that having goals for your practice is a bad idea, I’m now going to suggest that there actually are goals and they are to realize these three qualities. However, the path is not accomplished by conventional means. Interestingly, these qualities arise... READ MORE

The Four Immeasurables: Equanimity

July 24, 2023   |   Leave a reply

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

The Four Immeasurables: Sympathetic Joy

July 17, 2023   |   4 Comments

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

The Four Immeasurables: Compassion

July 10, 2023   |   1 Comment

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

The Four Immeasurables: Lovingkindness

July 3, 2023   |   Leave a reply

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

On attention

June 26, 2023   |   1 Comment

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

What is True Confidence?

June 19, 2023   |   Leave a reply

It often happens that I wake up completely devoid of self-confidence. I have no idea when or why this is going to happen. It drives me mad. I sit down to write and some inner Miss Thing tells me I have nothing of interest to say. I want to call a friend but Miss Things says, oh she has no... READ MORE

Is it even possible to let go of my ego?

June 12, 2023   |   1 Comment

  Hello Open Heart Project, As a Buddhist teacher and someone with a lifelong interest in spirituality, I have attended my share of, well, interesting gatherings. From months-long meditation retreats where the vast and profound dharma is practiced, to sweaty evenings of devotional chanting, to workshops on using Sacred Geometry to attract love, to cocktail parties where sage is burned... READ MORE

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