Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #16. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. This week’s question is about becoming a Buddhist. The ceremony for doing so is called “taking refuge”. What... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #15. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Victoria from England is really interested in two different but equally meaningful spiritual practice. How important is it... READ MORE
Just back from teaching two retreats in France and am filled with gratitude for the participants and for the great good fortune of being a teacher. Reposting this from 2015 as much of it still stands. 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... READ MORE
(Parts of this piece were published previously, but as our wedding anniversary approaches, I felt compelled to update it.) Next month, my partner and I celebrate our 19th wedding anniversary. Nineteen years. How the hell did that happen?! As we get ready to celebrate nearly two decades of wedded bliss, (and also of wedded hell, confusion, joy, and mystery), I’ve... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #14. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Fiona from Australia wonders what is going on when she feels a mix of panic and freedom while... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #13. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. This week’s question comes from Edith in Scotland. She is curious about the teacher-student relationship in Buddhism. How... READ MORE
Even though Buddhism is often associated with ascetic practices done by people in robes, as a 20+ year practitioner, it has been useful to apply core Buddhist teachings to my love life. Buddhist practice and study were helpful when I fell in love, got my heart broken, and, now, in marriage. In a recent post, I offered a way to... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #12. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Fran participated in the Open Heart Project’s 21-Day meditation challenge and was good enough to do the practice... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #11. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. Claudia’s meditation practice was going really well…until she developed tinnitus. Is it possible to meditate on your breath... READ MORE
Earlier this week, I posted about applying the wisdom of Buddhism to romantic relationships. Is it even possible? Advisable? As a Buddhist and a wife, I would say yes. Relationships have periods of closeness and distance and no one can really tell you what governs their coming and going. It’s a mystery. During one such period of distance with my... READ MORE
My 19th wedding anniversary is coming up next month. HOLY CRAP. I never in a million years imagined that I would be with one person for this long. Our marriage has been more than I could have hoped for but nothing I would ever have expected. Like most of us, when I was young, I dreamed of finding the right relationship.... READ MORE
Welcome to the Ask Susan podcast. This is episode #10. I’m really excited to be able to offer this to you. Each week, I will answer a question about spirituality and meditation practice. Please click here to ask me your question. This week’s questioner has struggled with feelings of betrayal and abandonment. One of the tenets of Buddhism is... READ MORE
