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Send us Fan Mail On November 3, a flip was switched and we woke up in a different world. Aside from causes like gas prices, war, corruption, and plain exhaustion how might we describe what has changed? In this episode, I talk about the Buddhist teaching on the six realms of existence and what they show us about our states of mind. A Buddhist way of understanding what happened is to say we (thankfully) slipped from one of these realms into another. Spoiler: it’s good. I also ask whether a world built on competition and aggression could become one built on kindness, compassion, and care for one another. Highlights: The six realms as a Buddhist mandala and a way to understand of our various experiencesHow pleasure, jealousy, craving, fear, and pain shape each realmWhy the human realm is the best place to wake upFighting with the weapons of one realm when we inhabit a different realm—doesn’t work  Why kindness, fierce logic, and care for others are essential on the path to societal change Mentioned in this episode: Episode 12 of Buddhism Beyond Belief: Buddhist Cosmology: The Six Realms of Being Podcast After Party Music  I share Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, by Major Lance, written by Curtis Mayfield, along with the history behind the song and (relevant!!) family connections of the artist. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Online Workshop on The Five Buddha Families Join Kevin Townley for Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression, a 4–hour workshop on November 14th at 11am et. Kevin will guide you through the Five Buddha Families and how the difficulties or confusion states that we might experience can actually fuel our creativity. There will be time to work on artmaking in real time. Learn more and register here. Fearless Creativity, an in-person retreat - practice with me in the Colorado Rockies I’m leading a retreat on meditation and creative practice at Drala Mountain Center February 18–22, 2027. While there are no instant solutions to the various blocks we experience in getting words on the page, I’m sharing my 3-step creative process that provides a joyful environment for words to come out. Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventi If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I talk about the two kinds of compassion in Buddhist teachings: relative and absolute. Relative compassion starts with letting ourselves feel what we feel, including anger, sorrow, and frustration. When we soften toward our own experience, we genuinely soften to others and how this softening can expand and expand into the territory of absolute compassion. I tell the story of a recent encounter that showed me how quickly my heart can close, and how the great teacher on both forms of compassion, Shantideva, helped me open it again with his Bodhisattva Prayer for All Humanity. Highlights: The difference between relative and absolute compassionWhy compassion for others starts with compassion for ourselvesThe Bodhisattva vow to work for the liberation of all beingsWhy an open heart matters more than being a nice personPodcast After Party Music  Going to That City by Angela Strehli is a soulful song about death, mystery, and the journey we all face as humans. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Online Workshop on The Five Buddha Families Join Kevin Townley for Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression, a 4–hour workshop on November 14th at 11am et. Kevin will guide you through the Five Buddha Families and how the difficulties or confusion states that we might experience can actually fuel our creativity. There will be time to work on artmaking in real time.  Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If this one meant something to you  Please subscribe, leave a rating or review, and/or send it to someone who's curious about meditation, spiritual practice, or the Buddhist path. Or just feeling better, really. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail The Five Buddhist precepts may sound straightforward, even familiar: don’t kill, steal, lie, engage in inappropriate sexual conduct, or use intoxicants. But there is more to these standards of behavior than what you read on the surface. I explore how the precepts invite us to pay attention to what sustains or diminishes life, how we treat others, and the many ways we distract ourselves from what is true.  The precepts, as I was trained, are not permanent vows of perfection, but daily commitments we can consciously review and renew. I also look at the three stages of ground, path, and fruition to understand what constitutes breaking a precept. Highlights: The Five Precepts:Refraining from killing as a commitment to preserving life force in ourselves, others, and the situations we encounter.Learning not to take what has not been offeredPracticing truthfulness by pausing to examine what we actually know before we speak.Looking beyond obvious sexual misconduct to consider the ways we take advantage of others for our own satisfaction.Recognizing intoxication in its many forms, from alcohol and drugs to compulsive scrolling and attachment to our own opinions.A daily commitment: the precepts are renewed each day, rather than treated as permanent vows that leave no room for human complexity.Ground, path, and fruition: Exploring the three stages that must come together to break a precept.Podcast After Party Music  A tribute to Magic Sam, the influential blues guitarist, and his instrumental track Looking Good from West Side Soul. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Online Workshop on The Five Buddha Families Join Kevin Townley for Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression, a 4–hour workshop on November 14th at 11am et. Kevin will guide you through the Five Buddha Families and how the difficulties or confusion states that we might experience can actually fuel our creativity. There will be time to work on artmaking in real time.  Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Buddhism Beyond Belief, I explore The Five Buddha Families, a mandala that maps five forms of wisdom and their corresponding expressions of confusion. From the sharp precision of Vajra to the spacious awareness of Buddha, each family offers a way to understand our own patterns, recognize the gifts and challenges in ourselves and others, and cultivate greater compassion. I also share examples from everyday life to bring these energies into focus. Highlights: Why non-dualistic thinking is beyond conception and how mandalas can help us navigate the non-conceptualThe Five Buddha Families:Vajra: How anger is connected to precision.Ratna: Pride, richness, generosity, and the wisdom of equality.Padma: How longing is a form of discriminating awareness and sensitivity to nuance.Karma: Anxious speed and the ability to accomplish what is meaningful.Buddha: How spaciousness and wakefulness can also express themselves as unfocused and spacey.How recognizing these five energies in ourselves and others can deepen compassion and support the path to liberation.Podcast After Party Music  I share why I love the distinctive guitar playing of Steve Cropper on Booker T. & the M.G.'s Green Onions, and how his spare, stinging style echoes the influence of Lowman Pauling. Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Online Workshop on The Five Buddha Families Join Kevin Townley for Full Fathom Five: The Buddha Families & Creative Expression, a 4–hour workshop on November 14th at 11am et. Kevin will guide you through the Five Buddha Families and how the difficulties or confusion states that we might experience can actually fuel our creativity. There will be time to work on artmaking in real time.  Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail A 2026 Atlantic article explored “The Dark Side of Mindfulness.” They published a similar article in 2014 that also  discussed negative results from meditation practice, “The Dark Knight of the Soul”. (Not sure why “knight” was used, tbh.)  In this episode, I look at both articles and talk about the risks that I’ve seen  arise, not from meditation per se, but from meditation practiced without the guardrails provided by such time-tested (though by no means foolproof) sources such as lineage and profound spiritual insights provided by true teachers (aka realized beings who won’t also try to get you to take off your pants or give them all your cash.)  I share my own experience with PTSD and how it has shown up in my decades of meditation practice.  I talk about how Buddhist teachings differ from self-help and how to approach meditation with the compassion of self-love rather than the aggression that may accompany the wish to “fix” ourselves. Highlights: Meditation amplifies our inner state rather than  calming it which may be why, for some, suffering deepensHow Buddhist meditation practice differs from “mindfulness” marketed as self-helpWhy trained teachers, lineage, and sangha (community) matterHow silent retreats and intensive practice entered into without preparation and care may become disorientingThe difference between meditation as self-help and meditation as a spiritual practiceThe importance of holding compassion for ourselves and others as a central purpose of practicePodcast After Party Music  “Think” by The Five Royales showcases Lowman Pauling’s epic, stinging, minimalist guitar style, a style that influenced many. Though he has remained relatively unknown, you’ve heard his influence on players from the 60s, 70s, and beyond. Respect and all hail, Lowman Pauling!  Mentioned in this episode: The Dark Side of Mindfulness (Atlantic Magazine, September 2026) The Dark Knight of the Soul (Atlantic Magazine, June 2014) Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is coming soon. New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I look at The Four Dharmas of Gampopa, four short sentences I've recited as part of my daily Buddhist practice for more than thirty years. Together they sketch the whole path: connecting my mind with truth, deepening realization, clarifying confusion, and finding that confusion is not separate from wisdom. You certainly don't need to be a Buddhist to explore this formula.  Highlights What "grant your blessing" can mean outside religious beliefFinding your lineage in the people you admire and want to emulateBringing the mind into line with truthHow realization deepens as you travel the pathHow the path can clear up confusion instead of adding to itMentioned in this episode The Jewel Ornament of Liberation by Gampopa Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail How we arrange our outer world can have a surprising effect on our inner state. In this episode, I talk about how creating an environment of stability, simplicity, and respect for objects can help us meet a difficult world with more confidence and strength. I share four simple ways to work with our environment: creating a ritual, caring for our space, wearing clothes that feel good to us, and eating food that nourishes us. Highlights: Why working with our environment influences how we work with our mindsCreating a personal ritual to connect with what mattersHow cleaning and caring for our space can restore a sense of dignityHow our clothing affects our state of mindNourishing our bodies as an expression of self-loveHow our environment can become a source of stability and strengthWatch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail How do we work with strong emotions when the world feels frightening, divided, and uncertain? I look at three Buddhist approaches to difficult emotions: pacifying them, recognizing them as gateways to compassion, and discovering the wisdom within them. The key is learning to let go of the story and feel the feeling. Highlights: Three Buddhist approaches to working with strong emotionsWhen stepping away is helpful, and when it becomes self-aggressionHow difficult emotions can deepen compassion for othersFinding wakefulness, focus, and wisdom within angerThe difference between experiencing a feeling and repeating its storyHow meditation trains us to bring attention back to our livesWatch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. New Program: 7 Days of Fearless Creativity Join me and Crystal Gandrud for 7 Days of Fearless Creativity (October 18–25), a week of daily meditation and creative practice for writers, artists, and anyone with something they've been putting off making. No plan or talent required — just curiosity and a willingness to show up. Learn more and register here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail In Part Three of my conversation with my longtime teacher and spiritual friend Sam Bercholz, we talk about the strange and wonderful ways teachers can enter our lives, and how meditation can help us become more receptive to what is already here. We talk about devotion, wakefulness, Buddhist deities, and faith as something we investigate and put into practice rather than simply believe. Highlights: How Sam and I became spiritual friends more than 30 years agoRecognizing a teacher through experience rather than analysisHow meditation can make space for clearer seeingDeities as expressions of awakened qualitiesFaith as investigation, verification, and practiceWhy the Dharma is about waking up, not self-improvementMentioned in this episode Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path by Samuel Bercholz  Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I continue my conversation with Sam Bercholz. We talk about bringing the dharma into the modern West without reducing it to either cultural imitation or scientific validation. We discuss the three yanas, emptiness and fullness, egolessness, and devotion. Sam shares a way to understand devotion as appreciation for wakefulness and a willingness to be guided by someone who embodies it. Stay tuned for Part Three next week.  Highlights: Why dharma does not require scientific validationThe three yanas Emptiness as fullness, not nihilismWhat egolessness actually meansDevotion as appreciation, trust, and openness to guidanceHow a teacher-student relationship forms through investigation and experienceHow Sam met Chögyam Trungpa RinpocheWhy he named his business Shambhala Publications Mentioned in this episode Rude Awakenings: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path by Samuel Bercholz Inexplicable Joy: On the Heart Sutra by Susan Piver Meditation in Action by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print, e-book, and in audio formats Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail I talk with my longest time spiritual friend, Samuel Bercholz, founder of Shambhala Publications and author of the new book, Rude Awakenings. It was written at the request of his second root teacher, Thinley Norbu Rinpoche, who asked Sam to write a book containing everything he learned from his first root teacher, the great and mysterious Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.  For me, this book lives up to its subtitle: An Unconventional Guide to the Buddhist Path. It was written by someone who has known and published almost all of the great Buddhist (and other) masters of our lifetime, checked everyone’s sincerity and realization, and drawn, as far as I can tell, impeccable conclusions about the true dharma and who and what to trust.  I trust him deeply. In addition to his extraordinary accomplishments, he is my closest spiritual friend. Sam  taught me how to meditate more than 30 years ago and is still my meditation teacher. He gave me the refuge vow (by which one formally commits to the Buddhist Path), taught me how to give this vow, and, most importantly, introduced me to my root teacher, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche.  In this first of 3 short episodes, we talk about his beginnings as a practitioner, the centrality of Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal, wakefulness, lineage, and why the relationship with a teacher is so important in Vajrayana Buddhism. We also look at how to find a teacher without becoming confused by cultural forms or an individual’s charisma.  Highlights: Why did Sam write this book?Who are Guru Rinpoche and Yeshe Tsogyal and how do you invoke them?What is the 7-Line Supplication?How do you find a teacher? What qualities do you look for?The relationship between teacher, lineage, and awakened mindWhy a teacher is indispensable in Vajrayana practiceHow to investigate a potential teacher with both intelligence and heartThe difference between Buddhist teachings and the cultures in which they developedFor more on my personal thoughts about Chögyam Trungpa and other teachers who have influenced me, please listen to episode 8, “Who Can You Trust in the Spiritual World?”Mentioned in this episode:  Traleg Kyagbon Rinpoche Thinley Norbu Rinpoche Ogyen Chowang Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail Heartbreak can make our usual strategies for managing pain useless. It can also show us what is true about being human: everything changes, everything ends, and love is precious because it cannot be held onto. In this episode, I look at how heartbreak itself can become part of the spiritual path. Highlights: Bringing heartbreak to the path without trying to turn it into a lessonHow impermanence shows us the preciousness of each momentWhy heartbreak reveals our deep connection with other peopleHeartbreak as love unbound from an objectBeing with what is, without trying to change itMentioned in this episode:  My book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail When heartbreak is overwhelming, the instinct is often to make it stop. But what if the practice is not to fix what we're feeling, but to learn how to be with it? In this episode, I continue looking at three ways Buddhism offers us a path through heartbreak. The second way is practicing loving-kindness. Highlights: Learning to make space for a racing mind instead of trying to shut it downWorking with the intensity of heartbreak without insisting that it disappearHow loving-kindness can turn suffering into compassionExtending our wish for relief for ourselves, those we love, strangers, difficult people, and all beingsWhy caring for others can bring back a sense of strength and agencyWatch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available - in print and in audio format Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail Heartbreak is something we have the tendency to want to get rid of as quickly as possible. But some heartbreaks cannot be “fixed” or hurried. In this episode, I look at how Buddhist teachings can help us when heartbreak has a life of its own. We start with the mind: learning to be with what is happening rather than trying to change it. Meditation is a way to let the mind settle naturally in times of emotional upheaval. Highlights: Why some heartbreaks cannot be solved or pushed away quickly The three yanas as three different ways to work with heartbreakThe first step is learning to work with your mindWhat heartbreak can show us about love, compassion, and being of benefitMentioned in this episode:  My book, The Wisdom of a Broken Heart More on the yanas in this podcast episode, Episode 26, How to Choose a Meditation Teacher Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project

Send us Fan Mail How do we recognize a true teacher? In this episode I talk about the outer teacher, the inner teacher, and the secret teacher. Along the way I share a story from teaching the Heart Sutra, reflect on an unexpected lesson about joy, and use a piece of music to show how wisdom can reach us through content, direct experience, and the context in which it all unfolds. Highlights: What the outer, inner, and secret teacher represent in Buddhist practiceWhy real learning is often based in recognition rather than picking up new informationHow expectations color the voice of the inner teacherA story from a Heart Sutra retreat and an unexpected teaching on joyHow music shows three different ways of knowingWhy the outer teacher's job is to point us toward the wisdom we already haveMentioned in this episode: The Heart Sutra Watch this episode on video If you’d like to watch the podcast, the video version is here. My new book is now available Inexplicable Magic: Meditation for Mystics, is available for purchase. Explore the spiritual path through 7 principles which run counter to conventional wisdom on mindfulness.  Learn more and buy your copy here. If you enjoyed this episode: Please rate, review, and share it with a friend who’s curious about mindfulness, spiritual commitment, or the Buddhist path. For more on Buddhist teachings and how our humanity isn’t necessarily in our way, sign up for my free weekly newsletter or join the Open Heart Project sangha for more connection with community and with me. If this podcast has been meaningful to you, it would be great if you would subscribe, give it a five star rating and share it with a friend. To join or learn more about The Open Heart Project please visit openheartproject.com. Thoughts? Email us at [email protected] Produced by Citizens of Sound Music by: Derek O'Brien ©Open Heart Project