Susan Piver's Blog, page 6

Buddhism Beyond Belief: Info Session on 10 January 2025 at 6PM ET

Thank you to all who registered to learn more about this new course, Buddhism Beyond Belief. It was a joy to talk with you about the Buddhist path. I hope you found it illuminating, inspiring, and useful.

To continue the conversation, please consider signing up for Buddhism Beyond Belief. Here is the curriculum:

Curriculum (some topics subject to change to a different date)
January 30: The Power of Ritual
Feb 6: Establishing Your Personal Ritual
Feb 13: The Power of Lineage
Feb 20: The Four Noble Truths
Feb 27: The Noble Eightfold Path
March 6: NO CLASS (a week to process and assimilate)
March 13: The Six Paramitas (Transcendent Actions)
March 20: The Heart Sutra: A Source of Inexplicable Joy
March 27: Mandala Principle
April 3: Protecting Your Mind (And Heart)
April 10: Magnetizing Magic
April 17: Special Bonus Class on the enneagram

Classes take place on Thursdays from 6p-7:30p ET with the option to join a Saturday morning (in your time zone) small group peer-led discussion for an hour. All the details are here.

I’d love to see you there! If you have any questions, please email us.

With love, Susan

The post Buddhism Beyond Belief: Info Session on 10 January 2025 at 6PM ET appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

How to keep difficult feelings from taking over

Hello, Open Heart Project. I hope you are well and finding ways to be joyful and kind (to yourself, others, the planet).

This video suggests three ways we can work with so-called negative emotions. There are so many all over the place! It can be very difficult to figure out how to work with rage, fear, and, perhaps most dangerous, apathy. I hope you find something useful in the thoughts I share. It is very important to find ways to work with your mind so please use the 10-minute meditation as you wish.

With love,
Susan

PS:
For more in depth teachings on how Buddhism and meditation practice can help you handle the ups and downs of life, you’re invited to join the Open Heart Project sangha.

Members receive access to daily meditations, weekly opportunities to ask me questions, access to special monthly programs dedicated to deepening your connection to the dharma, and more. You can learn more and join here. See how we spent 2024 together as a sangha in my end of year report.

The post How to keep difficult feelings from taking over appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

Buddhism Beyond Belief: Info Session on 10 January 2025 at 10AM ET

Thank you to all who registered to learn more about this new course, Buddhism Beyond Belief. It was a joy to talk with you about the Buddhist path. I hope you found it illuminating, inspiring, and useful.

To continue the conversation, please consider signing up for Buddhism Beyond Belief. Here is the curriculum:

Curriculum (some topics subject to change to a different date)
January 30: The Power of Ritual
Feb 6: Establishing Your Personal Ritual
Feb 13: The Power of Lineage
Feb 20: The Four Noble Truths
Feb 27: The Noble Eightfold Path
March 6: NO CLASS (a week to process and assimilate)
March 13: The Six Paramitas (Transcendent Actions)
March 20: The Heart Sutra: A Source of Inexplicable Joy
March 27: Mandala Principle
April 3: Protecting Your Mind (And Heart)
April 10: Magnetizing Magic
April 17: Special Bonus Class on the enneagram

Classes take place on Thursdays from 6p-7:30p ET with the option to join a Saturday morning (in your time zone) small group peer-led discussion for an hour. All the details are here.

I’d love to see you there! If you have any questions, please email us.

With love, Susan

The post Buddhism Beyond Belief: Info Session on 10 January 2025 at 10AM ET appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

2024 sangha review and where we’re headed in 2025

Hello and I hope you’re starting the new year in a place of love and safety. May 2025 be a year of joyful connection, deepening, understanding, and sanity.

Every year, I write a recap of what happened in the OHP sangha and where we are headed. Please have a look at your leisure and let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

The post 2024 sangha review and where we’re headed in 2025 appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

3 Paths to Enlightenment

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project.

Happy new year! May all beings become sane.

Before we sit today, I describe 3 different ways of viewing the spiritual journey to enlightenment, according to the Buddhist view (while recovering from hip replacement surgery, which is why my leg is sticking out). You are on one of these paths, I promise!

Please have a listen and let me know what you think.

With much love,
Susan

The post 3 Paths to Enlightenment appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

Let’s enter 2025 with a strong meditation practice + a 21-day meditation challenge

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project.

Happy new year! May all beings become sane. 

Before today’s sit, I thought it would be good to go over the biggest misconceptions about meditation practice. After all, many of you may be wanting to reinvigorate your practice in the new year and reviewing these potential stumbling blocks may help. That is the intention!

To fully reinvigorate your practice, please take part in our 21-Day Meditation Challenge which begins on Jan 1. Each day you’ll receive an email from me with a guided practice and a short (around 2 minutes) video with an insight or tip about meditation. All you have to do is click play and by Jan 21 your practice will have become a trustworthy habit. The program includes a gathering with me on Jan 25 to check in, hear your reflections, and answer any questions you may have. The cost is $54 OR it is free for OHP Sangha members ($27 a month). I’ll let you do the math on that! I’d love to see you there in all cases. All the details are here. 

With love and hope and faith,
Susan

The post Let’s enter 2025 with a strong meditation practice + a 21-day meditation challenge appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

6 ways to create more sanity and balance (for real)

Dear wonderful Open Heart Project,

I know it’s crazy out there. Whatever your beliefs or politics, it is not easy to feel certain about the future and how we are going to bridge the many divides in our countries, our neighborhoods, even our homes. It can seem impossible, I understand. However, according to Buddhist thought, it is definitely possible. All you have to do are 6 things. They are called the six paramitas: generosity, discipline, patience, exertion, meditative absorption, and wisdom.

In this short talk, I explain a bit more about this and briefly describe the first paramita, generosity and how it arises in 3 forms.

To explore the paramitas in more detail, please join our free program, Dec 26-31: Building a Mindful New Year. Each day at 3p ET, a different experienced dharma teacher will show up online to discuss one of the paramitas with you. All the details are here.

Did I mention it was free? Please share with anyone who might be interested in this wonderful way to enter a new year together.

Register even if you can’t join live; all sessions are recorded and you’ll have access to them until Jan 14.

With love and friendship, Susan

The post 6 ways to create more sanity and balance (for real) appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

How to become fully consistent in your meditation practice. I promise.

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I hope you are well and finding sources of love and support in your world and in your heart.

Before today’s sit, I share with you the reason (IMO) 99% of people who wish to meditate have difficulty with consistency. It simply cannot be so that 99% of people lack self-discipline! It must be something else. In this short talk, I suggest that you need three things to steady your practice–and knowing how to meditate is only one of them. 

Please have a listen and let me know what you think. I always love to hear from you.

With love and friendship,

Susan

The post How to become fully consistent in your meditation practice. I promise. appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

Meeting difficult moments with wisdom: 3 suggestions

Hello, wonderful Open Heart Project. I hope you are finding sources of love and support during these unprecedented times.

According to Buddhist wisdom, when we suffer sorrows and anger, we may reflexively react in three ways that actually increase our suffering. They are called the 3 poisons. Bad news: they’re poisonous! Good news: They’re optional!

Please have a listen and let me know what you think. Or feel. Always happy to hear from you.

Much love,
Susan

The post Meeting difficult moments with wisdom: 3 suggestions appeared first on The Open Heart Project.

How our practice can help with a broken heart (Part 3)

Dear, wonderful Open Heart Project,

I have three basic suggestions for how Buddhist wisdom can help with heartbreak. Two weeks ago, we talked about the first step which involves figuring out how to work with your racing or clouded mind. Last week, I made suggestions for working with the overwhelming energy of the heart. This week, I share some thoughts about how heartbreak can introduce us to a deeper way of viewing life that leads to more vitality and a greater capacity to love.

Thoughts? I love to hear from you!

With love, Susan

The post How our practice can help with a broken heart (Part 3) appeared first on The Open Heart Project.