When Sh*t Hits the Fan: Broken Heart Dharma

A Three-Part Series

Part 1: When Things Fall Apart (Feb 5 to Mar 12)
Part 2: Picking Up The Pieces (Apr 9 to May 14)
Part 3: Shattered And Whole (May 21 to Jun 25)

Six Thursdays (online) in each series
10:00 AM–12:00 PM EST / 9:00 AM–11:00 AM CST / 7:00 AM–9:00 AM PST / 3:00 PM–5:00 PM GMT

The Buddha's First Noble Truth clearly states: there is dukkha. This has been translated as un-satisfactoriness, suffering, dis-ease, being out of whack—take your pick! We all know it when we are in it. In other words, shit happens. In fact, shit is always happening. We all see it all around us, and we experience it in many ways. Every now and then, in addition to moving through a world so prone to breaking our hearts, our own more personal world might get turned upside down. You lose a loved one, a job, a home, or your body as you once knew it. You take a devastating financial hit. You're injured in such a way that your life is permanently changed. A relationship ends. Something or someone you've counted on your whole life is suddenly gone.  Sometimes, several losses or injuries hit at once or in close succession: when it rains, it pours! It can feel like the world is falling apart. And in many ways, it is. In those moments dukkha is not just a concept; we feel it in our bones, we call out into the night.   

Most of us, understandably, are conditioned to push away suffering. To leap into making it better, or simply not feeling it. To deny it, to fix it, to rage at it. I get it. I have those reflexes in me. Our culture can also exacerbate such aversion, and sell us all kinds of things and services in these moments of desperation. Indeed, the overwhelming sadness or discombobulation can be paralyzing. Compartmentalization, to some degree, can be a good survival tactic. To help us still get out of bed, brush our teeth, make a meal. And yet, there is also a path to freedom that awaits in feeling into the dukkha fully and fearlessly. This is not about a dull acceptance, or the indulgence of self-pity. It's about the courage to face reality, to acknowledge our humanity, and to build from there, with less delusions, less attachments to false refuges, less illusions of safety that lead us astray. 

Those familiar with the Buddhist tradition will have likely come across the teaching of the 12 links, or nidanas, which keep us going around and around in cycles of suffering. But in the early Buddhist texts, there is a another set of links, the positive nidanas, that set us on to what some have called the Spiral Path to liberation. The first of those links is, unsurprisingly, dukkha. Immediately after comes sraddha (faith on that which is reliable, or confidence). Sraddha is crucial for the awakening process, yet it depends on suffering in order to arise. How does that work? What does it mean for those of us who may be in the thick of a broken heart? Of life plans suddenly imploding? Of devastating losses?

Drawing on Pema Chödrön's cherished book and other resources, I invite you to join me in a series of three classes to explore these themes. Let’s sit together in the rubble of our lives and see what happens when we don’t turn away. 

What the course includes:

• a period of guided meditation specific to the course theme

• a dharma talk

• Q&A and discussion

• somatic exercises and occasional chanting/mantra practice

• Recording of the talk portion and any readings will be sent to registered participants

Optional Mentoring:

Every registrant will also have the option to join the course with an individual mentoring session in each of the sections.

Optional Retreats :

An online Retreat Day will be scheduled after Part 1 (optional), and a short retreat after Part 2. 

Sliding Scale

I am committed to making these courses easily available, so I use a sliding scale. Each of the three sections is offered at a sliding scale as follows.

• Benefactor $420

• Standard $300

• Supported $180 (please inquire about scholarships if this is still out of reach).

Please choose the level of contribution that is most suitable to your situation. Anything you offer over the standard rate allows me to offer scholarships to those for whom even the Supported rate is out of reach. This is how we support one another.

If you can commit to the entire series in three parts (18 weeks), there is a 20% discount.

Everyone who is registered will receive recordings of the talks and all materials, even if they miss a session.

An Important Note of Care: This course is not therapy, nor can it replace therapy. I teach from my own experience and engagement with Buddhist teachings and modern mindfulness approaches, but I am not a mental health professional. I do recommend looking into professional mental health resources that can be a vital aide to getting through difficult times in life. At best, this course might augment and support the work you are already doing with mental health professionals.