Ep. 171 - How To Make Use of Your Broken Heart

Sometimes life breaks your heart. Right now, the world is breaking most of our hearts. And if it isn't breaking your heart, you're not paying attention. But what does a broken heart have to do with the awakened state of mind? In this solo episode of The Road Home podcast, Ethan examine the two main aspects of our consciousness - thinking mind and feeling mind. Feeling mind might be better understood as our "Awakened Heart,"which is a not-quite-literal translation of the term Bodhicitta. Most of the time, when life or the world exposes our heart fully, we desperately want to turn away from that tenderness. Because a vulnerable heart hurts, it brings up all the specific ways we feel wounded by our past, and also by the world "out there." But our great power, and our genuine awakening, lies in turning toward Bodhicitta, or what Pema Chodron calls the "soft spot." Let's get into "soft spot," shall we? There's really no other choice in the end. Join Ethan for a very "heartfelt" episode of The Road Home this week. Last year, with your subscriptions, we were able to release more episodes than any previous year. This was only possible with your subscriptions. Please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber here. Paid subscribers to The Road Home will receive occasional extras like guided meditations, extra podcast episodes and more! The Thursday Meditation Group happens each week at 8am ET on Thursdays, and guided audio meditations are released monthly. Another bonus podcast for paid subscribers discussed the obstacle of resistance to meditation practice, and Ethan also offered instruction in the RAIN method for working with emotions with self-compassion. These are all available to paid subscribers. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). You can now order personally signed copies of Ethan's books at his website. You can also subscribe to The Road Home podcast wherever you get your pods (Apple, Ethan's Website, etc). More cool resources: Check out our sponsor platform, A Mindful World! A new free video course from Ethan on Metta (lovingkindness) meditation is now available at this link. Check out the free roundtable discussion on Mindfulness and Organizational Leadership at this link. Sign up for Ethans May 2nd Windhorse Meditation workshop at this link.