Heart Opening: The 108
What Is Heart-Based Writing?
Heart-based writing is the core daily practice of Launch Pad. It is simple. You have a topic, and you talk about it. Everyone knows how to do this.
Here is an example. I hold up my water bottle:
This is a stainless steel temperature-retaining bottle. I put ice water in here, we went to Palm Springs in scorching heat, played by the pool, and hours later the ice was still there.
Done, right? But I am going to ask you to continue talking about it. Open your heart one more time.
I also took this to India, to all my Buddhist trainings. How I really think about this water bottle: I carried it everywhere in India, always worried about losing it. It is my India water bottle.
Done again? One more time.
In my Buddhist trainings, we always have tea, dried herb water. The trainings are in September in Seattle, getting cold. In the morning after meditation, after the 108 bows, you take a sip and it is such a peaceful feeling.
The Three Heart Openings
Heart-based writing is opening your heart three times. You approach one topic and you talk about it initially. Then I need you to go one more time. Three times total.
If you read the Tofu example in the Sharing module, you saw how this works in practice: tofu led to yookgaejang, which led to an Apple coworker story. Four phases of writing from one simple topic.
It doesn't need to be a continuous stream. You can bounce around in places, as long as it somehow triggers by the topic. That is the muscle that we are actively trying to grow.
This practice builds the muscle of looking within. It will be really hard because you are not used to looking at the inside of yourself. But I guarantee you, every time, it will be possible.
The 108
If you write every day with three heart openings each time, you will have opened your heart 84 times over 28 days. Compound this with the daily mantra reflections and you approach 108, the sacred number in Buddhist practice.
This training is to build a positive credit system with yourself. I want you to walk out of this program knowing that you have done the work. You know you can rely on yourself.
Progressive Heart Opening
That was your first heart opening. Now open your heart again. Tell me more about it.
One more time. Open your heart again.
Read through all three: surface, deeper, heart. Notice how the tone shifts. That is you getting closer to yourself.