Taking Care of Yourself and Others

 3 Doors Online Programs Beginning September 2020

The 3 Doors is offering several online programs beginning this September to support both new and existing practitioners. Join 3 Doors senior teachers Marcy Vaughn and Gabriel Rocco for a nine-month online Compassion Project program and gather in small groups with others from around the world to share experiences and learn how to apply 3 Doors practices in your daily life.

In addition, 3 Doors senior teacher Raven Lee, Ph.D., will be offering a three-week immersion into “Walking the Healing Path” and senior teacher Laura Shekerjian will be offering a new four-week course called “Deepening the Flow of Interconnectivity.” 

The 3 Doors Compassion Project Live Online

This is a difficult time, with suffering present in so many forms. Home quarantine as a result of Covid-19 may bring loneliness if you’re alone, or may be overwhelming if you’re with family. You might be a frontline worker who can’t self-quarantine, which can bring on fear and worry. The thorny political climate can cause anxiety or depression regardless of personal views.

According to a May 2020 National Opinion Research Center survey of 2,000 respondents, adults are more unhappy and lonely than they’ve been in half a century. This survey was completed even before the events that led to the current state of civil unrest in the US. Only 14 percent of American adults said they’re very happy, down from 31 percent in 2018; half said they felt lonely, almost twice as many as reported loneliness two years ago.

If you, too, are experiencing increased suffering, do you become frustrated by it or impatient with yourself? If so, what would it be like to offer yourself kindness instead? Are you able to access compassion for yourself?

The next 3 Doors Online Compassion Project will begin in September 2020 and run through May 2021. It will be facilitated by senior teachers Gabriel Rocco and Marcy Vaughn. The husband-and-wife team developed the Compassion Project with the support of 3 Doors founder and Tibetan meditation master Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. Initially the course was offered to people in the helping professions, but its appeal quickly spread. Now anyone who wants to expand their capacity for caring for self and others can participate.

Like The 3 Doors Academy on which it was modeled, the Compassion Project is grounded in ancient Tibetan Bön Buddhist teachings, reframed to address the pressures of life today. The power of the program – and the way we realize personal growth – is in connecting with the openness that allows our natural compassion to arise. 

The program uses practices of body, speech and mind to support personal transformation and the emergence of positive qualities in relation to self, family and community. Through personal reflection and meditation, participants develop skills to renew energy, reduce stress and respond to others from a place of compassion. The focus on these practices and the length of the program – which includes multiple large and small group sessions, guided recordings for practice and a full day retreat – support the gradual unfolding of this powerful experience. The strong focus on group interaction in the form of personal sharing supports a sense of being together on this path of discovery with like-hearted individuals.

Given the amount of time many of us are now required to spend online, some may be deterred by the thought of another online program. The Compassion Project, however, is not just another online program. The warmth and grace of these senior teachers and their ability to hold a steady presence and safe space foster a true community experience. Many previous participants have commented on the comfort level they experienced as well as their ability to feel connected to fellow participants in the online space.

Angie, a mindfulness meditation teacher, reflects on her Compassion Project experience: “Over time, I was able to more easily recognize the positive qualities in me. Learning that I already have everything I need within me helped reduce the constant fear I realized I had been living with for so long. I was also really surprised how I was able to be comfortable and even feel a connection with others through my computer.”

Learn more and register for the Compassion Project and other upcoming courses by visiting The 3 Doors.