The Middle Way Initiative Newsletter: September 2026

Save the Date! November 7th: OQ Live with Thubten Chodron | Opening the Heart Sutra | Independent Study Course ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ The Middle Way Initiative Newsletter: September 2026 Timeless Wisdom to Remedy Extreme Thinking Dear Friends, Greetings! I hope everyone is enjoying the shift in light as much as I am. The fall has a unique kind of beauty. I have finally completed Open Question Podcast episode 703, entitled, “The Two Truths: Not Two, Not True". I have been wanting to do a podcast on this topic for a long time - many years, in fact - but the topic is deeply subtle and I had to find a way to communicate it in a twenty minute segment. I did it…and I really like it (although it was like being in labor for a month)! It’s a doozy, but it will shed light on a topic on which people tend to struggle. Michael Velasco and I have already recorded it, and in the next month he will edit, add music, and put it out into the ethers for you to enjoy and contemplate. Check out our new bios of the fabulous musicians who generously share their music on my Open Question Podcasts. Many thanks to Allegre Corrêa, Guy Buttery and Guinha Ramires. www.middlewayinitiative.org/podcast-music On October 31 we will offer a podcast forum, which means I will be available live online to discuss episode 703 (and related topics). I have been enjoying these discussions with you all so much and look forward to seeing you then. We have two more amazing guests for this year's OQ Live Conversations events: Venerable Thubten Chodron and Sangye Khandro. We will send out notices as we get closer. Stay tuned. If you would like to donate to Nepal for the flood disaster they are experiencing, this is a good website: https://shenpennepal.org/donate/ Sending love to all! Elizabeth Save the Date! November 7th: OQ Live with Thubten Chodron Venerable Thubten Chodron is an author, teacher, and the founder and abbess of Sravasti Abbey, a pioneering Tibetan Buddhist training monastery for Western nuns and monks in the US. Ordained as a Tibetan Buddhist nun in 1977, she has studied extensively with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Tsenzhap Serkong Rinpoche, and other Tibetan lamas. She received full ordination as a bhikshuni in 1986. Venerable Chodron teaches worldwide and is known for her warm, practical, and humorous explanations of how to apply Buddhist teachings in daily life. She is also involved in prison outreach and interfaith dialogue. She has published many books on Buddhist philosophy and meditation and assisted His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the writing and publication of The Library of Wisdom and Compassion, a ten-volume series of teachings on the Buddhist path. OQ Forum October 31: Registration Opens Soon! ABOUT THIS EVENT Please join Elizabeth on Saturday, October 31, 2026 from 10am- 12pm MT USA for her third Open Question Podcast Forum, “Awakening to The Nature of Appearance.” In this group setting, Elizabeth will lead us in opening up and more deeply exploring her latest Open Question Podcast episode 703: “The Two Truths: Not Two, Not True” This podcast forum will include guided meditation, teachings by Elizabeth, and a rich opportunity for discussion and questions. Registration opens soon! For Elizabeth Mattis Namgyal, teacher, author, and founder of The Middle Way Initiative, the #OneWord she would choose for The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines is awe. She reflects on the connection between awe and the seed syllable ah, and on the sense of openness and wonder that can arise when we encounter something deeper than ordinary experience. The Perfection of Wisdom in One Hundred Thousand Lines is now available to read freely in the 84000 Reading Room. https://www.instagram.com/reel/Db8OI9ZNrQU/ Prajna Podcast: Treasuring the Feminine, episode 15: “Agency” Elizabeth discusses “Agency” in the Treasuring the Feminine Podcast, hosted by Marcia Dechen Wangmo on the Prajna website. Elizabeth shares advice for young practitioners and takes us on a journey through philosophy, personal insights and advice that she has received from her own teachers.  Watch the episode  Desvendando o Sutra do Coração com Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel Note: This event is hosted by Paz e Mente in Brazil and offered in Portuguese. 14 e 15 de novembro de 2026 Temos a alegria de anunciar a pré-inscrição para o evento presencial com Lama Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, “Desvendando o Sutra do Coração”, que acontecerá nos dias 14 e 15 de novembro de 2026, em Florianópolis (SC). O Sutra do Coração é o ensinamento do Buda mais recitado no mundo. Muitos o entoam a partir da devoção — e isso, por si só, já é profundamente significativo. No entanto, suas palavras são riquíssimas em significado e, quando examinadas com atenção, revelam uma sabedoria capaz de transformar a maneira como percebemos a nós mesmos e o mundo em que vivemos. Elizabeth tem grande alegria em ensinar o Sutra do Coração. Para ela, a cada recitação e contemplação, o sutra revela algo novo e iluminador. Durante o encontro, ela apresentará o contexto histórico do sutra, explicará por que ele é tão importante e prático para o nosso bem-estar e conduzirá uma exploração de seu significado mais profundo. O fim de semana incluirá: Ensinamentos, Meditação guiada e Recitação do sutra. Além disso, haverá amplo espaço para diálogo, perguntas e respostas, promovendo trocas significativas — algo que Elizabeth aprecia  profundamente em seus encontros.   Vagas limitadas.  Inscrições: www.pazemente.com.br Opening the Heart Sutra with Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel in Brazil Note: This event is hosted by Paz e Mente in Brazil and offered in Portuguese. We are happy to announce the pre-registration for the in-person event with Lama Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, “Opening the Heart Sutra,” which will take place on November 14–15, 2026, in Florianópolis (SC), Brazil.The Heart Sutra is the most widely recited of all the Buddha’s discourses in the world. Many simply recite the sutra from the heart of devotion - which is profound. However, the words of the sutra are rich in meaning, and when we look more deeply into them, we encounter wisdom that transforms the way we see ourselves and the world we move about in. Elizabeth loves teaching the Heart Sutra. For her, each time she recites and contemplates the sutra, it reveals something new and profound. She will guide us through an understanding of the context of the sutra, why it is so important and practical for our wellbeing, and begin to help us open up its profound meaning. The weekend includes teachings, guided meditation, and chanting of the sutra. Elizabeth likes to engage her audience, so there will be plenty of time for dialogue and questions and responses with her. Limited spots available. Registration: www.pazemente.com.br Independent Study Course Registration is open and rolling for our free independent Study Course. This wonderful, self-paced course takes participants through Elizabeth’s annual teaching themes, readings, contemplation questions and meditation.  Learn about the Independent Study Course  Episode 702: What Am I Looking At? ABOUT THIS EPISODE Elizabeth has a curious encounter at the local post office, which ignites a profound inquiry into the nature of appearance.  Listen to Episode 702  Great Gifts: “Year of the Horse” T-Shirts and Other Items! Our beautiful Special Edition “Year of the Horse” t-shirts and the MWI Endless Knot items are available through our non-profit store, which directly benefits MWI. Our Special Edition “Year of the Fire Horse” shirts are festive all through the year! These high-quality, responsibly produced shirts are available in a range of great colors and come in Unisex Comfort Fit 100% cotton) and Women’s Slim Fit (60/40 blend) styles. Price $29.99. Because shirts print in batches, please allow extra time for delivery. Note that the campaign itself continues running even when individual batches end.  Visit the MWI Store  Every Bodhi Podcast Elizabeth recommends Dungse Jampal Norbu’s Every Bodhi Podcast. New episodes on all podcast platforms or visit: https://mangalashribhuti.org/everybodhi-podcast-by-dungse-jampal-norbu/  Listen to the podcast  The Middle Way Initiative. c/o Edward D. Gompers & Company, AC., 2001 Main St #401, Wheeling, WV 26003-2854, United States Unsubscribe