Open Question

Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel•www.middlewayinitiative.org

How do we navigate our lives in the midst of uncertainty? How do we bring our deepest intentions together with our actions? What is the purpose of spirituality? How can we accommodate both the beauty and the pain of life? These questions may never find a definitive answer, but they are questions to live by. At OQ we feel that if you have a genuine question you should explore it, continue to ask it, and then pay attention. I am Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, a Buddhist student and teacher. Please join me as I share some intimate and rich dialogues with accomplished practitioners of diverse wisdom lineages. To learn more please visit: https://www.elizabethmattisnamgyel.com/oqpodcast

Last refreshed: July 25th, 2025 at 2:24 PM ⓘ

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Episodes

OQ 106 - Expanding the Self to Include Others: A Meditative Inquiry

In this episode, Elizabeth guides us through a process of inquiry and meditation grounded in the path of the bodhisattva. These teachings provide us with a clear and practical directive for cultivating a healthy relationship with others. We often look at the “ego” as a hindrance to spiritual liberation, but here, the instructions not only suggest that we don’t have to get rid of the ego, but rather make it as big as possible, in order to include others, and make them the recipients of the love a...

Jul 09, 2020•24 min•Season 1Ep. 106

OQ 105 - A Deep Dive

Elizabeth speaks with Lama Willa Miller, a teacher in the Kagud lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Willa is the spiritual director of Natural Dharma Fellowship, located in Boston. Starting from their initial meeting 35 years ago, Elizabeth and Lama Willa discuss entering a lineage, the value of mediation, and the significance of heartbreak. https://www.elizabethmattisnamgyel.com/lama-willa-miller

Jun 01, 2020•22 min•Season 1Ep. 105

OQ 104 - Natural Vitality: a Meditative Inquiry

The natural expression of mind will never cease. To stop experience is not the point of meditation. The crucial question is: How do we poise the mind in meditation? Is there a way to clearly observe the rich energy of mind regardless of it expression? Is it possible to allow ourselves to have a full experience? …and perhaps even enjoy it?

May 18, 2020•15 min•Season 1Ep. 104

OQ 103 - The Haunted Dominion of Mind

Anam Thubten Rinpoche joins Elizabeth to discuss how, as spiritual practitioners, our traditions provide us with tools to work with challenge. In particular, their dialogue brings us to our “inner cemetery” - the shadowy territory of experience we often leave uncharted. https://www.elizabethmattisnamgyel.com/anam-thubten

May 05, 2020•32 min•Season 1Ep. 103

OQ 102 - A Moment of High Magic

Elizabeth speaks with her dear friend and teacher, Lorain Fox Davis, both a Cree and Blackfeet elder. They discuss the tremendous possibility in home sheltering, the difference between being alone and feeling isolated, the unstoppable movement of life, and the nature of prayer.

Apr 21, 2020•34 min•Season 1Ep. 102

OQ 101 - A Call to Inner Brilliance

In this episode, Elizabeth explores the term "Open Question" and how the practice of "Open Questioning" has been such a powerful approach along her own spiritual path. https://www.elizabethmattisnamgyel.com/OQpodcast-introduction

Apr 21, 2020•12 min•Season 1Ep. 101

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