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A Buddhist Recipe for Handling Turmoil | Kaira Jewel Lingo

Aug 28, 2024

Kaira Jewel Lingo, a Dharma teacher and author, shares her journey of blending spirituality with social justice. She discusses how to navigate life's inevitable turbulence using ten practical Buddhist strategies. Themes of mindfulness, gratitude, and acceptance come to life through her personal anecdotes. Lingo encourages embracing impermanence as a way to foster resilience and inner peace. Her insights reveal that becoming fully present can deepen our connections and transform our challenges into growth opportunities.

49:55

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Kaira Jewel Lingo

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Quick takeaways

Embracing change through mindfulness and present acknowledgment allows individuals to confront their feelings and reduce anxiety during life disruptions.

Trusting the unknown as an opportunity for growth encourages resilience, turning uncertainty into a transformative space filled with possibilities.

Deep dives

Navigating Change with Mindfulness

Embracing change is an essential component of personal growth, as discussed in the context of navigating life's inevitable disruptions. The conversation highlights ten strategies for handling change, such as staying present and acknowledging the reality of one's situation. This includes the concept of 'waking up' to the current moment, which allows individuals to confront their feelings and reactions instead of getting lost in anxiety or fear. For example, by simply taking a deep breath and noticing their surroundings, people can regain a sense of control and acknowledge that multiple aspects of their experience coexist alongside their distress.

Buddha 5 remembrances

01:08

Stand up for yourself but give space for the bigger situation

01:00

Care for the Present, it becomes the Future

04:00

Take control of where you put yr attention when things are bad

02:44

Intro

5min

Navigating Life's Turmoil

16min

Cultivating Mindfulness in Turbulent Times

3min

Embracing the Present and Impermanence

21min

Navigating Turmoil through Mindfulness

3min

The Power of Acceptance in Difficult Situations

5min

Embracing Transformation in Challenging Times

5min

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We all know that change is inevitable and impermanence is non-negotiable. But somehow it can feel surprising, maybe even wrong, when we personally hit turbulence. The Buddha had a lot to say about this, and so does our guest.

Kaira Jewel Lingo is a Dharma teacher who has a lifelong interest in blending spirituality and meditation with social justice. Having grown up in an ecumenical Christian community where families practiced a new kind of monasticism and worked with the poor, at the age of twenty-five she entered a Buddhist monastery in the Plum Village tradition and spent fifteen years living as a nun under the guidance of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. She received Lamp Transmission from Thich Nhat Hanh and became a Zen teacher in 2007, and is also a teacher in the Vipassana Insight lineage through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Today she sees her work as a continuation of the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh as well as the work of her parents, inspired by their stories and her dad’s work with Martin Luther King Jr. on desegregating the South.

In addition to writing We Were Made for These Times: Skilfully Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption, she is also the editor of Thich Nhat Hanh’s Planting Seeds: Practicing Mindfulness with Children. Now based in New York, she teaches and leads retreats internationally, provides spiritual mentoring, and interweaves art, play, nature, racial and earth justice, and embodied mindfulness practice in her teaching. She especially feels called to share the Dharma with Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, as well as activists, educators, youth, artists, and families. Her newest book, co-written with Marisela B. Gomez and Valerie Brown, is Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation.

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