Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson

Embracing Uncertainty with Kaira Jewel Lingo

Jan 31, 2022

Kaira Jewel Lingo, a Buddhist teacher and author, shares her journey from life as a nun with Thich Nhat Hanh to embracing uncertainty. They discuss the importance of cultivating trust during change and the interplay between anxiety and openness. Kaira emphasizes joyful engagement in the face of suffering and outlines practical ways to practice equanimity. The conversation highlights the transformative power of community and the significance of maintaining inner peace amidst the world's unpredictability.

57:15

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Episode guests

Kaira Jewel Lingo

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Quick takeaways

Cultivating trust in oneself amidst uncertainty empowers individuals to embrace the unknown and realize their capacity for growth.

Practicing equanimity allows one to maintain balance through life's challenges, fostering resilience while positively influencing those in their environment.

Deep dives

Trusting the Unknown

Trust is crucial for navigating periods of major change and uncertainty. Kyra Jewell Lidko emphasizes that developing a sense of trust in oneself helps to realize that one can take steps into the unknown and still be supported. This process is not about knowing everything at once but rather about experiencing small increments of trust that validate one's ability to move forward. Through personal anecdotes, she illustrates how moments of vulnerability can lead to profound realizations about the support available from both within and around oneself.

Intro

4min

Finding Trust and Support in Vulnerability

5min

Embracing the Unknown

12min

Exploring Gut Health and the Importance of Somatic Awareness

4min

Finding Joy in Uncertainty

31min

Embracing and Dispersing Anxiety

2min

Kaira Jewel Lingo, a former Buddhist nun at the Plum Village community under the guidance of Thich Naht Han, joins Dr. Rick and Forrest Hanson to explore how we can cultivate trust and equanimity in the face of uncertainty. They discuss the somatic experience of opening to the unknown, taking action as an antidote to anxiety, and how to have equanimity both when things work out...and when they don’t.

About our Guest: Kaira Jewel Lingo is a Buddhist teacher who weaves mindfulness and meditation practice with social justice. At the age of 25, she became a Buddhist nun at the Plum Village community in France under the guidance of Thich Naht Han, where she stayed for 15 years. She became a Zen teacher in 2007, and is also a teacher in the Vipassana/Insight tradition through Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Finally, she is the author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving Through Change, Loss, and Disruption.

Recording Note: This episode was recorded before the passing of Thich Naht Han.

Watch the Episode: Prefer watching video? You can watch this episode on YouTube.

Key Topics:

0:00: Introduction

1:45: Kaira Jewel’s background

2:35: Trust in times of major change

9:10: Two kinds of uncertainty

14:10: Store consciousness and trusting the unknown

18:50: Somatic contraction and expansion

23:05: Responding to the truth of suffering with joyful engagement

30:50: Practicing equanimity

42:10: Defining equanimity

43:30: How to return to center in unstable moments

48:20: Body-based equanimity exercise

50:50: Recap

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