Rev. angel Kyodo williams, an ordained Zen priest and author of Radical Dharma, shares insights on navigating anxiety through meditation. She discusses the challenges of finding stillness in a chaotic urban life, emphasizing the transformative power of quiet reflection. Rev. angel explores the emotional journey during meditation retreats, unveiling personal growth and empowerment. She champions the significance of embracing both joy and pain to cultivate a fulfilling existence, closing with an invitation to a transformative meditation event.

Zen priest Rev. angel Kyodo williams and spiritual leader Melissa Carter explore the concept of belonging and its impact on our lives. They discuss the need to belong to oneself before seeking belonging in groups or collectives. They emphasize the importance of reclaiming all aspects of oneself and fully inhabiting our humanity. They also discuss the challenges of navigating loss and finding a sense of belonging, and the importance of embracing our humanity and fostering authentic connections with others.

Do you remember that band, The Shins? They had a popular song that appeared on the soundtrack for that Zach Braff movie Garden State. Anyway, they also had a song called “Caring is Creepy.” I always thought that was kinda funny. In this episode, however, we’re going to establish that not only is caring not creepy, it’s also not — as many people fear— a sign of weakness. Caring, or having compassion, for other people— or for yourself— is a baller move. It takes courage, and it gives you courage. Particularly during this dumpster fire of a presidential election. This is part two of our special “election sanity” series. The series is built around a classic Buddhist list, called the Four Brahma Viharas. These are four allegedly heavenly states of mind. Don’t worry about the seeming grandiosity; it’s all, as I said last week, very down to earth. You can think of these four mind states as mental skills that are powerful correctives against the vitriol that characterizes the modern political scene. Last week, we talked about the first Brahma Vihara, called metta, or loving kindness— or, as I prefer, friendliness. This week, it’s compassion. My guest is the Rev. angel Kyodo williams. She’s the second black woman to be recognized as a teacher in the Japanese Zen lineage and author of such books as Radical Dharma and Being Black.  Where to find Rev. angel Kyodo williams online:  Website: https://angelkyodowilliams.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/zenchangeangel  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/zenchangeangel  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zenchangeangel/  YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ZenChangeAngel  To help you get the most out of this series, we're launching an email guide. It will recap all of the podcast episodes each week. It’ll include helpful tidbits such as key terms and concepts; highlights from the immense wisdom our guests bring us around concepts like compassion, equanimity, kindness... and we’ll link to relevant meditations and talks in the TPH app. Just like the podcast, this guide is free. You can sign up for it at tenpercent.com/guide. May you find it fruitful.  Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/rev-angel-290 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.