Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC Teachers & Practitioners

A 20 minute guided meditation and visualization on the sacred body with Dr. Ava Avalos, a Dharma teacher in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, living in Botswana.  No experience necessary.  The meditation is held while lying down.  Get ready to let-go, breath and consider our embodied possibilities.2 Links to connect with Dr. Avalos:1. Facebook: Studies in Zen Buddhism Botswana.2.  The next Africa based retreat Tshedisa Sangha Botswana is holding: : Sacred Body - Wonderful Body - Coming Home to Ourselves with Ava Avalos, MD

Sister Peace interview of Dr. Ava Avalos from the Order of Interbeing (OI) branch of the Thich Nhat Hanh tradition. BIO: Dr. Ava Avalos was ordained as a Dharma teacher in 2018, after over 20 years of study and Zen practice. She facilitates the Tshedisa Sangha in Botswana - the first African Sangha established in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh on the continent. Originally from San Diego, California, for the last 22 years she has worked as HIV/TB specialist physician and AIDS activist in Africa. In addition to clinical care, she focuses medical research on optimizing anti-retroviral treatment for HIV/AIDS patients, preventing the development of HIV drug resistance and improving implementation of public health programs. She currently leads the Botswana National Advanced HIV Care Initiative, is a Research Associate of the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Initiative and Botswana-Baylor Children’s Centre for Clinical Excellence and sits on the Editorial Board of the Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine. She also does her best to keep up with her two high spirited pups, paints, teaches yoga and dances as often as she can. 3 Links to connect with Dr. Avalos:1. Facebook: Studies in Zen Buddhism Botswana.2.  The next Africa based retreat I am facilitating: Sacred Body - Wonderful Body- Coming Home to Ourselves Tara Rokpa Centre, Groot Marico, South Africa. October 13, 14, & 15th, 2023 Inquire at careenahealth@gmail.com3. Tshedisa Sangha holds monthly Days of Mindfulness on the first Sunday of each month. Inquire at careenahealth@gmail.com

Dalila Bothwell (she/her) is a Dharma practitioner in the Insight Meditation/Theravada Buddhist tradition and a graduate of Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader Program.  She served as Deputy Director of New York Insight Meditation Center for nearly a decade where she learned the priceless value of sangha and the role relationships play in embodying the teachings and in creating kinder human beings.  With a formal education in food and nutrition, her practice meets at the intersection of physical and emotional wellbeing while being Black and queer and her love of recovery, nature, community, and justice. A native of the Southwest, Dalila currently lives in Papago / Tohono O'odham territory in Arizona with her handsome pup, Brisco.To connect with her in other ways:www.dalilabothwell.comIG: @moonearthlove

Get to know ODA's Season 2 other new co-host, Dalila Bothwell, as she shares with Rev. Liên frank talk about what it takes to teach and stay true to their experience as queer, Black, and other social locations in predominantly white convert-Buddhist settings. Dalila Bothwell (she/her) is a Dharma practitioner in the Insight Meditation/Theravada Buddhist tradition and a graduate of Spirit Rock's Community Dharma Leader Program.  She served as Deputy Director of New York Insight Meditation Center for nearly a decade where she learned the priceless value of sangha and the role relationships play in embodying the teachings and in creating kinder human beings.  With a formal education in food and nutrition, her practice meets at the intersection of physical and emotional wellbeing while being Black and queer and her love of recovery, nature, community, and justice. A native of the Southwest, Dalila currently lives in Papago / Tohono O'odham territory in Arizona with her handsome pup, Brisco.To connect with her in other ways:www.dalilabothwell.com IG: @moonearthlove----Host Info:Rev. Liên Shutt (she/they) is a recognized leader in the movement that breaks through the wall of American white-centered convert Buddhism to welcome people of all backgrounds into a contemporary, engaged Buddhism.As an ordained Zen priest, licensed social worker, and longtime educator/teacher of Buddhism, Shutt represents new leadership at the nexus of spirituality and social justice, offering a special warm welcome to Asian Americans, all BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, immigrants, and others seeking a “home” in the midst of North American society’s reckoning around racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia.Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Four Noble Truths is her new book coming out Aug. 22, 2023. Published by North Atlantic Books. Advance praise from ODA's Season 1 Cohosts!“With tenderness, an open heart, and characteristic grace, Rev. Liên Shutt shares her knowledge and practice of Buddhadharma alongside her own searing experiences of being Asian American in our racialized culture. Anyone wishing to bring the wise compassion of the Buddha’s teachings to bear on their journey with systemic oppression of any ilk will find in Rev. Liên a skillful and kind guide whose footsteps are well worth following.”—Karma Yeshe Chödrön, author of Heal Transform Transcend“Presenting a powerful and fresh look at core Buddhist teachings, [Home Is Here] offers innovative and effective ways to free ourselves from the bondage and illusions of white supremacy culture and a compassionate, accessible path to experiencing that we are already whole.”—Kaira Jewel Lingo, author of We Were Made for These TimesPre-Order options HEREConnect with Rev. Liên & all her offerings at: AccessToZen.org  (including soon to-be-added info on an upcoming LGBTQIA+ Yoga & Dharma retreat over Labor Day & an 8-month Asian American affinity group for precepts studies!)

Enjoy this lovely practice, as Sister Peace walks us gently through a guided meditation to learn to pay attention to the quality of our breath so that we become anchored in the feelings of calm and ease. This guided practice is also available on the Plum Village App and on YouTube. SISTER PEACE spent five years in government work before realizing that something was missing. Feeling spiritually bereft, she began practicing at the Washington Mindfulness Community where she encountered the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Compelled by his teachings, she relocated in 2006 to the Plum Village Monastery in France to deepen her mindfulness practice and where she was ordained a Buddhist nun in 2008, and received the Dharma Lamp Transmission in 2017.She has dedicated her life to bringing the practice of mindfulness to people around the world –from educators and teenagers to artists and politicians. In particular, Sister Peace is interested in helping people understand the aspiration of Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to build the “Beloved Community.” Sister Peace has organized retreats in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America; and facilitated retreats for People of Color, Business Leaders, Silicon Valley, Educators, Artists and others. Most recently, her heartfelt focus of service and practice has been with the children in the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center – a jail for children in Memphis, Tennessee.  She is on a virtual team offering Mindfulness and the Arts during the COVID-19 Crisis with students at East High School in Memphis. Sister Peace currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where she practices Engaged Buddhism.  You can find Sister Peace in Meditations on the Plum Village app, as well as articles in Lions Roar and The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation Newsletter - The Raft, the Mindfulness Bell Magazine, and an upcoming article in the Arrow Magazine.Here are a few links to her teachings:YOUTUBE videoUncomfortable Spaces - Cultivating Love & Peace for Racial HealingArticles in the Mindfulness BellAncestral Insights ArticleWhen Giants MeetClick here to learn more about the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.

SISTER PEACE spent five years in government work before realizing that something was missing. Feeling spiritually bereft, she began practicing at the Washington Mindfulness Community where she encountered the teachings of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Compelled by his teachings, she relocated in 2006 to the Plum Village Monastery in France to deepen her mindfulness practice and where she was ordained a Buddhist nun in 2008, and received the Dharma Lamp Transmission in 2017.She has dedicated her life to bringing the practice of mindfulness to people around the world –from educators and teenagers to artists and politicians. In particular, Sister Peace is interested in helping people understand the aspiration of Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to build the “Beloved Community.” Sister Peace has organized retreats in Asia, Africa, Europe and North America; and facilitated retreats for People of Color, Business Leaders, Silicon Valley, Educators, Artists and others. Most recently, her heartfelt focus of service and practice has been with the children in the Shelby County Juvenile Detention Center – a jail for children in Memphis, Tennessee.  She is on a virtual team offering Mindfulness and the Arts during the COVID-19 Crisis with students at East High School in Memphis. Sister Peace currently resides in Memphis, Tennessee, where she practices Engaged Buddhism.  You can find Sister Peace in Meditations on the Plum Village app, as well as articles in Lions Roar and The Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation Newsletter - The Raft, the Mindfulness Bell Magazine, and an upcoming article in the Arrow Magazine. Here are a few links to her teachings:YOUTUBE videoUncomfortable Spaces - Cultivating Love & Peace for Racial HealingArticles in the Mindfulness BellAncestral Insights ArticleWhen Giants MeetClick here to learn more about the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village. ---HOST LAMA KARMA YESHE CHÖDRÖN is a scholar, teacher, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism at Rigpe Dorje Institute at Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal and co-founder of Prajna Fire.Hear more about Lama Yeshe as ODA co-hosts Rev. Liên Shutt and Kaira Jewel Lingo interview her about her Dharma experiences as a practitioner and teacher of color here.In addition to Opening Dharma Access, Lama Yeshe co-hosts Prajna Sparks, a podcast for listening to, contemplating, and meditating on the Buddhadharma.Check out Lama Yeshe's articles published in Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Guide, Lion's Roar Magazine, and Tricyle Magazine.Join the Prajna Fire global community and follow Lama Yeshe on Instagram @karmayeshechodron. 

Noliwe Alexander has been a student of Vipassana meditation for over 20 years.This is a meditation from a POC Retreat at Spirit Rock 2020You can reach her at Deep Time Liberation and Peace at Any Pace 

Noliwe Alexander has been a student of Vipassana meditation for over 20 years. Throughout this time of deep devotion to the Dharma, Noliwe has become a dedicated practitioner, meditation teacher of various retreats and sitting groups, day-longs and class series programs. She dedicates much her BuddhaDharma practice and teachings to the BiPOC, LGBTQIA+, At Risk and Elder communities. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock's CDL4 program, EBMC's Commit 2 Dharma program in 2010 and is a graduate of Spirit Rock Teacher Training from 2017-2020. Noliwe is the co-founder of Peace At Any Pace, Inc. a non-profit organization that offers a Journey to Healing from Intergenerational & Ancestral Trauma retreats and Elder & Youth programs, which are exclusively for people from the African Diaspora. Noliwe is a wisdom keeper and humbled by the presence of her ancestor’s spirit that lives within and walks beside her.You can reach her at Deep Time Liberation and Peace at Any Pace And writitng at:https://www.lionsroar.com/free-at-last/https://www.lionsroar.com/heal-the-wounds-and-trauma/~~~Your Host for this episode is Rev. Liên Shutt (she/they) is a priest lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the U.S., Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. She was a founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998 and currently is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an inclusive, anti-oppression sangha and non-profit in the SF Bay Area. She lives on Ohlone land, currently called San Francisco, with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can. Visit AccessToZen.org for ways to connect and practice together. 

In the meditation, Kaira Jewel Lingo refers to the Garrison BIPOC meditation sangha which meets every Thursday at noon, run by her and Marisela Gomez. Order my book, We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons on Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption Order from Indie Bound or BookshopTo stay in touch and learn about my upcoming mindfulness teaching and events, please sign up for my e-newsletter here.My article in Lion's Roar: How Equanimity Powers LoveConnect with me:at kairajewel.comon Insight Timeron YouTubeon Instagramon Facebookon Dharmaseed

Happy 2023! Enjoy this meditation to support you bring the quality of attending (my latest word for our natural access to the quality of mindfulness.The "Meditation Training" course referred to in the meditation is "Meditation Training: Establishing a Meditation Practice in 4 Short Week." It's a popular and effect course taken by thousands at this point. Back in-person in SF and online for everyone else. It starts this Thursday, 1/5, 7:30 pm PT so for full info and registration, CLICK HERE.For other practices and full programming, go to AccessToZen.org or email me at SuddenLeap.A2Z@gmail.comHappy 2023!(Also, join us for Lunar New Year A2Z Meditation Group Sangha Night on Monday, Jan. 23, 7 pm PT, by clicking HERE!)