Can we find meaning and pride in our ordinary lives?

In this talk, Liên Shutt contrasts the extravagant events in our lives with the everyday moments and asks us to consider if we can drop our expectations of how things should be and instead allow them to exist just as they are.

This is the definition of Buddhist wisdom or Prajña, which translates as "knowledge of things as they are."

She quotes Sekkei Harada Roshi in "The Essence of Zen:"

"Things that we can see and hear do not exist because we believe they do; they exist apart from a person's thought. That which exists separately from the thoughts of the ego self... is the dharma."

Liên helps us see that individuals and groups exist independent of whether or not we think they should. 
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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 https://accesstozen.org/ for ways to connect and practice together.

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CREDITS
Audio Engineer: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter