Mrs. TNTBS Hosts This Needs To Be Read with one of the authors, Valerie Brown about their new book - HEALING OUR WAY HOME - join 3 Black female authors in an intimate discussion of their path to self-care. They live life using the teachings from the late Zen Master who Martin Luther King, Jr. called: “an Apostle of peace and nonviolence” when nominating him for the Nobel Peace Prize. His name is: Zen Master Thich Nhat Han (pronounced: Tik Not Han).
These authors offer up real talk on living joyfully - with reflective self-care practices including meditation practices, culinary recipes, and music playlists. It’s a book that speaks to anyone and everyone.
In 9 accessible bite-sized chapters, authors VALERIE BROWN, MARISELA GOMEZ, MD, AND KAIRA JEWEL LINGO combine insightful, roundtable-style conversations based on the beliefs of Zen Master Thich Nhat Han and what’s called Plum Village Buddhism. This is a school of Buddhism named after the Plum Village Monastery in France and the first monastic practice center founded by Thich Nhat Han.
The authors offer up an immersive reading journey by breaking down how they intertwine their BIPOC experience with grounding meditation and mindfulness exercises.
No subject is off-limits in this approachable pursuit of empowerment, liberation, and what it means to discover a firm sense of self and belonging.
Call-to-actions examined by the authors include:
Ancestry and Heritage
Home, Place, and Belonging
Intimacy and Healing
Put what you learned into practice with:
An index of all the book’s mindfulness and meditation practices
Curated music playlists to stimulate your mind
Culinary recipes designed to replenish the soul
VALERIE–before becoming a Dharma teacher, you were a lawyer and lobbyist. How do you think that high-powered background most influenced your teaching methods, and if you could go back in time to teach your previous self, what would be the biggest piece of advice you would give her?
KAIRA–you teach Buddhist mindfulness and meditation all over the globe. What have you noticed as being the largest difference in approach to these studies between students in the United States and those who are abroad?
MARISELA–a major aspect of your work is organizing for equitable and sustainable community rebuilding. For those who are unfamiliar with Sangha (one of the Three Jewels of Buddhism, meaning “spiritual practice community”), can you talk a little about its importance in self-discovery and how it informs social and political activism?
EVERYONE–ultimately, what do you think is the most important thing that readers should take away from Healing Our Way Home?
