Listen in on this candid and wise interview with Myokei Caine-Barret, Shonin, as she shares about her own path of transformation and how we can all create a deeper experience of refuge for each other in the Dharma. She names the importance of sharing about race and increasing awareness in dharma spaces in the face of resistance. And how empowering it can be to leave space for listening, honoring people's unique experiences, and the importance of offering a warm welcome. She encourages us to learn from the radical hospitality in cultures of color, and describes how she used chanting to work with her rage. She also addresses the challenges of offering the Dharma in BIPOC communities based in Christianity.  

We apologize for the brief moments of echo in the recording. 
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Myokei Caine-Barrett currently holds the position of Bishop of the Nichiren Shu Order of North America. She is the first woman to hold this position and the first person of African-American and Japanese descent to be fully ordained in the Nichiren Shu order. She is also the chief priest and guiding teacher of Myoken-ji Temple in Houston, TX.

     Myokei Shonin is engaged in spreading the Dharma behind bars at Texas Department of Criminal Justice. She supports weekend trainings for Healing Warrior Hearts, a Texas for Heroes project designed to truly welcome veterans home. She is a facilitator in dialogues on racism and mindful cross-cultural conflict resolution, as well as engaging in interfaith and intrafaith dialogue.
     Her writings have been published in a variety of Buddhist magazines, including Tricycle and Lion’s Roar, and is featured in The Hidden Lamp: Stories from Twenty-Five Centuries of Awakened Women.

Learn more about Myokei at https://myoken-ji-usa.org/
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TODAY'S HOST

Kaira Jewel Lingo began practicing mindfulness in 1997 and is a teacher in the Zen and Vipassana lineages. Author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving through Change, Loss, and Disruption (Parallax Press), she teaches Buddhist meditation, mindfulness, and compassion internationally, focusing on waking up in daily life. Ordained for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches both Buddhism and secular mindfulness, writes, and offers spiritual mentoring to groups.

Hear more about Kaira Jewel as ODA co-hosts Rev. Liên Shutt and Lama Karma Yeshe interview her about her Dharma experiences as a practitioner and teacher of color. 

Kaira Jewel also shares with ODA this guided practice on getting grounded. 

Visit kairajewel.com to learn more about her Dharma offerings. 

May all beings find refuge!