Buddhism is said to offer the way out of suffering, but what if you just have to lament to stay sane and remember you are a nobly born human being? 

COVID-19 has taken so many lives in such a short time, it makes one want to holler as Marvin Gaye and Meshell Ndegeocello sang. Police gunning down unarmed Black and Brown people makes one want to shout, shout it all out as Tears for Fears sang. What about those tears — for fear? 

Terrorist attacks on governmental buildings with the intent to kidnap and murder, leaving people severely injured and dead, serves a purpose — to make the target (and witnesses) live in fear, but we have our practices to help us live with the real emotions of being in grief and fear, and using those emotions to cultivate wisdom and courage.

We welcome all Buddhist practitioners of any identities to join us in this at-home retreat. We will meet in the morning, afternoon (optional) and evening as a way of opening up space to be authentic, utilizing mindfulness practices, truthful and wise speech, and lovingkindness towards ourselves. We will talk about real feelings, and ways to think creatively about forming appropriate responses to live into nobility. We will also reflect on what African-American Buddhist lesbians in the Insight tradition have taught us about cultivating Remarkable Relational Resilience.