Voices of Love

In the spirit of The Human Library, in which we connect to the humanity of someone we might think of as “other,” we offer this interview with Santiago, an immigrant from Colombia. I have known Santiago for 20 years, as we first met when he was working at a Tibetan Buddhist retreat center in the Santa Cruz mountains. We had seen each other over the years, and then Santi contacted me recently for support. It was during the ICE occupation of Minneapolis and after the tragic murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, and during the weekend of the Super Bowl here in the Bay Area, with increased ICE presence. Santiago shared with me that recent events had retriggered trauma from his experiences growing up in Colombia when the country was in the middle of the decades-long conflict between government forces, left-wing guerilla groups and right-wing paramilitary groups. We spoke a few times that week and then I invited Santiago to share his story on Voices of Love. The story of immigration and the wider narrative of who belongs is at the forefront of our national social and political conversation, and I wanted listeners to be able to hear directly from someone who came to this country fleeing violence, and with the wish to have a more peaceful, safe and prosperous life. Note: this interview was recorded on Zoom, and there are times the audio quality is not so clear due to issues with the internet connection, our apologies!

In this conversation, Rabbi Paula speaks about her childhood and some important early influences in her life, her decision to move to Santa Cruz and become involved in the community here in various ways, and her lifelong commitment to social justice activism and its expression through music and creativity. We talk about our commitment to bridge building and peacemaking, even when progress is difficult to see, and what gives us hope to continue with this work.

We are living in a nation that is deeply fragmented along lines of political affiliation and ideology, race, class, religion, immigration status, and more. For the last few years, it seems that our government is at a standstill, with the divides so sharply defined that it is impossible to move forward. There have been very few attempts to bridge the divides; but, in our experience and in the research we have seen, a collective capacity to bridge the divides seems to be the only viable path to a sustainable future for our species. Our point of view is that recognizing, centering, investing in, and trusting in our common humanity, as the basis for community, is the essence of love. Is this the way it needs to be, with conflicting sides, winners and losers in a zero-sum game, or is there another way forward? When others’ beliefs and opinions differ from our own, it can be challenging to listen and be curious as to why people believe what they do. Yet, when we are able to truly hear each other, we can begin to see our common humanity and shared needs. But how do we do this? What are some of the perspectives and strategies we can use to bridge differences and connect with our common humanity? How can we overcome our resistance to extending compassion to others, even those we think of as threats or as enemies? What are the limits to bridging differences and extending compassion? Are there times that we shouldn’t try to bridge, or extend our compassion? In this episode of the Unlocking True Happiness podcast, we delve into these questions, discussing the opportunities and challenges of broadening our compassion and bridging differences.

Back by popular demand, Deborah Eden Tull joins Tenzin for a timely conversation about how to hold space and stay present in deeply challenging times. Recorded at the beginning of the renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas, this episode shares deep insight on how we can navigate polarization and difficulty with compassion and engagement with our shared humanity.

No matter how mindful we are of our thoughts, speech and actions, being human means that we can sometimes act unwisely or hurt someone's feelings. Whether these mistakes are unintentional or not, they can lead to rifts in our relationships; and ultimately damage both our own contentment, as well as the cohesion of our community. In this episode, Tenzin shares the power of apologizing as a roadmap for forgiveness, healing and reconciliation; and then leads a reflection on the impact of both giving and receiving a wholehearted apology.

In this episode, Tenzin speaks to Nina Simons, co-founder of Bioneers and author of Nature, Culture and the Sacred: A Woman Listens for Leadership.

In this episode, Tenzin continued her conversation with Zen meditation teacher, author, activist and sustainability educator Deborah Eden Tull, continuing a rich conversation about her new book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown. Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today’s world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing. Tull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction. We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplay of both darkness and light.

Mindfulness meditation has become wildly popular in the last decade or two, and is taught in places as diverse as corporate board rooms, maximum security prisons, and everywhere in between. One of the standard definitions of mindfulness is “awareness that arises through paying attention, on purpose, in the present moment, non-judgmentally,” according Jon Kabat-Zinn, the founder of the popular program Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction.

FULL EXTENDED EPISODE Darkness is deeply misunderstood in today’s world; yet it offers powerful medicine, serenity, strength, healing, and regeneration. All insight, vision, creativity, and revelation arise from darkness. It is through learning to stay present and meet the dark with curiosity rather than judgment that we connect to an unwavering light within. Welcoming darkness with curiosity, rather than fear or judgment, enables us to access our innate capacity for compassion and collective healing. Join us as we interview Zen meditation and mindfulness teacher, author, activist, and sustainability educator Deborah Eden Tull about her new book, Luminous Darkness: An Engaged Buddhist Approach to Embracing the Unknown. Tull shows us how the labeling of darkness as “negative” becomes a collective excuse to justify avoiding everything that makes us uncomfortable: racism, spiritual bypass, environmental destruction. We can only find the radical path to wholeness by learning to embrace the interplay of both darkness and light.

What is the role of joy on the spiritual path? The bodhisattva path and the path of compassion require us to have an awareness of the suffering of beings – are joy and compassion contradictory? Or can joy be used to sustain our spiritual path and practice? Join us for an exploration of the theme of joy on the spiritual path with Tenzin Chogkyi, who will draw from sources as diverse as 8th Century Indian master Shantideva, research psychologist Jonathan Haidt, and poet Ross Gay.

The motto of the United States, E pluribus unum (“Out of Many, One”) speaks to a pluralistic democracy with protections for every citizen, and a freedom from the religious tyranny that gripped much of Europe during the time of the country’s founding. Yet, for many, this promise is being undermined by a small segment of the population insistent on superimposing its own moral values onto the wider population, resulting in a number of recent reversals that unwind decades of civil rights progress. In this conversation, Ven Tenzin shares how we can help foster understanding and compassion in an increasingly polarized civic climate by recognizing the common humanity in our fellow citizens, while at the same time holding our ground.

The concept of Right Speech (or "Skillful Speech") is core to many Buddhist teachings about how to live an ethical life and avoid causing harm. In our hyperconnected world, our ability to communicate beyond face-to-face has increased exponentially, and navigating our own speech (and written words) is important because of the wide-ranging ramifications that our words can have on others, as well as on our own minds. In this talk and meditation, Ven Tenzin takes us through the practical advice given in the traditional teachings so that we can exercise our communication with skill and compassion.

We’re raised to believe that our perceptions of the world around us has an objective quality, but both Buddhism and modern neuroscience agree that our perceptions can frequently be distorted, and these distortions can cause great suffering. This "naive realism” — the belief that the world exists in the way it appears to us — is so innate to many of us, yet our beliefs, past experiences and emotional states can dramatically alter how we perceive experiences. In this informative session, Ven Tenzin discusses the many ways that our minds can play tricks on us, particularly when it comes to the impact of experiences that we perceive as negative, and shares a simple practice that can help balance and enrich our minds by reinforcing the impact of positive experiences.