Creating Beloved Community in the Age of Division

with Tenzin Chogkyi, Mary Doane, and Greg Morris 

Rev. Dr. King’s legacy includes the vision of “Beloved Community,” and as author and activist bell hooks said, “Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.”

At a time when beloved community can seem all but impossible and even hope seems elusive, how do we begin to recognize our common humanity in pursuit of beloved community? How do we go forward in the inevitable moments when hope in such a vision seems hard to find? How do we go about being in relationship despite our differences?

During this conversation, we will consider what’s required for community building in the present age. In particular, we’ll explore the often-challenging dynamics of cutting off contact when we perceive that the bridge that needs to be built between us and someone else may be a bridge too far. We will engage in practices that center compassion cultivation as the key to building community by calling people in, including them as part of the community, and what is needed personally and collectively to do this. 

During our time together, we’ll make space for each participant to share what’s most alive for them about questions such as these. And we will see if we might find new possibilities for helping others – even some surprising “others” – to live more fully from their own joy and compassion. 

Join us in person at 2929 24th street
Registration required. Registration limited!

________________________________________________

Tenzin Chogkyi  (she/her/hers) is a teacher of workshops and programs that bridge the worlds of Buddhist thought, contemplative practice, mental and emotional cultivation, and the latest research in the field of positive psychology.

Tenzin is especially interested in bringing the wisdom of Buddhism into modern culture and into alignment with modern cultural values such as racial and gender justice and environmental awareness. She feels strongly that a genuine and meaningful spiritual path includes not only personal transformation, but social and cultural transformation as well. She has been exploring the presentation of traditional teachings using modern pedagogical methods such as experiential exercises, dialogue and small group interaction.

Tenzin is a certified teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training, a secular compassion training program developed at Stanford University. She also teaches the Cultivating Emotional Balance program, a secular program using contemplative techniques drawn from Buddhism for managing emotions, developed at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s request. 

________________________________________________

Mary Doane  is the Supervising Instructor of Education Programs at Zen Caregiving Project where she started as a hospice volunteer before becoming a training facilitator and volunteer program coordinator. Mary’s practice on and off the cushion is grounded in common humanity and her personal experience as a family caregiver deeply influences her work.

Mary holds dual instructor certification in Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT™), from Stanford University School of Medicine, Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) as well as the Compassion Institute (CI), where she serves as a mentor to emerging instructors. Mary trained in Buddhist chaplaincy through the Sati Center for Buddhist Studies and is also a certified instructor of the Cultivating Emotional Balance (CEB) program, a secular program developed at His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s request.

 ________________________________________________

Greg Morris (pronouns: any) is a student and practitioner of bhakti yoga and Advaita Vedanta, as well as a student and devotee of the Tao Te Ching and the four gospels of the New Testament. A lifelong peace advocate and bridge-builder with childhood grounding in Unitarianism, Greg offers their spiritual practice as the foundation of their work as a teacher, as a coach, and as a management consultant specializing in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. 

Greg is grateful to be the recipient and beneficiary of several healing modalities, most notably Rosen Method (Marion Rosen, Robert Harry Rovin), Transformational Bodywork (Stephen Allario, Fred Mitouer), Holistic Sexuality (Marina Romero), Interpersonal Dynamics (David Bradford), and psychotherapy. Greg is a certified teacher of Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT™), a secular program developed by Stanford University’s Department of Neurosurgery under the guidance of Geshe Thupten Jinpa and at the request of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama.