Kaira Jewel Lingo on White Supremacy and Racial Healing (Episode #27)

Welcome to episode 27 of The Way Out Is In: The Zen Art of Living, a podcast series mirroring Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh’s deep teachings of Buddhist philosophy: a simple yet profound methodology for dealing with our suffering, and for creating more happiness and joy in our lives.

In this episode, journalist Jo Confino is joined by much-loved international mindfulness teacher and author Kaira Jewel Lingo, to talk about her practice and community work, both as a monastic and subsequently as a lay practitioner and spiritual mentor.Together, they further discuss the intersection of racial, climate, and social injustice; privilege; denial; white awareness; hate and embedded white supremacy; deep listening; and spiritual practices for a world in crisis.   Kaira Jewel Lingo is a dharma teacher who has been practicing mindfulness since 1997. She lived as an ordained nun for 15 years, during which she trained closely with Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh. Speaking five languages, she shares Buddhist meditation, secular mindfulness, and compassion practice internationally, providing spiritual mentoring to individuals and communities working at the intersection of racial, climate, and social justice. Her teaching focuses on activists, educators, artists, youth and families, BIPOC communities, and includes the interweaving of art, play, nature, ecology, and embodied mindfulness practice. She teaches in the Plum Village Zen tradition and in the Vipassana tradition. 

In this episode, Kaira Jewel expands on the journey of her name – Jewel – and her route to the Plum Village practice; being the first ordained monastic of African heritage in Plum Village; Thich Nhat Hanh’s guidance and support; embodying Thay’s teachings; learning to take care of suffering; deciding to disrobe; her mission as a lay dharma teacher; practice as a way of life; deep relationships; and her plans to open a Buddhist-Christian practice center with her partner.She also dives more deeply into spiritual bypassing; healing racialized trauma; the importance of BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) retreats and teachers; the story of the first Plum Village retreat for people of color; collective consciousness; adapting the Five Mindfulness Training to different ethnic groups; and her first book: We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving through Change, Loss, and Disruption. 

The episode ends with a short meditation guided by Kaira Jewel.

[This episode was recorded on February 18, 2022, via Zoom.] 

Co-produced by the Plum Village App:https://plumvillage.app/

And Global Optimism:https://globaloptimism.com/ 

With support from the Thich Nhat Hanh Foundation:https://thichnhathanhfoundation.org/

List of resources Kaira Jewel Lingohttps://www.kairajewel.com/ 

Plum Villagehttps://plumvillage.org/

Old Path White Clouds: Walking in the Footsteps of the Buddhahttps://www.parallax.org/product/old-path-white-clouds-walking-in-the-footsteps-of-the-buddha/ 

Ram Dasshttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Dass 

Brahmavihārāhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahmavihara 

James Baldwinhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Baldwin 

Melina Bondyhttps://www.melinabondy.com/ 

Joanna Macyhttps://www.joannamacy.net/ 

Resmaa Menakemhttps://www.resmaa.com/ 

The Quaking of America: An Embodied Guide to Navigating Our Nation’s Upheaval and Racial Reckoninghttps://www.harvard.com/book/the_quaking_of_america/ 

My Grandmother’s Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodieshttps://shop.harvard.com/book/9781942094470 

The Civil Rights Movementhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights_movement 

We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons for Moving through Change, Loss, and Disruptionhttps://www.parallax.org/product/we-were-made-for-these-times/ 

The Five Mindfulness Trainingshttps://plumvillage