Sharon Salzberg – Metta Hour – Ep. 66 – Real Love Series: Rev. angel Kyodo williams & Robert Wright

Sharon Salzberg - Metta Hour - Ep. 66 - Real Love Series: Rev. angel Kyodo williams & Robert Wright

For episode sixteen of the Real Love Podcast Series, Sharon has a candid conversation with author Robert Wright and Reverend angel Kyodo williams around Buddhism, love and politics.

Recorded live in NYC at Union Theological Seminary, Sharon, Robert and Rev. angel discuss how we can harness meditative practice and the principles of Buddhism to more effectively engage in political arenas ranging from social justice to foreign policy.

The Real Love Podcast Series is a special series on the Metta Hour featuring a variety of conversations with some of the world’s finest thinkers and teachers exploring Sharon’s new book “Real Love: The Art of Mindful Connection“. Real Love a field guide for anyone seeking awakened living in the 21st century – regardless of age, race, gender, ethnicity or status. The book explores love is three different areas in life: love of oneself, love of an other, and love for all of life. Real Love is now available to order in hardcover, ebook and audiobook format.

Show Notes

Love Your Enemies (Opening) – The group discusses the intersection of Buddhism and politics. Rev. angel and Sharon share advice they have given students who struggle to practice loving-kindness in a political and social climate that has become increasingly more divided and hostile.

“For certain people, their world has changed and that can’t be anything but painful because their identity is fundamentally threatened; their sense of who they are and what this country is about. I’m talking particularly about the demographic that Trump most speaks to. I go to the place of like,’Oh, they are suffering,’ and from that understanding, it makes more sense to me how they could get behind someone that they perceive as keeping their identity intact.” – angel Kyodo williams

Empathy and Understanding (18:00) – Can meditative practice be an aid in providing clear comprehension of how we found ourselves in this current socio-political situation? The group talks about the aspects of Buddhist philosophy and practice provides this kind of insight.

“Classicly, the purpose of mindfulness is understanding. Its insider wisdom, not just to inhabit your life but to understand it.” – Sharon Salzberg

Activate (37:00) – The group talks about the history of political activism amongst Buddhist practitioners and the issues they tend to gravitate towards.

“There is an element in which I think our individualism contracts us from fully extending into the possibilities of Buddhist practice allowing us to really engage fully.” – angel Kyodo williams

Check out what Ram Dass has to say about the importance of practicing inner social action as well as large-scale social activism over on the Awakened Heart BlogRam Dass on the Importance of Inner Social Action
As an ordained Zen sensei, Reverend angel Kyodo williams applies wisdom teaching to social issues and is a leading voice for Transformative Social Change. Both fierce and grounded, she is known for her willingness to both sit with and speak to uncomfortable truths. Find upcoming events, writings and more from Rev. angel at angelkyodowilliams.com. Check out Rev. angel’s last conversation with Sharon about bridging spirituality & activism on Ep – 42 of the Metta Hour Podcast.  
Robert Wright is the author of The Evolution of God (a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize), Three Scientists and their Gods (a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award), and, most recently, the New York Times bestseller Why Buddhism Is True: The Science and Philosophy of Meditation and Enlightenment. He has taught in the psychology department at Penn and the religion department at Princeton, where he also created the popular online course “Buddhism and Modern Psychology. Keep up with Robert and find his writings at robertwright.com. Listen to Robert’s recent conversation with Danny Goldberg on Ep.36 of the Rock & Roles Podcast.

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