6th Annual Buddhist Community Gathering
Navigating the Mud...
Using Skillful Effort Responsibly As We Meet Unsettled Times
Join our three inspiring Buddhist teachers as they discuss letting hope hold the line, being a positive force in the world, and easing the suffering of all sentient beings through loving and caring practice. Each teacher will talk about their Buddhist practices and engage in conversation with one another on the topic.
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Reverend Liên Shutt
Reverend Shutt is a lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. She received her meditation training in the Insight and Zen traditions in the U.S., Thailand, Japan, and Vietnam. She is a Zen teacher at the San Francisco Zen Center, and is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an anti-racist, inclusive sangha and non-profit in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Visit AccessToZen.org to view some of Rev. Shutt's offerings. View Reverend Shutt's book here Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path.
Sister Peace
Sister Peace is an ordained nun in the Thich Nhat Hanh's Order of Interbeing.
Originally from Washington D.C., she was a business owner and worked in politics. She was practicing with the Washington Mindfulness Community when she met Thich Nhat Hanh while assisting with a meditation retreat he was leading for Congress. In addition to supporting the Plum Village community, she has also worked with children in juvenile detention centers.
Read Sister Peace's reflections on Thich Nhat Hanh and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. View a trailer for Walk With Me, a film Sister Peace was in about Thich Nhat Hanh.
Reverend Melissa Opel
Reverend Opel is the resident minister of the Buddhist Church of San Francisco, the oldest Jodo Shinshu church in the mainland U.S.. She is originally from Washington State and began exploring Buddhism at the Spokane Buddhist Temple after stepping away from the faith of her upbringing. Rev. Opel is a member of the LGBTQ+ community and recently graduated from the Institute of Buddhist Studies.
Listen to a Lion's Roar interview with Rev. Opel.
For questions about the Buddhist Community Gathering, please email vbt@vbtemple.org