Excerpts from Dharma talk on Day 2 of Access to Zen's (A2Z) Kindness of the Ancestors Retreat. Rev. Liên draws the connection between Kind, or Loving, Speech and the avowal of "all my ancient karma" in Jukai, the Lay Precepts ceremony. In this talk, she give a brief overview of karma (or "habit tendencies" or "habit energies" are ways Rev. frames them) and how to work with sense desire and ill-will from the 5 Hindrances. Relatable, real-life examples on how to recognize and practice with sensual desire and ill-will when they impeded us from being present fully are shared.

REV. LIÊN SHUTT (she/they) is a recognized leader in the movement that breaks through the wall of American white-centered convert Buddhism to welcome people of all backgrounds into a contemporary, engaged Buddhism. As an ordained Zen priest, licensed social worker, and longtime educator/teacher of Buddhism, Shutt represents new leadership at the nexus of spirituality and social justice, offering a special warm welcome to Asian Americans, all BIPOC, LGBTQIA2S+, immigrants, and those seeking a home in the midst of North American society’s reckoning around racism, sexism, homophobia, and xenophobia. Shutt is a founder & Guiding Teacher of Access to Zen. You can learn more about her work and book, Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Pathat AccessToZen.org EVENTS