Indra’s Net and the Well-Being of the Collective
Dharma Evening and Q&R with Rev. Liên Shutt
Friday December 20, 5:30-7pm ET, in-person/hybrid at IWM (Rev. Shutt will join us via Zoom)
Hosted by the BIPOC Affinity Group. Open to all who identify as BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color).
Advance registration is encouraged.
Please gather with us as we welcome Reverend Liên Shutt for a Dharma Evening and Q&R. Rev. Shutt will be joining us online. You are welcome to gather at IWM to tune in together, or join us via the Affinity Zoom link.
Rev. Shutt shares thoughts on how to "be with" suffering, such as the harm brought about by systemic oppression. She shares an approach to reframing the 4 Noble Truths as a restorative model for suffering and harm reduction and describes the Eightfold Path in terms that are actionable and active rather than passive.
Reframing our view in more holistic terms, we can consider Indra’s Net described in the Flower Ornamental sutra. It is a representation of the cosmos, similar to an infinitely large spider’s web, with each living being represented as a multi-faceted jewel at the intersections of the threads, thus connected to and also reflecting all of the other jewels.
Often we over-emphasize the individual jewels and ignore the net of interconnectedness. A jewel may shine so brightly that it obscures the other jewels, or use up so many resources that it swells and weighs down the net itself, perhaps even to the point of breaking. Focusing on the net of interconnectedness rather than the individuals, we can look at how we can restore the connections between us and the well-being of the collective.
NOTE: While our sangha has been reading Rev. Shutt's book Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path, this Dharma Evening is an offering for all who identify as BIPOC and that does not require any previous engagement with the book or Rev. Shutt's teachings.
Reverend Liên Shutt (she/they) is a priest lineage holder in the Shunryu Suzuki tradition. Born to a Buddhist family in Vietnam, she received her meditation training in the Insight and Soto Zen traditions in the United States, Japan, Thailand, and Vietnam. A founding member of the Buddhists of Color in 1998, she currently is the guiding teacher of Access to Zen, an inclusive, anti-oppression sangha and nonprofit in the San Francisco Bay Area. Her book, Home is Here: Practicing Antiracism with the Engaged Eightfold Path, was published by North Atlantic Books in 2023. As the creator, producer, and host, she launched Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC Teachers podcast series with Kaira Jewel Lingo and Lama Karma Yeshe Chodron in 2021. It is currently in its 3rd season with co-host Dana Takagi. She lives north of San Francisco, on Southern Pomo land, with her partner, exploring waterways and forests as often as they can. Visit AccessToZen.org for ways to connect.
IN-PERSON LOCATION: IWM at Eastworks; 116 Pleasant St, Suite 242, Easthampton, MA
Chairs and cushions available.
Please bring your own covered water bottle.
Covid Protocols
• Masks optional.
• If you have COVID concerns (new symptoms or think you've been exposed), please stay home and join us via Zoom.
• Field Control Trio Plus portable air purifier will be running (H13 HEPA with an ultraviolet light component).
Affinity Zoom Link
