Episode 14: A Buddhist Teacher Considers Social Justice & Enlightenment – Trudy Goodman

I invite you to join my conversation with my dear friend, Trudy Goodman, as we explore the racism woven into our everyday experiences. As a Buddist and psychotherapist, Trudy helps people lead more mindful, meaningful lives. Her life in the Dharma is rich, and she uses her Buddhist teachings to inspire real change in the world.

Trudy is the founding teacher of the InsightLA Meditation Center and the co-founder of the Institute of Meditation and Psychotherapy. She’s currently writing a memoir about her spiritual journey.

What You Will Hear/Learn/Discover

[2:51] Trudy describes a Buddhist practitioner’s place in the fight against racial injustice.

[7:53] Mag wants to know how InsightLA is changing with the times.

[13:12] Mag and Trudy discuss systemic racism and our country’s long history of oppressing Black Americans and other people of color.

[16:35] Trudy explains how InsightLA differs from other meditation centers.

[19:29] Trudy talks about her memoir and how joining a writing group helped.

[22:29] Trudy tells us about the most painful events in her life and how they opened her heart.

[31:39] Discover Trudy’s working title for her book and her thoughts on a subtitle.

[34:25] Trudy talks about her marriage and what it’s like being married to a successful author.

[45:55] Trudy shares her thoughts on enlightenment and how it’s an ongoing quest.

Quotes

On Enlightenment:

“Enlightenment is not a state that you’ve attained once and for all. It’s a process. Everything is a process…There are moments of awakening, moments of presence, moments of crystal clear understanding. And, then there are moments of confusion and moments of chaos … And, if we are able to be present with them, then they just move through. They don’t have to stick.”

On Racism:

“Because [racism] is so much a part of the air. [It’s part of] our sweat, the air we breathe, the water we swim in here in America … that we don’t even necessarily question some of our biases.”

“I think if anybody can add humanity to this rather frightening predicament, I think the Buddhists can. Because as Buddhist practitioners, we are all about love and compassion. We’re about witnessing and honesty.”

Resources

InsightLA: insightla.org

Connect with Trudy Goodman

Website: trudygoodman.com
Instagram: www.instagram.com/trudy_goodman

You can download the transcript here.

Appreciation

From the bottom of my heart, thank you so much for being here. If you haven’t already, come join the community!

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