Claiming our Unique Way of Living - JD Doyle

As queer/non-conforming individuals, how do we claim our unique way of living, but also let go of our attachment to an identity? In this talk, JD Doyle explores how we can re-orient ourselves to our lives, and connect with the non-human aspects of our world, such as other life forms and the natural world.As we witness so many attacks on various categories of people, it's easy to begin thinking of our world as fragmented. Instead, we can re-member, or bring together, the various parts of our fractured selves AND the people in our lives, present and past. When we feel attacked, we long for security. This is when we must re-orient ourselves to what we actually need to be stable, vs. what we have come to believe we need to be safe. JD contrasts this with the Buddhist truth of impermanence and that letting go of these beliefs can reduce our suffering. JD goes on to quote a book, 'Hospicing Modernity' and speaks on how we can observe aspects of our world that are waning, or disappearing. ______________JD Doyle serves as a core teacher at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC) and has served as a board member and was the cofounder of the LGBTQI meditation group. JD is in the Spirit Rock Meditation Center teacher-training program and was in the Dedicated Practitioner Program (DPP2) and the Community Dharma Leader Program (CDL4). JD has practiced Buddhism since 1995 in the U.S., Thailand, and Burma. For over twenty-five years, they worked as a public school teacher focusing on issues of equity and access. JD holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies from Cornell University and a master’s degree in Language and Literacy and Sociocultural Studies from the University of New Mexico. JD identifies as gender non-conforming. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human sangha, addressing the impact of racism on our communities, expanding concepts of gender, and living in ways that honor the sacredness of the Earth. ______________  To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/There you can:   Donate  Learn how to participate live  Find our schedule of upcoming speakers  Join our mailing list or discussion forum Enjoy over 900 recorded talks dating back to 1995CREDITSAudio Production: George HubbardProducer: Tom BrueinMusic/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter