Whoever you are, the world needs you right now

Strength is generosity + A free class offering

​​Hi y’all,

I hope you are well during these chaotic, strange days in the U.S. and in the world.

Recently, I lost my university teaching job due to budget cuts. It’s been stressful financially. I have two kids. They need stuff, like braces, which cost a lot of money. A host of unrelated personal problems—because problems never come alone—also came up in the last two months, and I’m still wading through those problems which feel too in-process to recount here. I’ve felt pretty limited in my capacity to make a positive impact, while at the same time I often think of how everything we do to benefit others—in whatever role we occupy—is more vital than ever before. What is demanded of each of us in a moment like this one?

My mother K. used to tell me when I was growing up: “The world demands that you be strong.”

When I think of staying strong, I don’t think of being rigid or uptight.

I think of generosity.

I think about the way my mother K. was—a natural, secret Dzogchen practitioner in many ways. Generous, happy, easy-going, kind, and determined as hell. Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax says that Zen practitioners have “a soft front because they have a strong back.” Our sense of inner strength and integrity—having a spine—allows us to be compassionate and generous with people, and that the opposite is also true—that being kind and open and generous with people nurtures a kind of inner strength and abundance.

Often, when taking refuge before meditation, we’ll make aspirations to practice “generosity and other paramitas.” I’ve always thought it interesting that generosity comes first and that of all the paramitas, generosity is the one we bother to say aloud. I’ve come to think of generosity as more than just the act of giving, but a sense of being open and having a sense of flow, of looking at your inner resources and having gratitude and noticing that actually, I have a lot to give.

The best of what I have to share doesn’t feel like it totally belongs to me, but is the result of countless other peoples, of spiritual lineage and ancestors, the sangha of other sentient beings and of the natural world. Generosity is also knowing that we belong to all the gifts that have been given to us and it’s our responsibility to share them with others.

Recently I received this quote by adrienne maree brown in an newsletter from Alex Williams, a Chicago-based herbalist who like many of us, is thinking about how he can participate in mutual aid this year:

“Do you already know that your existence–who and how you are–is in and of itself a contribution to the people and place around you? Not after or because you do some particular thing, but simply the miracle of your life. And that the people around you, and the place(s), have contributions as well? Do you understand that your quality of life and your survival are tied to how authentic and generous the connections are between you and the people and place you live with and in?

Are you actively practicing generosity and vulnerability in order to make the connections between you and others clear, open, available, durable? Generosity here means giving of what you have without strings or expectations attached. Vulnerability means showing your needs.”

― adrienne maree brown, Emergent Strategy: Shaping Change, Changing Worlds

When I look at the political chaos around me, I see so many people practicing care and generosity, in a genuine and real way, and it becomes much easier to see all beings as Buddhas. Even the people we can’t stand who are causing incredible harm. They have this nature too. Seeing them in this way relieves me from the disgust and anger that I feel towards them.

The aspiration of generosity, “May I benefit all beings without exception,” is so audacious and bold and also very real. It’s not because I think I am somebody with a magic wand who can benefit all beings just by thinking so, or even on a more tangible level, eradicate a disease with a vaccine. But the impact of our benefit is immeasurable. One of the cruelest tricks of our highly individualistic, highly capitalistic society is that we’ve been convinced that all the important people are written about in history books, or have the biggest shares in a company, or are household names.

There are forces at work in the world—synchronicities and daily showing ups of everyday people in incredibly terrible situations—that keep us going. My feeling that each moment of generosity keeps the world from self-destruction. Dzogchen teacher, Lama Lena, talks about how saying mantras “changes the tone of the universe.” Generosity, even small gestures, even just the intention of generosity, does that too.

Recently, I was at a Medicine Buddha meditation in the Yuthok Nyingthik tradition, the lineage of Sowa Rigpa (traditional Tibetan Medicine). It was the first time I practiced Medicine Buddha in that lineage, and one thing that struck me is that before you send out healing to others as Medicine Buddha, you ask to receive healing yourself. It reminded me that there is nothing at all selfish about transforming one’s inner experience, and that this is the first step we should take if we want to benefit others.

In a moment like this one—when our diversity, inner lives, health, safety, and well-being are being sacrificed to benefit an oligarchy—allowing ourselves to feel fully human is an act of rebellion and an act of care.

I hope you’re able to care and rebel in a way that benefits both yourself and others because, really, there’s hardly a difference.

And: if care and rebellion looks like something that’s creative, and you like writing and reading (especially Ada Limón, Ocean Vuong, Clarice Lispector, and Rumi) please join me on Thursday, March 6th for “Writing Into Wonder & Amazement.” Paid subscribers will receive a recording of the class and be able to ask follow-up questions in the chat. Please note that I’m limiting the space to 15 people or else I will go bonkers eyeing that many squares on the screen.

Register for “Writing Into Wonder & Amazement” on Thursday 3/6 at 7-8:15pm CST

You can sign up here!

A Mini-Salon: Dealing With Rejection On An Emotional, Practical, and Spiritual Level

Inés Bellina and I hosted an amazing first mini-salon in Feburary and we are stoked to have another one on Thursday, March 13th from 12-12:40pm CST. Rejection happens a lot to us as creatives. But how can we cope with rejection on an emotional, practical, and spiritual level? How can rejection lead us to a sense of renewed purpose, and even empowerment? (You can read about one of my personal landing-flat-on-my-ass rejections here in Tricycle magazine and how I actually became happier because of it.)

Sign-up here for the mini-salon on March 13th. Paid subscribers get in for free and can submit their question to us beforehand. We ask that free subscribers pay what they can. The suggested donation is $15 but we gratefully accept all amounts.

Thank you for reading Your Wild And Radiant Mind! I’m able to make this work happen through the generosity of free and paid subscribers. If you would like to further support my writing and gain full access to all kinds of fun stuff (creativity classes & recordings, secret prompts, mini-salons, the archive) please consider becoming a paid subscriber.

Work with me 1:1

I draw on my experience as a creative writing teacher and professor to help writers, creatives, and anyone seeking to enhance their creative purpose. I offer 1:1 personalized writing coaching and manuscript consultations. You can learn more about my coaching and consulting here and set up a 15-minute free trial phone session. If we both think it’s a good fit, we’ll take it from there!

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May all beings know Medicine Buddha as their true nature, especially during this time of intense social and psychological distress 💙✨🙏🏼