Often in Dharma teachings we hear that the self is empty, and that we need to let go of this self. There’s the sense of transcending the realities of our existence, and that what we’re aiming for is to transcend—to realize that it’s all empty. But in actual practice, we bring our identities and our ways of being into the process of investigation. Not in order to avoid them, or overcome them, or accentuate them, but in order to be more present. We don’t have to get rid of our identity to learn about the true nature of who we are. We practice to understand deeply what identity is.
JD Doyle
Spirit Rock Residential Teacher
JD Doyle (they/them) teaches at the East Bay Meditation Center and in many other communities. They are committed to celebrating the diversity of our human saṅgha, transforming the impacts of racism, honoring all genders, and living in ways that affirm the sacredness of the Earth.