The Buddha speaks to the impact of greed, hatred, and ignorance—that these have such capacity for harm. Learning about who this somebody is, this identity, if you will, can really support us in this understanding. Often we just hear that the self is empty, that we need to let go of this self. This can have a sense that what we’re aiming for with our practice is to just transcend the realities of our existence, that it’s all empty. We can bring our identities and our ways of being into that investigation. Not in order to avoid them, or overcome them, or to accentuate them, but in order to be more present.
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.