
Into the Magic Shop Reverend angel Kyodo williams: The Great Journey: From Trauma to Zen Priesthood
Sep 18, 2024
Reverend angel Kyodo williams, an ordained Zen priest, writer, and activist, shares her profound journey from trauma to spiritual leadership. She reflects on how childhood abuse shaped her keen observations and compassion. The conversation dives into the healing power of Zen Buddhism, emphasizing self-awareness and empathy. Reverend Angel introduces the concept of 'own belonging' and discusses the importance of connection in social healing. Her insights highlight the cyclical nature of suffering and the role of embodiment in meditation.
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Practice Over Dogma
- She prefers experiential verification over dogma: 'don't believe until you taste it.'
- That empirical curiosity drew her to Buddhist and nondual traditions rather than fixed beliefs.
Compassion Is Biologically Rewarding
- Doty links compassion to human evolution: care evolved because human offspring needed long nurturing.
- He argues our physiology rewards caregiving and thrives when we connect rather than remain isolated.
Build Your Own Secure Belonging
- Develop a secure attachment to yourself by returning regularly to your inner sense of truth.
- Be 'still enough to feel' and 'quiet enough to hear' so you become a self-referent tuning fork.





