We Were Made for These Times: Bodhisattva Courage in a World on Fire

Lenz Distinguished Lecture: In a time of profound uncertainty—when democracy, education, and human dignity feel under threat—many of us are asking how to respond without losing our hearts or our clarity. Drawing from the source of engaged Buddhism and contemporary movements for justice and reconciliation, this talk explores what it means to live the bodhisattva vow right now.

Together we will reflect on fear as a natural response to real danger, and how mindfulness helps us transform fear into compassionate, skillful action. We will examine how to speak out against injustice without hatred or partisanship, how to practice “sacred criticism,” and how to care for the whole even in polarized times. Grounded in both the historical and ultimate dimensions, this talk invites us to anchor in what is good, beautiful, and worth protecting—becoming seeds of the future we long to see.

Kaira Jewel Lingo is a Dharma teacher with a lifelong commitment to spirituality and social justice. Her work continues the Engaged Buddhism developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, and she draws inspiration from her parents’ lives of service and her dad’s work with Martin Luther King, Jr. After living as an ordained nun for 15 years in Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastic community, Kaira Jewel now teaches internationally in the Zen lineage and the Vipassana tradition, as well as in secular mindfulness, at the intersection of racial, climate and social justice with a focus on Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, and activists, as well as artists, educators, families, and youth. Based in New York, she offers spiritual mentoring to groups and is author of We Were Made for These Times: Ten Lessons in Moving through Change, Loss and Disruption and co-author of Healing Our Way Home: Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy and Liberation. Her upcoming events and teachings can be found at www.kairajewel.com.

The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation Distinguished Guest Lecturer Program in Buddhist Studies and American Culture and Values promotes diversity of thought and practice at Naropa with distinguished lecturers drawn from communities, traditions, and scholarship related to Buddhism in America.

This event is offered both in person and online. Choose your preferred option on the ticket page.

Naropa University welcomes participants with diverse abilities. If you require accommodations, please contact Kristin Anderson-Bohan at [email protected] at least two weeks prior to the event.

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