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Rev. angel Kyodo williams

"love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters."

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      Not that a Black, mixed-raced woman Zen priest is ordinary to begin with, but Rev. angel Kyodo williams defies and transcends any title, descriptor or category you can imagine. Freed from ordinary ways of naming, she captures imaginations, expands visions, and gets straight to the heart of the work of liberation.

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      Once called “the most intriguing African-American Buddhist” by Library Journal, and “one of our wisest voices on social evolution” by Krista Tippett, Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei, is an author, maverick spiritual teacher, master trainer and founder of Transformative Change.

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      RADICAL DHARMA: Talking Race, Love and Liberation – “the book for right now” is igniting conversations to radically transform how race is navigated in dharma, yoga, activist, faith communities and more. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that this book shifted the tide of what liberation means worldwide.  Transform race in your life now.

      BEING BLACK: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness & Grace – The book that changed everything for so many reached its 20th year anniversary in 2020, Rev. angel’s first critically-acclaimed book was called “a classic” by Buddhist pioneer Jack Kornfield and “an act of love” by iconic writer Alice Walker. Find out why.

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      be.ing transformation – The most powerful and leveraged week you’ll ever spend in your life is here for 2020. Level up because it matters and you don’t have time for mediocre.

      27 Days of Change – The gateway program. With guidance, clear structure, and community, you can jumpstart the change you want to make happen in your life in just 27 days.

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      being transformation 2023 – Rev. angel Kyodo Williams’s potent, powerful and proven be.ing transformation retreat takes place for the sixth year at Hui Ho’olana, the “Heart Chakra” of Molokai, HI. 2023 Dates to be announced soon. Join mailing list to be notified.

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“love and justice are not two. without inner change, there can be no outer change; without collective change, no change matters.”

MENUMENU
  • about
    • Meet Rev. angel

      Not that a Black, mixed-raced woman Zen priest is ordinary to begin with, but Rev. angel Kyodo williams defies and transcends any title, descriptor or category you can imagine. Freed from ordinary ways of naming, she captures imaginations, expands visions, and gets straight to the heart of the work of liberation.

      Go beyond the bio & meet Rev. angel

    • Rev. angel kyodo williams – BIO

      Once called “the most intriguing African-American Buddhist” by Library Journal, and “one of our wisest voices on social evolution” by Krista Tippett, Rev. angel Kyodo williams Sensei, is an author, maverick spiritual teacher, master trainer and founder of Transformative Change.

      Read more of Rev. angel’s bio

  • books
    • BOOKS By angel Kyodo williams

      RADICAL DHARMA: Talking Race, Love and Liberation – “the book for right now” is igniting conversations to radically transform how race is navigated in dharma, yoga, activist, faith communities and more. It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that this book shifted the tide of what liberation means worldwide.  Transform race in your life now.

      BEING BLACK: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness & Grace – The book that changed everything for so many reached its 20th year anniversary in 2020, Rev. angel’s first critically-acclaimed book was called “a classic” by Buddhist pioneer Jack Kornfield and “an act of love” by iconic writer Alice Walker. Find out why.

    • Radical Dharma book image

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    • ENGAGE w/ REV. ANGEL

      Stream all the Rev. Angel Love

      Are you a YES! for engaging Rev. angel? Forget trolling the internet. Stream the things no one else can. Get hand-curated content from both in the behind the scenes.

      Give love and get love.

      Enter the Lovestream Now >

      Mindfulness Training by Rev. Angel

      Ready to drop into the only mindfulness
      training program designed from the ground up to meet you exactly where you
      are? Rev. angel knows mindfulness for
      your life, work and practice are not
      about being on anyone else’s agenda, so
      she architected the most modern, diverse mindfulness program ever.

      Get MNDFL >

    • Go DEEPER

      Practicing Justice – You have to grow up to show up. Changemakers, activists, Liberated Life Network, leaders & entrepreneurs. Get head, heart & embodied practice in alignment.

      be.ing transformation – The most powerful and leveraged week you’ll ever spend in your life is here for 2020. Level up because it matters and you don’t have time for mediocre.

      27 Days of Change – The gateway program. With guidance, clear structure, and community, you can jumpstart the change you want to make happen in your life in just 27 days.

      Gain more Experience with Rev. angel…

  • events
    • Find the Right EVENT for You

      Public Talks & Speaking

      Dharma & Meditation Retreats

      Radical Dharma Circles, Conversations & Camp

      Podcast Releases

      All Events

      INVITE Rev. angel for your event

    • Fetaured Events

      being transformation 2023 – Rev. angel Kyodo Williams’s potent, powerful and proven be.ing transformation retreat takes place for the sixth year at Hui Ho’olana, the “Heart Chakra” of Molokai, HI. 2023 Dates to be announced soon. Join mailing list to be notified.

      ALL EVENTS…

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    • BROWSE the Media Library

      Stop searching. All Rev. Media HERE

      Complete Media Library

      Video

      Audio

      Podcasts

      Articles

      Interviews

      By Rev. angel
      Essays

    • Media by theme

      Featured

      New

      Wisdom

      Justice

      Eco/Planet

      Blog

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Rev. angel Kyodo williams | Beyond Idiot ompassion

1 May 2014 By aboutangel

williams_angel_kyodo_web_1Rev. angel Kyodo williams is an ordained Zen Buddhist priest, spiritual maverick, author, activist, and founder of CXC (Center for Transformative Change), in Berkeley, California, which is dedicated to “changing the way change is done.” Rather than exhort spiritual seekers to become more politically active, CXC supports social activists in becoming more spiritual. This is the only way, Rev. angel believes, we will “flip the switch” in people’s hearts so that we treat each other and the Earth more compassionately. She sees “the application of inner awareness practice to broad-based social change as America’s next great social movement.”

I came across the Center for Transformative Change while searching the Internet for an alternative to a ten-day meditation retreat at Spirit Rock, which—work and finances being what they were—I couldn’t afford. CXC offered a no-cost “virtual” retreat called “27 Days of Transformative Change.” I was intrigued. I could pursue social change and spiritual growth simultaneously? Excellent! No need to clear my schedule and go on retreat; my activism would be my spiritual practice. Having experienced the benefits of cyber community while living in rural Washington, where my closest friends were like-minded people in cyberspace, I wasn’t dismayed by the idea of participating remotely. It was sweetly empowering to think there would beings of like intention three hundred miles away doing their work while I did mine. Still, when the virtual retreat began I was surprised at how touched I was by my remote sangha’s support: knowing that our practice leader blessed our intentions every day in the practice hall and feeling part of an intentional community stretching to be a little kinder, a little clearer, a little more grounded, more fearless, and ultimately, more effective.

The 27 Days also included weekly dharma talks by Rev. angel, which we downloaded as podcasts. While Zen is known for being inscrutable, Rev. angel’s dharma talks were clear. More to the point, they were helpful—addressing the actual challenges I was facing in embracing the humanity of people to whom I was politically opposed. So it made perfect sense to learn that Rev. angel’s dharma name, “Kyodo,” means “way of teaching.” She has a gift for making profound teachings relevant to daily life.

In addition to being the founder of CXC, Rev. angel is the author of Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace, which has been called “a classic” by Buddhist teacher Jack Kornfield, and “an act of love” by novelist Alice Walker. The Library Journal has named Rev. angel “the most intriguing African-American Buddhist in America.” She was kind enough to speak with me by phone on four separate occasions. — Leslee Goodman

The MOON: Why were you drawn to Zen Buddhism?

Rev. angel: I stumbled across Zen Buddhism in my early twenties and really resonated with it, as if I was connecting with something that was already true within me. The underlying philosophy and feel of Zen, with its sparseness and precision, its supposed disregard of texts and of dogma, the silence of zazen—seated meditation—spoke to me very deeply. Also, my grandfather had recently passed, so I was in an especially quiet and internal place. I’d started my own little homemade practice and then found this container that could help me hold the depth of grief I felt, without a lot of interference from other people.

I became quickly enamored of the practice, dodged around and got connected with a community, and had a very strong, clear sense that I wanted to ordain—which I think might have been a holdover from women not being allowed to ordain within the Christian traditions I was familiar with.

I was particularly drawn to the aspect of service—specifically the service of keeping the liturgy. There was something profound for me about holding the space that keeps tradition alive. So I was ordained as a Zen priest within the Peacemaker order—and within a larger Zen tradition of being of social service. I knew this work landed squarely where I wanted my focus to be—the nexus of spirit and social service in the world.

Read the interview here: http://moonmagazine.org/rev-angel-kyodo-williams-beyond-idiot-compassion-3-2014-01-05/

Filed Under: interviews Tagged With: angel Kyodo williams, buddhism, dharma

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