Silent Illumination and Peacemaking

"Rebecca Li’s teachings are deep, lucid, and accessible. She helps undo the habits blocking realization of our naturally radiant, awake being." —Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance

• Join Zen Peacemakers for the online event "Silent Illumination and Peacemaking" with Dr. Rebecca Li. Tuesday, March 4, 2025 5 p.m. GMT,  Online, Free
• Register at: https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/events/162250

Sakyamuni Buddha’s teachings on suffering point to our entrenched habit of waging wars against reality that leaves us agitated and disconnected from ourselves and others. The Chan (mandarin Chinese pronunciation of Zen) practice of silent illumination allows us to reconnect with the wholeness of ourselves and our interconnectedness with the world, rendering us more effective in peacemaking. As we cultivate moment to moment clear awareness of habitual reactivities that keep us from making peace with ourselves, we can release these unhelpful habits and free ourselves from suffering.

Drawing on her recent book, Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method, Dr. Li will explain how the subtle ways through which we wage wars with ourselves can be revealed by examining how we go about our meditation practice. Clarity of our subtle thought habits allows us to stop perpetuating unhelpful habits that get in the way of living a fully engaged life. As we make peace with ourselves, we are less prone to causing harm and more capable of identifying appropriate actions and carrying them out skillfully to bring benefits to the world as peacemakers.

Dr. Rebecca Li, a Dharma heir of Simon Child in the lineage of Chan Master Sheng Yen, is the founder and guiding teacher of Chan Dharma Community. She teaches meditation and Dharma classes, gives public lectures, and leads Chan retreats in North America and Europe. Her talks and writings can be found at www.rebeccali.org. She is a sociology professor and lives with her husband in New Jersey. She is the author of Allow Joy into Our Hearts: Chan Practice in Uncertain Times, and her new book Illumination: A Guide to the Buddhist Method of No-Method was recently published by Shambhala Publications.

Duration: 90 minutes Format: Presentation/Discussion