Practice You with Elena Brower

Episode 198: Paula Arai

<p>On activating compassion through our simplest offerings of forgiveness, care, gratitude and respect.</p>  (0:30) - Japanese rituals for beauty, harmony, and love. (10:00) - Cleaning and its connection to healing and mindfulness. (16:36) - Organizing and decluttering, with a focus on the importance of forgiveness and creating more space in life. (24:49) - Healing, self-care, and relationships. (31:48) - Buddhist teachings, suffering, and healing through interconnectedness and self-reflection.  <p>Paula Ara was raised in Detroit by a Japanese mother, and did Zen training in Japan. She obtained her Ph.D. in Buddhist Studies from Harvard University in 1993 and is now the Eshinni &amp; Kakushinni Professor of Women and Buddhist Studies at the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California. She is the author of Bringing Zen Home: The Healing Heart of Japanese Women’s Rituals, Women Living Zen: Japanese Soto Buddhist Nuns, and Painting Enlightenment: Healing Visions of the Heart Sutra. Her work has been a tremendous force in my own spiritual formation.</p>

Content and conversations for times of transition and change.

Join me in discussion with renowned luminaries and dear friends to explore life's myriad transitions, our understandings and our responses. What does it mean to be present, to shift our perceptions, to engage with the world meaningfully, with dignity and care? With respect for the ancient practices and the modern wisdom that continue to inform and elevate our exchanges, each episode is an invitation to Practice You.