It’s easy to feel disconnected these days—disconnected from ourselves, from others, and from the larger web of life. Maybe you’ve felt the weight of division in the world, struggled to find belonging, or wondered how to bridge mindfulness with real action.
This talk from Dr. Anne Roise focuses on the interrelation of Black History, mindfulness, and Buddhism – exploring how connection, resilience, and community can be cultivated, even in challenging times.
Drawing on the wisdom of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Thich Nhat Hanh, Anne shares how their spiritual and political relationship demonstrated that spirituality and activism aren’t separate—they’re deeply intertwined. She talks about how the power of their shared beliefs led to transforming lives and working toward peace for all beings.
Through the Brahma Viharas—loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity—she shows you how to hold space for both joy and struggle, and take meaningful action in your own life. Because healing, transformation, and change don’t happen in isolation—they happen together.
Anne also offered a guided meditation on Fostering Inclusivity with the Brahma Viharas — I hope you find it helpful!
Click here to join the free Wednesday Meditations – which are open to everyone!
Meditation: Fostering Inclusivity with the Brahma Viharas/Divine Abodes
Talk: Interbeing and the Beloved Community
Anne Roise has been a Zen practitioner since 1971 when she left Canada as a teenager to study with her first teacher, Shunryu Suzuki Roshi. She is lay-ordained in the Soto Zen tradition. Anne completed the Buddhist Chaplaincy program at the Sati Center and is also a trained mindfulness facilitator through the UCLA Mindful Awareness Research Center. Anne has taught mindfulness to community organizations and educational institutions. She offers chaplaincy services to diverse groups and facilitates the Black Wisdom and Mindfulness Circle through the Insight Meditation Center. Her career has included leadership roles in initiatives to address systemic poverty, community and economic development, violence prevention, juvenile justice and racial and ethnic bias in court systems. Anne is the Director of Programs and Online Operations at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and serves on the boards of Mindful Schools and the San Francisco Zen Center. She holds a graduate degree in City Planning from MIT and is a Certified Life Coach.
