Social Activism and Spiritual Practice

Three years after the murder of her husband and birth of her daughter, former Black Panther Party leader Ericka Huggins found herself unjustly imprisoned and placed in solitary confinement. it was here that she taught herself meditation and embarked on a path that 37 years later has made her a leading exemplar of the integration of spirituality and social activism. 

Here, Huggins shared what she learned about herself while in solitary confinement, the legacy of the Black Panther Party, and the importance of spiritual practice for social justice work. She talks about restorative justice, how it succeeds where while punitive measures fail, and how this work can be used in schools and prisons to stop what she calls the cradle-to-prison pipeline endemic to poor communities. 

For Huggins, the “most healing thing in the world is love.” And she attempts to put that into practice in her work for social justice. What helps her in her work is her daily spiritual practice, the details of which she shares in this podcast.

Links:

Ericka Huggins website

Centre for Restorative Justice

Wikipedia Article on Restorative Justice

Check out the Diversity and Spirituality’s newest podcast

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Irrepressible Nature!

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Contemporary Spidermen! (at Lawrence, New Jersey)

Contemporary
Spidermen! (at Lawrence, New Jersey)

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Marcia Kass, my walking buddy, in my kitchen, getting ready to drink some Ethiopian coffee...

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Found on a telephone pole in my town. What's that movie line from Jack Nicholson: You can't handle the truth! Or I think from the Christian text: the Truth will set you free. WORD.

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Contemporary Spidermen!

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Japan: the Teacher

Author Steven Earle talks about his studies with Japanese spiritual teachers; the relationship between sound, language and reality; and the untold story of how a former spy turned businessman introduced yoga to Japan.

Earle talks about what led him in his early 20s to move to Japan, his lifelong study of the martial art of aikido, and his mentorship with Odano Sanae, who deeply influenced his understanding of the relationship between sound, language and reality. Odano’s work is the subject of Earle’s first book,  Words Characters and Transparency.

Earle shares what led him to devote fifteen years to learning about the life and work of Nakamuru Tempu, a former spy turned businessman, whose spiritual realization led him to create a unique approach to yoga practice and philosophy which influenced a post-war generation of Japanese government officials, business leaders, and artists. Earle’ tells the story of Tempu’s life and philosophy in his recently published book, Heaven’s Wind: The Life and Teachings of Nakamuru Tempu.

Links:

Stephen Earle’s Amazon page

Heaven’s Wind’s website

 

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