The Gay Buddhist Forum by GBF
Buddhism for Liberation and Social Action. We invite teachers from all schools of Buddhism to offer their perspectives on the dharma and its application in modern times, especially for LGBTQIA audiences.
Produced by GBF - The Gay Buddhist Fellowship of San Francisco.
The Gay Buddhist Forum by GBF
Wise Speech in Difficult Times - Tom Baker
Why is wholesome speech one of the hardest precepts to navigate?
In this talk, Tom Baker explores the many nuances of wise conversation, including:
- The ways our words cause suffering
- The intoxicating aspect of slander and gossip
- The mindfulness component of watching our speech
- Listening with our whole presence
- Our responsibility to speak out against injustice
- Overcoming our reluctance to speak up for ourselves
- A Buddhist perspective on freedom of speech
______________
Tetsugen Tom Baker is a Soto Zen priest in the lineage of Shunryu Suzuki-Roshi. He was ordained by Shinki Mark Lancaster at Dragon’s Leap Temple in 2017. He practices in the “Marketplace Priest” tradition. Long active in the Meditation in Recovery group, he was a founder of the off-shoot monthly Zen Men in 2015.
Tom works in the Geriatrics Division at UCSF and specializes in Palliative Care and end-of-life issues. He married his husband Gary Dexter in November 2021.
______________
To support our efforts to share these talks with LGBTQIA audiences worldwide, please visit https://gaybuddhist.org/
There you can:
- Donate
- Learn how to participate live
- Find our schedule of upcoming speakers
- Join our mailing list or discussion forum
- Enjoy many hundreds of these recorded talks dating back to 1996
CREDITS
Audio Engineer: George Hubbard
Producer: Tom Bruein
Music/Logo/Artwork: Derek Lassiter