Recorded at Insight Meditation Satsang
Online,
March 14, 2023
DESCRIPTION
In the days since Everything Everywhere All at Once took home seven Oscars at the 2023 Academy Awards ceremony, I’ve been delighted to see the film and its actors so widely recognized and honored. Watching actors Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan receive their awards was tremendously moving given how pervasive anti-Asian bias is in American culture and the film industry. Part of what folks have been celebrating is the kind-heartedness of the film and its cast, from Ke Huy Quan’s moving comeback after 30 years of being sidelined to the inspiration of seeing two women in their 60s in powerful leading roles, cheering each other on.
As a Buddhist practitioner, I immediately saw Everything Everywhere All at Once as a dharma movie. It radiates sincerity and warmth, with a core Buddhist message at it heart: everything is empty, but still meaningful. This is the classic Mahāyāna Buddhist view of the interdependence of wisdom and compassion, or nirvāṇa and saṃsāra. That the film manages to convince us of both without falling into either side as a fixed view is a rare feat.
Read article at Lion’s Roar.
SEAN OAKES
Sean Feit Oakes, PhD (he/they, queer, Puerto Rican & English, living on Pomo ancestral land in Northern California), teaches Buddhism and somatic practice focusing on the integration of meditation, trauma resolution, and social justice. He received Insight Meditation teaching authorization from Jack Kornfield, and wrote his dissertation on extraordinary states in Buddhist meditation and experimental dance. Sean holds certifications in Somatic Experiencing (SEP, assistant), and Yoga (E-RYT 500, YACEP), and teaches at Spirit Rock Meditation Center, East Bay Meditation Center, Insight Timer, and elsewhere.
LINKS
Website: seanfeitoakes.com
Community Page: In It To End It
YouTube channel: In It To End It
Spirit Rock: spiritrock.org/teachers/sean-oakes
Insight Timer: insighttimer.com/seanoakes
GIVING
All of Dr. Oakes’ independent teaching is offered on the model of Gift Economy, in the Buddhist tradition of dāna, inspired giving. Support of our teaching and community is gratefully received. Thank you for your generosity.
Donate:
seanfeitoakes.com/gift-economy
Blessings on your path.