In this podcast, Zenju Earthlyn Manuel and I discuss several topics relating to her most recent book The Shamanic Bones of Zen, which I thoroughly recommend. We discuss how she came to Buddhism from her Christian upbringing, her experience as a Black woman in a predominantly white-bodied Zen tradition, birthing an oracle, and the shamanic roots of Zen and Christianity. Part two of the conversation will be published on June 19th.
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, PhD (she/her), is an author, poet, ordained Zen Buddhist priest, teacher, artist, and drum medicine woman. Zenju practiced in the Nichiren/Soka Gakkai tradition for 15 years. She entered Zen in 2001 and began again as a beginner on the path. The essence of all her transmissions come together in her teachings in these books: Black Angel Cards: 36 Oracles and Messages for Divining Your Life; The Deepest Peace: Contemplations From A Season of Stillness; Sanctuary: A Meditation on Home, Homelessness, and Belonging; Tell Me Something About Buddhism; and The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality, and Gender. Her most recent book The Shamanic Bones of Zen: Revealing the Ancestral and Mystical Heart of A Sacred Tradition.
The Shamanic Bones of Zen