Zen Peacemaker Affiliate
eininji2
Eininji - Eternal Loving Care Temple
My mission is to share the darma that is currently nurturing my life with the community. My personal practice has been uncovering traumatic memories in my body and has encoraged me to share my perspective about the healing process as a practitioner and an LGBTQAI+ person with other queer folk. Therefore, I facilitate an LGBTQAI+ nucleus in my sangha Eininji. I hope to brake down barriers that are still present in the Buddhist communities and to provide a safe space for our queer community.
Tell us a bit about how your group was concieved
Eininji is based in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in the Copacabana neighborhood. It lies at the botton of a hill where the favela of Pavão-Pavãozinho is located. The Eininji Zen Center was founded in 2001 by Alcio Braz Eido Soho-sensei. Since then, it has served many visitors and practitioners over the years. More recently, Eininji has been conducting training programs for meditation instructors and contemplative caregivers.
How many members do you serve? 130
Tell us about one exciting project, program, or other offering you are currently working on.
I coordinate an LGBTQIA+ project in my sangha based on the ZPO’s principles. The project was launched on July 28th, 2021, and serves as a safe space for the LGBT community to express their feelings and benefit from Buddhist practices. We are 20 practitioners to date. Our practice is based on the Three Tenets, The Way of Council and zazen, which underpin our discussions about LGBT issues. The project also facilitates professional assistance to people in need of medical and psychological care or legal advice. We intend to provide training in social engagement against violence in our community.
How do the Three Tenets inform your social engagement?
In a personal level, sitting in not-knowing has helped me go through the trauma caused by being bullied at school in my childhood. Bearing witness of my grief and pain during therapy has been vital, so I can face my vulnerable self and understand the circumstances of trauma and the people involved. The loving kindness that I have been giving myself allows me to share my grief and rase awareness about the self-harm that stems from trauma and other sources of violence. By taking care of myself, I felt I could share my grief with other LGBT people. Eininji’s LGBTQIA+ nucleus is a result of my practice with the Three Tenets, which embody all of it’s practices.
What is the most meaningful challenge your organization Faces?
Our main challenge has been to bare witness to our personal suffering in the COVID19 pandemic while dealing with compassion fatigue. Had it not been for our sense of community, which allowed our facuty to build a supporting network, our service as loving caregivers would not be possible.
For more information: eininji@eininji.org
Our Website: https://eininji.org/
Eininji - Eternal Loving Care Temple -
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil