Tami Simon closes with a question she notes is often answered wrongly. People look at a life and call it courageous, and they usually pick the wrong things. So what has actually asked Tara Brach to be courageous? Courage, Tara says, is a willingness to feel what we are feeling and act anyway, because of something we care about. And the thing that has asked it of her is a shift in her own teaching over the last decade, toward the inseparability of inner practice and how we live in the world, and what it means to widen the circles of our care until we feel a true belonging with all beings. The spiritual path in our culture is individualistic. Most people come for help with their emotions, for self-compassion, for freedom. Fewer are drawn to what it means to live that in widening circles. Compassion, she says, has asked her to see clearly and name what she sees in the collective, because if you do not name the particulars of suffering you cannot respond. So she names them. In this conversation she speaks about people of colour being dehumanised, immigrants seized and deported, Palestinians being killed and their land taken, and animals in factory farms. Where whole populations are subjected to cruelty, she names what she can. And she gets pushback. Stay in your lane. Sometimes anger. She cares about being trusted and about being helpful, and the fear of falling short lands: maybe if she had found better words it would have gone differently. Her way through is to say yes to what the experience actually is. Yes to the fact that some people will not like it, will be upset with her, may pull away. Yes to being imperfect in how she communicates. Yes to reality. And to keep returning to her deepest aspiration, which is to serve a more loving world, especially for the most vulnerable, and to let that guide her. She has not named it out loud in quite this way before, she says. But that is what taking courage has meant for her, because it is hard to do. Want to go deeper with Tara Brach? Join Sounds True for more teachings like this. Get your first month FREE at https://bit.ly/4ctecMn Subscribe to Sounds True's YouTube Channel ► https://bit.ly/SubscribeSTYT Sounds True is a mission-driven learning and media company, and a recognized leader in wellbeing, personal growth, and spiritual transformation. Partnering with the world’s foremost wisdom teachers and best-selling authors, the company reaches millions worldwide with its unique programs, digital learning experiences, and worldwide events. The company also features a variety of original series, weekly shows, and live online experiences on Sounds True One, its global platform and community with members across more than 125 countries. Sounds True is a Public Benefit Corporation and also the home of the Sounds True Foundation. Connect with us: ▪️Facebook: http://bit.ly/2XFIIeE ▪️Instagram: http://bit.ly/2UlEoiH ▪️Website: http://bit.ly/2tOl02d