Angel Kyodo Williams, Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace (New York: Viking Compass, 2000) ("Lovingkindness is a wide-open acceptance of someone just as he or she is. It's learning to give of ourselves without expecting anything in return. Armed with the open mind and open heart that come from self-intimacy and self-acceptance, you can begin the very possible task of truly accepting others. When you practice accepting yourself in your many different forms and moods, you naturally develop an ability to see your own self in other people. As you learn how to accept yourself, yo learn how to accept them. That's the true meaning of compassion." "Love and compassion are at the core of our warrior-spirit. They are our most essential tools. Compassion is about opening yourself to other people's suffering. You don't take on the pain and get bogged down by it. You become a witness to the sameness of your experiences, the universal nature of our existence. You learn to acknowledge suffering, without having to turn away from it because it makes you uncomfortable. You bear witness to the pain so that healing can begin. Compassion is the thread that connects the hearts of all human beings to one another. When you really recognize other people's pain, you feel compelled to take action in response. It is impossible not to." Id. at 151-152.).
Jan Willis, Dreaming Me: An African America's Woman's Spiritual Journey (New York: Riverhead Books, 2001).
