Whether our focus is our personal circumstances, our community’s discord, or our national and global emergencies and disasters, we likely feel called to embody qualities that can heal ourselves and our world. How do we live so that we may bring more compassion and insight into our relationships and activities? Do our intentions, our endeavors really matter in a world on fire? It is true that one person’s efforts can make a difference. Let us explore ways to be upright in our lives and in the world so as never to give up on peace.

Karen DeCotis is an ordained priest in the Soto Zen lineage of Buddhism. She began her practice in California with the San Francisco and Berkeley Zen Centers. Her teacher, Sojun Mel Weitsman, supported her all during her time the last 20 years in Bozeman, helping her to grow Buddhist practice in the Gallatin Valley. Currently Karen leads the Bozeman Zen Group and is the Director of the Bozeman Dharma Center – a collective of Buddhist groups of varying lineages.