Visiting Teacher: Dawn Scott

Why did you want to teach a dharma talk on the topic of patience for Tricycle? Patience is such an undervalued and essential part of practice, and I wanted to sing its praises with your readers.

Where did you grow up? Fairfax, California.

Is your family Buddhist? Nope.

When did you become a Buddhist and why? I started practicing about 13 years ago because of a boy. I fell in love with him and the dharma.

What’s your daily practice? Sitting or walking practice for two hours a day. When I remember, whole body awareness throughout the day.

Favorite aphorism? The way out is the way through.

Favorite musician? No favorites—just artists who move me: Tori Amos, Roberta Flack, and The Civil Wars.

What’s the longest you’ve gone without meditating? I don’t remember how long I wasn’t practicing, but one of my teachers must have known what was going on and said, “Promise me you’ll sit every day, even if it’s only for ten minutes.”

Book on your nightstand? Venerable Anālayo’s Introducing Mindfulness and The Collected Poems of Lucille Clifton (1965- 2010).

What do you like to do in your free time? Take bubble baths, read, tap dance in my kitchen, and spend time with friends.

Influential teachers? Tempel Smith, Dana DePalma, Guy Armstrong, Phillip Moffitt, and Andrea Fella.

What non-Buddhist do you look to for guidance? Audre Lorde, James Baldwin, Toni Morrison, Lorraine Hansberry, August Wilson, and Lucille Clifton.

Coffee or tea? Tea: coffee smells great and tastes awful!

Favorite subject in school? History and English.

Most used emoji? ❤️️s and 😊s.

What would you do if you weren’t a Buddhist teacher? I’d probably be writing plays.

♦

Related: Honoring Diversity in the Dharma

This July, watch Dawn Scott’s Dharma Talk series, “The Steadying Power of Patience,” at tricycle.org/dharmatalks.