From SGI USA, I'm Cassidy Bradford, and this is bootability.

The weekly series where I talk with Buddhists from all walks of life about the power we

each have to change our lives and the world around us.

Embracing ourselves and other people, just as we are, is foundational to Buddhism.

But it can be hard.

Buddhism teaches us that all people possess the infinitely precious Buddha nature,

or this potential for enlightenment.

And all we need to do to tap into it is to chant Namyo Hōdenge Kyo.

At the heart of everything, we're valuable and wonderful just as we are.

We don't need to become someone else in order to be worthy or to have value.

This week we asked you, what do you want to embrace about

yourself or someone else? Lots of you want to learn to be okay with making mistakes. Nobody's perfect

and often what might seem like a mistake are actually important stepping stones for our growth.

Many of you want to embrace what makes you unique. Sometimes we can feel like different equals bad. It's natural to

want to be liked and accepted by others. But when we can truly embrace every part of who we are

just as we are, we can live a life unsuade by the opinions

of others. Today's episode is about the path to self-acceptance and love. I'm speaking with

Joshua Thomas of Portland, Oregon, about how he used his Buddhist practice to embrace

his identity and share that message with others.

We have a content note about today's episode.

There are several mentions of suicide, and while we don't dive deep into the details,

please take care when listening.

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