On Tuesday, June 10, Upaya Zen Center in New Mexico announced that its founder and head teacher Roshi Joan Halifax would be undergoing major heart surgery that morning to repair what she said was “one leaf of my mitral valve [which] has become unmoored, and which was creating “excessive fatigue and shortness of breath.”
After posting that the surgery had gone “really well,”on Wednesday, Upaya shared the news that “Roshi is recovering well and her heart is doing great. She is able to sit up and drink some clear liquids. She will probably move out of the ICU and into a regular hospital room sometime today. All is going in the right direction. Thank you for your loving care.”
Please join us in wishing Roshi Joan all the best for every moment in her healing and beyond. You can do so by leaving a message on this page. Please note that Upaya “gently requests that you not send flowers, chocolates, or cards. Just good thoughts, and if you want to do something, consider a donation to the Upaya Tree Fund or Scholarship Funds.”
Roshi Joan has been a frequent contributor to Lion’s Roar. Here are just some of our pieces by or about her:
Video: Practices for When You Are Sick
Life on the Edge — Joan Halifax describes five “edge states” where courage meets fear and freedom meets suffering.
Practice for a World at Risk — It’s the concept of “other” that drives the evils the world suffers from, says Roshi Joan Halifax. The contemplation we need now is that in reality there is no separation.
Help When Your Heart Breaks — Caring for people who are suffering is a loving, even heroic calling, but it takes a toll. Roshi Joan Halifax teaches this five-step program to care for yourself while caring for others.
