Who We Are Becoming Matters by Norma Kawelokū Wong Roshi is a profound collection of essays that offers essential wisdom for navigating what she calls the “timeplace of collapse.” Following her debut, When No Thing Works, this Zen Master in the Rinzai tradition deepens her exploration of the “human quotient”—our fundamental beingness in this realm of existence.
For anyone on a path of deepening their relationships with self, community, and the living world, this book is invaluable reading. Wong’s unique perspective emerges from her rich ancestry, blending Chinese and Native Hawaiian lineages, and from her deep understanding of Eastern spiritual traditions. She introduces readers to the Hawaiian concepts of “Aloha” and “Kuleana,” which she defines as wise courage and mutual responsibility, respectively. Beyond merely cultural artifacts, these concepts are living principles for cultivating right relations with both human and more-than-human kin.
What makes this book particularly compelling is Wong’s ability to weave Indigenous worldviews with Buddhist teachings on interconnectedness. Her essays emphasize that courage and compassion are essential components of authentic humanity. In times demanding greater wisdom, she calls us toward intentional movement—becoming people with “eyes wide open,” capable of meeting uncertainty and peril with discipline, presence, and hopefulness.
Editor's Note: This review was originally published in Manhattan Book Review.
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