ABSTRACT
I remember my first glimpse of Paulo Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. It was as I prepared for entrance into a graduate program where Freire’s philosophy and methods were considered sacrosanct. I was beginning graduate school just after spending 7 years living and practicing in Zen centers. Bestowed with the blessings of my Buddhist teachers, I was compelled to take a fragile open-heartedness out into the world of suffering beings. In my desire for a livelihood that would complement a yearning to do service, I sought a profession in which I could engage in compassionate social action. A university program with Freire at its inspirational helm seemed to present a means to fulfill this avocational longing.
