Our dear beloved friend, Carol Moss, passed away early Saturday morning. When I first moved to Los Angeles around 20 years ago now, Carol was one of the very first people to encourage me during those lonely days. I am forever grateful for her encouraging welcome, her understated humor, and generous wisdom. For years, Carol taught meditation gently from her home, quietly demonstrating her complete faith in people – especially those rejected or ejected from society.
Carol was so humble! I only learned yesterday from an article on the Malibu Timesthat Carol graduated from the University of Chicago at 18. While raising four small children following her husband’s sudden death at a young age, Carol went on to become one of the first women to graduate from USC School of Law. A lawyer, civil rights activist, and dedicated meditator, Carol was a true doyenne of the Dharma in LA for decades, hosting Tibetan and other Asian teachers who came to the west.
Carol belonged to the InsightLA Teacher Development Group. Here’s a tiny sample of the outpouring of tributes to Carol. She had loving relationships with many:
May her transition be full of grace, beauty and aliveness as was she.🌈🦋🌻 – Alisa Dennis
Carol taught me by the way she lived. Such an indomitable spirit, transmuting her many life’s challenges into deepening love for all beings, and Mother Earth… You never knew who you might find sharing Carol’s home with her, from a Tibetan lama to a burned-out sex worker… Even at 90, as her body became ever so frail, she tirelessly organized to feed the unhoused community. Carol will always remind me of what is possible. – Elizabeth Rice
Carol always managed to convince us that she was the one benefitting from the hospitality that she so constantly offered. ✨✨✨ – Paloma Cain
An embodiment of engaged Buddhism and service indeed, and a role model for me. – Ali Hedayat
Oh! How much will she be missed
She was a real light of kindness, activism, and wisdom – Teresa Abdala-Romano
I remember her sitting there on the stairs in the sunlight during our retreats for young adults in her home, saying “We’re all just walking each other home.” May her walk home be as filled with grace and grit as she was. – Celeste Young
Carol’s love for the Dharma, for her community, human rights, music, art, and the planet radiates throughout time and space, to you, right here, right now.
Love,
Trudy
Image Caption: Left to right: Carol Hamilton, David Khon, Drolkar Tsetso, Carol Moss, Dagmola Sakya