A "Rolling Retreat" of dharma teachers and practitioners, by the busload, helped Buddhists to join Saturday's People's Climate March in Washington, D.C. Caroline Contillo was there. Stepping off the Buddhist retreat bus in DC on Saturday, two things were apparent: the 2017 People’s Climate March was going to be huge, and it was going to be hot. The record-breaking 92 [...]
Is My Original Face Gay?
Caroline Contillo explores the reality of identity, and asks what it means to be gay. What did my face look like before my parents were born? Can an original face be gay, or straight for that matter? Identity, which sometimes feels so concrete, becomes quite slippery when I meditate. At a young age, I realized that the accepted story about how my life was going to go didn’t [...]
Meeting police violence with compassionate action
As a Buddhist activist, I am constantly looking for ways to combine my contemplative practice with social engagement. I recently had the privilege of attending a direct action training conducted by Katie Loncke and Dawn Haney of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. The training was geared toward Buddhists who are interested taking their practice off the meditation cushion to confront [...]
