Category: Social Justice
When Numbness Calls, Choose to Feel
Following the U.S. presidential election, Ravi Mishra encourages us to stay present with our shared heartbreak as a way to counter numbness and dissociation.
You and Me — It’s All One Thing
James Ishmael Ford finds that an ancient Zen story's wisdom speaks quite well to our confusion around questions of identity, sexuality, and gender.
I Figured I Would Never Find Another: On Being a Queer Asian American Buddhist
For Pride Month, Marissa Wong reflects on her experiences with alienation and community.
The Meditation Police
How can Buddhist centers manage gatekeeping volunteers that treat BIPOC practitioners with suspicion? John Mifsud offers some solutions.
Do I Have to Pick Just One Buddhist Tradition?
Rev. angel Kyodo williams addresses the challenge of sticking to one Buddhist tradition.
No One Like Me
Lama Rod Owens on taking care of your own needs when you don’t see yourself represented in those around you.
Good, Evil, and Gaza
In a moving personal essay from the December issue of “Wheel of Dharma,” Buddhist Churches of America member Sydney Shiroyama reflects on the horrors of the Gaza war and what Shinran’s teachings about human nature and the deeper causes of good and evil tell us about the path to compassion and peace.
The Revolution Begins with the Self
Your individual meditation practice can aid collective liberation. Dr. g explains.
True Liberation: Black & Buddhist in America
Recently the nonprofit organizatoin Dharma Relief awarded fellowships to Black Buddhist leaders for their work supporting Black communities. Here, Lion’s Roar’s Pamela Ayo Yetunde hosts a roundtable conversation with four of those fellows: Jean Marie Robbins, Pamela Freeman, Ramona Lisa Ortiz-Smith, and Victoria Cary. Bringing their lived experience to bear, they talk about how Buddhist practice is helping Black people heal from the impact of racism and discover inner peace.
Beyond the Binary
With our ideas of right and wrong, male and female, we’re stuck in the suffering of dualistic thinking. Nonbinary author Tomara Garrod wants freedom.
Sweeping My Heart
When Zenju Earthlyn Manuel was assigned to clean the Zen temple, she felt generations of oppression rise in her. Conversing with her ancestors about what this work really meant helped her see how it could be healing.
We Remember: Six Remarkable Black Buddhists
In celebration of Black History Month, we find inspiration in the lives and practice of six remarkable Black Buddhists.
Watch – New Videos and Resources on Reckoning With Abuse in Buddhist Communities
Confronting systemic abuse within spiritual communities is important for individual and community alike. That's why Damchö Diana Finnegan, co-founder of the Dharmadatta Community, has launched a series of interviews that aim to help us face and understand abuse and how to promote community accountability and justice for survivors. Freshly updated with new videos
When Refuge in Another Sangha on MLK Day Was No Longer Enough
Tanya Marie Bonner shares the journey of creating an annual program to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day at her home sangha.
Sexual Ethics and Healthy Boundaries in the Wake of Teacher Abuse
Scholars Ann Gleig and Amy Langenberg look at how Buddhist sanghas have responded and evolved in response to the ethical breaches of the past few decades.
Dharma Relief announces “Healing Racial Trauma Through Buddhist Communities” Fellowship recipients
The fellowship aims to provide Black dharma teachers and leaders with resources to “carry on their profound work of offering healing and support through a Buddhist lens for African-descendant communities in the U.S.”
Liberation for All Women
What are the challenges for today’s Buddhist women, and how can they be overcome? Mihiri Tillakaratne discusses these pressing questions with Lama Karma Chotso, Arisika Razak, Sharon Suh, and Brooke Schedneck.
Why Buddhists Should Celebrate Juneteenth
Pamela Ayo Yetunde reflects on why Buddhists of all backgrounds should celebrate Juneteenth, a US federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
The Kung Fu Nuns, Fighting for All Sentient Beings
Karen Greenspan reports for Lion's Roar on this courageous group of Himalayan Buddhist sisters, who champion gender equality and respect for the environment.
Healing America’s Racial Karma
It started before I was born. It began before you were born, too, this turning wheel of racialized consciousness. Its tracks are evident across the face of time and the threads of human connection. Let us propose this is not an intractable condition but a legacy of human thought, speech, and physical behaviors. Our racialized…