Category: Social Justice
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.
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
More than 150 years after the end of slavery, America’s tragic racial karma rolls on. If we understand how karma really works, says Buddhist teacher Larry Ward, we can stop it.
The Simple Insight That Made Me a Buddhist
John Mifsud shares the story of how he found himself at the feet of a golden Buddha in Thailand, where a simple insight changed his perspective.
Watch: “The Heart-Mind is a Wonderful Thing to Gain” offers compassion teachings by Black Buddhist teachers
This free series offers helpful compassion teachings from Pamela Ayo Yetunde, Jan Willis, Christian Howard, and Cheryl A. Giles.
Buddhist Sangha as Refuge for LGBTQ+ People
Pamela Ayo Yetunde reflects on the recent shooting at a gay nightclub in Colorado Springs, sharing how Buddhists can work to create a community of refuge for LGBTQ+ people.
The Power of Silence
Silence can be noble or ignoble, liberating or oppressive. Bhante Sumano on knowing when, why, and how to be silent—but not silenced.
Beginning a Buddhist Pedagogy for the Privileged Oppressed
Pamela Ayo Yetunde explores how Buddhist pedagogy is an essential framework for Buddhist teachers to educate themselves and their communities about our criminal justice systems.
Right Conduct: How Breonna Taylor is Waking Up American Justice
Dexter Cohen Bohn examines how the police killing of Breonna Taylor awoke the beginnings of a repatterining of justice in the American judicial system, and the work still to come.
The Ethics of Abortion: A Black Mama’s Wise Contemplation
Zenzele Isoke offers her commentary on the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and why we must collectively establish a new set of political ethics that are peaceful, compassionate, wise, and loving.
Rhonda Magee: The Dharma of Racial Justice
Lindsay Kyte profiles law professor Rhonda Magee, who teaches mindfulness and other contemplative practices to help us do the inner and outer work of creating racial justice.
Celebrating Juneteeth 2022 with Reflections on Martin Luther King, Jr.
African American Buddhist practitioners Jan Willis, Thomas Davis IV, and Larry Ward reflect on Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through the lens of the dharma.
The Spiritual Leadership of Malcolm X
For Malcolm X Day, four Buddhist practitioners and teachers offer their commentary on Malcolm X's spiritual journey.
Awakening Through Audre Lorde
Four Buddhists explore how the life and work of the Black, feminist, lesbian poet Audre Lorde serves as a gateway to the dharma