Table of Contents (in sequential order)
Introduction
Section One: Personal Statements
Sheridan Adams, Anonymous, Anna Barnard, Sandy Boucher,
April M. Chartrand, Cathy Cockrell, Tova Green, Robin Hart,
Connie Hilliard, Robert Horton, Mushim Ikeda-Nash,
Charles Johnson, Diana Lion, Lori Pierce, Canyon Sam,
Larry Saxxon, T. Liên Shutt, Triscuit Wagner, angel Kyodo williams,
Lewis Woods, Larry Yang, Rosa Zubizarreta
Section Two: Personal Essays
The Road Being Traveled: My Life and Times at San Francisco Zen Center (1990-2000)
by Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquín
To Buddhist or not to Buddhist: Why We Need Ethnic/Racial "Diversity"
in Our Buddhist Communities
by Lawrence Ellis
On Race & Buddhism
by Hozan Alan Senauke
Reflections on the Five Precepts and Diversity
by Sharon Smith
Personal statement/essay from a Zen student
Section Three: Practical Suggestions and Strategies
Section Four: Reference Materials
Section Five: Resources for Buddhism and Diversity
Section Six: Articles of Interest
Modern Racism: New Melody for the Same Old Tunes
by Valerie Batts [not included in e-file, only hard copy]
Making the Invisible Visible-Healing Racism in Our Buddhist Communities
Introduction to the first edition
For many years there has been a movement to shine the light of awareness on
the difficulties encountered by People of Color as they try to participate in
our Western Buddhist Sanghas. In many ways and with varying degrees of success
People of Color and their European American allies have been trying to get the
attention of the teachers and sangha members in order to face the underlying
racism in our society at large and its manifestation within our Sanghas. This
booklet, being offered to the "Buddhist Teachers in the West" conference
from June 20 to 24, 2000, is another step in that ongoing process.
This booklet is a compilation of stories, thoughts, resources, and articles
that are meant to be a glimpse into the personal experiences of some Buddhist
practitioners of color and their allies. The voices you will read come from
a wide range of cultural and ethnic origins, practicing in a great many of the
lineages being represented at this conference. These voices come from your sanghas.
You may be surprised by them; you may not agree with everything you read. But,
please, understand that these voices and stories come from people who are already
practicing in our sanghas.
The title of this booklet refers to the ongoing suffering which exists in our
sanghas for many People of Color. The oppressive racial and economic conditioning
of our greater society, whether intentional or not, manifests in our sanghas.
Practitioners of color face many obstacles of access, as well as of attitude,
when attempting to join Western Sanghas in order to develop and sustain their
practice. It is extremely difficult and painful for people who are already marginalized
in society to then be marginalized again in their spiritual community.
In American society it is very difficult for the European American middle-class
mainstream to recognize and accept their participation in racial marginalization.
White privilege is a fact of life in our society. Study after study shows that
People of Color face institutional discrimination in economics, employment and
housing; in the criminal justice system and in medical care. This institutional
discrimination gives European Americans a "leg up" in society. For
most white Americans this "leg up" is invisible; they aren't even
aware that they have it. Most European Americans seem to feel that there is
a level playing field. Intuitively though, we all know that this is not true.
There was a survey which asked White Americans how much money it would take
for them to be willing to live life as an African American. For most the sum
was in the millions of dollars.
What we, who are compiling this booklet, would like the teachers of the Dharma
to understand is that these problems are faced by many People of Color who are
already practitioners of the Dharma. It is not enough to rely on good will.
We ask that affirmative steps be made within all sanghas to address underlying
racial attitudes and the lack of racial and ethnic diversity. California will
very soon be a state with no racial majority, and the rest of America is following
this demographic trend. If we don't take these steps, we run the risk of making
the Dharma irrelevant to vast parts of our society. Section Three of this booklet
will offer some suggestions to get the process started in your sangha.
The compilers of this booklet are all longtime, deeply committed Buddhist practitioners.
We are racially very diverse, and the majority of us are people of color. Included
in our committee are practitioners of Theravadan, Tibetan, and Zen Buddhism.
We present this booklet to the Mahasangha with the confidence that if the problem
of racial diversity in our sanghas is accepted and addressed in our practice,
the sangha will be strengthened and the deep practice of Dharma will be available
to all.
Before you begin reading the following personal statements we ask that you take
a moment of reflection. Take some breaths and allow your mind to relax. Now
imagine your Sangha, gathered in full, sitting and listening to a Dharma Talk.
You are in the front looking out at a sea of faces. Who is there? What color
are those faces? Do you see many faces of color? Do the color of these faces
reflect the greater community in which your sangha lives? How do you feel about
this? And how do you feel generally about people of color? Do you hold stereotypical
ideas about some people of color? Do those stereotypes affect the way you deal
with people of color? Please be honest with yourself. We do not ask these questions
to encourage blame. We are all struggling with deep racial conditioning. By
bringing light to this problem we hope to deepen the practice of Dharma for
all beings.
submitted with great respect and gratitude,Sheridan Adams, Mushim Ikeda-Nash,
Jeff Kitzes, Margarita Loinaz, Choyin Rangdrol, Jessica Tan, Larry Yang
Introduction to the second edition
This second edition is reprinted in response to continuing requests for copies.
Due to distribution and copyright issues, only one article is included in Section
Six: Articles of Interest-"Modern Racism: New Melody for the Same Old Tunes"
by Valerie Batts. [Note: The Batts article is not included in the electronic
file of the booklet's second edition.] The articles previously included-"Visible
& Invisible: Jan Nattier on the Politics of Representation in Buddhist America,"
"Outside In: Buddhism in America" by Lori Pierce, "Litany"
by Russell Leong, and "White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack"
by Peggy McIntosh, are notated in Section Four: Reference Materials.
Section One: Personal Statements
These personal statements were submitted by Buddhists of color and European
North American Buddhist allies, in response to our invitation, which we extended
as widely as we could with the resources available to us. Our intention has
been to create a forum for all who wanted to speak, and to inspire dialogues
in which many more voices eventually will be heard. Statements appear in the
form in which they were received. Some have been edited for length and clarity,
but no statement was turned away.
Sheridan Adams
I am a European-American woman who has been involved in healing racism work
within the Buddhist community for several years. The experience which inspired
me to do this work was seeing the film, The Color of Fear. In this documentary
film, a number of men of Color and two White men get together over a weekend
to speak about race. While watching this film I experienced indescribable pain
¾ the pain that our country has carried for so many years as a result
of unhealed, unresolved racial wounds; the pain of People of Color who have
been deeply and persistently dishonored and discriminated against in our country
not only in personal interactions but also by so many of our institutions; and
my own personal pain. I knew that on some level, even though I strongly held
anti-racist values since I was a small child, underneath the surface, there
was plenty of racial poison inside my own mind and heart. I began to understand
that as a White person living in this country, no matter WHAT my spiritual and
political values are, I have a very different experience than many People of
Color have. I began to "get" the extent to which I can't help but
walk through this world wearing White shoes and look at things through a White
lens. My being White means something. Over and over I read reports in the newspaper
confirming that I am more likely to get better medical care or better treatment
by the police or fair treatment in court should I find myself involved in a
legal case.
Over time I am learning not to blame myself for my Whiteness or for the special
skin color privileges which come with that. More helpful, it seems, is to sharpen
my awareness of these realities. In order to go beyond a perspective that comes
from being a member of the dominant racial group, I must first realize and own
that I hold such a perspective. And knowing that my perspective as a White person
is limited helps me understand that I do NOT necessarily know what a Person
of Color, living in a White-dominated society, may be experiencing.
And I believe what European-Americans are being called on to do for starters
is just this: to listen and be open to voices of Color. Put down defensiveness
and ask "What is it like for a Person of Color to live in this society
or to practice in this sangha?" or "What might this person go through?"
Begin with a sense of not knowing, yet wanting ¾ deeply wanting ¾
to understand why so many Buddhists of color feel alienated from most Western
sanghas.
Only from this openness and understanding can we all join together to act in
ways that will create sanghas that are truly welcoming to all peoples.
Anonymous
As an adult child of Chinese immigrants who married in a Protestant church,
I've come to Buddhism only recently, as part of a several-years-long attempt
to learn more about my heritage. Even then, I initially avoided Buddhism because
the local Buddhist big shots I heard about were all white and often had Jewish
surnames. I was seeking "authentic" Asian Buddhism, not some culturally
white version. I had (and have) no interest in being part of an affluent white
Buddhist community. Yes, I did question non-Asians' ability to adhere to Buddhist
principles. I thought, without knowing much back then, that any white adaptation
of Buddhism would distort its purpose and meaning in significant ways.
I've since learned that there are many, many versions of even Asian Buddhism.
But I did end up attending a Buddhist temple attended by mostly Asian-born Asians.
Sad to say, I don't really fit in with these people either; many speak Asian
languages and there's a lot of ritualized worship, bowing and chanting, something
I tend to spurn. (I can deal with some ritual, but I'm definitely not into worship.)
My experience with Buddhism somewhat mirrors my life as an Asian American ¾
I don't fit in with first generation Asians, I don't fit in with white America,
and so I have to find my own way. I'm not sure how to do that in the context
of Buddhism in my area.
I have a difficult time with white Buddhists who love to talk. I know a number
of them ¾ people who go on for hours about various Buddhist topics. I
can't get a word in edgewise. It's not that I don't like Buddhism being discussed
and even intellectualized; it's that these people seem to love to hear themselves
talk ¾ there's a kind of ego-gratification thing going on, a "Here
I am, the expert on this" kind of feeling I pick up. I don't like when
Buddhism becomes a vehicle for this kind of thing. And this too mirrors my problem
with white (and Western) society as a whole: too much talking and holding forth,
not enough listening. Talking too often for attention and admiration, rather
than to explore or resolve something.
I don't want to sound too critical. But Buddhism will become a long-term, meaningful
path for me only if I find like-minded, culturally-sympatico people who are
doing it and living it. I'm not hopeful.
Anna Barnard
Dear friends in the Dharma:
Why racial, ethnic and other diversity is needed in our Buddhist communities:
It seems intrinsic to our practice of being with what is and becoming aware
of our illusions, that we work at seeing those illusions about who we are and
who we see as different from us. And our awakening loving kindness, compassion,
sympathetic joy, and wisdom will bring to our attention those illusions and
the suffering we cause through them. Our national illusions about race and ethnicity
can be seen to cause intense suffering; it takes more work to see how I and
my sangha are causing suffering. When I look around my sangha and see that it
is all white and that people of color visit but never stay, I need to look at
what I do and don't do that causes that. We live in a very diverse community.
This gives us an opportunity to examine the fears, phobias, aversions, stereotypes,
and biases to which we as humans are so prone and that keep us chained and keep
our sanghas segregated and impoverished.
I am a Buddhist practitioner in the Vipassana tradition and consider myself
a European American Ally to Practitioners of Color.
abarnard@samuelmerritt.edu
Sandy Boucher
In the Oakland neighborhoods in which I have lived since 1980, among my neighbors
are African Americans, Ethiopians, Eritreans, Chinese, Vietnamese, Cambodians,
Japanese, Philippinos, Mexicans and other Latin-born people, Middle Easterners
¾ all sorts of folks. I'm used to being one of the few white faces on
the block as I walk down the street. So that when I enter the room where my
sangha meets, I do not have the illusion that these mostly European American
people constitute the world, and I feel the inevitable distortion and loss in
this situation.
Our sangha friends who are people of color are asking us to join with them to
look at the assumptions, the settings, the requirements, the atmosphere in any
particular Buddhist environment, that may cause discomfort and feelings of alienation.
Let's do it! "Diversity work" is not a luxury, a side-issue, something
to tackle next year or maybe sometime. It is a way of opening our hearts right
now, of practicing metta on the ground where it's not always easy; it's a way
of integrating our practice and institutions into the society in which we find
ourselves, so that the Buddhist path can be available to all human beings who
may benefit from it.
April M. Chartrand
I came to this practice in 1993 under the training of (German) Ruth Denison
of Dhamma Dena Desert Vipassana Center in Joshua Tree, California. All of the
women participants there were white, European or European American. I was the
only woman of color in this 14 day silent retreat. I self identify as a tri-cultural
woman who is African, Cherokee and Irish. I did not think anything of it at
the time, but upon reflection, I was invisible and even an oddity to them. I
remember one woman who had trouble looking me directly in the eye during one
of our exercises. She turned beet red and her lips quivered during the exercise.
I don't think she had looked a person of color in the eye before. After I left
the retreat, I sat alone at home and though I tried to sit with other white
groups, it did not feel welcoming at all. I stopped my practice for 6 years
due to feeling invisible and not safe. The issue of racism was not discussed
in the Sangha in any manner.
One day, sometime around 1993 to 1995, I read a letter to the editor of the
Spirit Rock newsletter written by Jack Kornfield, in which he discussed the
issue of Racism and White Privilege. I wondered what was going to be done about
it.
Finally in 1999 I found the BOC (Buddhists of Color Sangha) and have been strong
in my practice ever since. I feel visible, appreciated, and honored as a person
of color. Most white Buddhists have not done their racial and white privilege
work and it really is hard to sit with them. This ignorance level is not acceptable
to me anymore. I can't deal and refuse to deal with them until they accept and
start doing their internal investigation.
Sincerely, April M. Chartrand
Cathy Cockrell
At a sangha retreat earlier this year, I had a powerful experience of how a
formal "practice" can help a sangha address hurts and be a stronger,
more inclusive community. Despite apprehensions, our sangha had decided to hold
a "beginning anew" ceremony, as developed by Thich Nhat Hanh, during
the retreat. In the first part of the ceremony (where people talk about things
they appreciate in other sangha members) a European-American man made a comment
about Cantonese as an "ugly" language, while another person praised
a heterosexual couple as her model of a good relationship among members of the
sangha.
In a later part of the beginning anew ceremony, participants are invited to
express past hurts. This gave me an opportunity to speak immediately to the
injury I felt in reaction to these two comments: the former in terms of my own
hopes for an inclusive and welcoming comminity, and the second (with more inarticulateness
and difficulty) on my own behalf as a member of a lesbian couple within the
sangha. The aftermath was powerful. A woman who grew up with Cantonese thanked
me strongly; she said she had felt strange at the time the Cantonese comment
was made, but had passed over it. Having someone else articulate her discomfort
was very affirming, she said. (I later learned that Cantonese was the first
language of another sangha member.) I had a good talk with the man who had made
the Cantonese comment, who felt quite remorseful, and felt close to him afterwards.
Several people were also very supportive around the gay issue: one validated
my dis-ease with the couples comment; another told me a story about his father
being gay; others thanked me.
What struck me about all this was that, however hard it felt to speak up, it
was infinitely easier because of the beginning anew practice, which afforded
a context in which to speak. I thought about the structure of many Buddhist
gatherings, and how hurts of many persuasions could go unspoken merely for lack
of a framework for a person ¾ whether a member of the target group or
an ally ¾ to do so without breaking protocol. At both retreats of our
sangha I have attended, we did beginning anew ceremonies. Both times I felt
some knots inside, as I think many others did in anticipation, and both times
I was very grateful, afterwards, that we had taken the risk.
---Cathy Cockrell, Oakland, California
On Being an Ally by Tova Green
Since I began sitting in the mid-'70s most of the practitioners and teachers
I met at retreats and in sanghas have been Euro-Americans. This has become a
source of increasing discomfort to me, a Euro-American, Jewish woman.
A few years ago, at a practice period at a Zen practice center, the single African-American
participant asked me to be her ally during the practice period. She wanted to
be able to talk with me if issues around racism arose for her. We met informally,
nearly every day in the time when talking was allowed. One day, one of the teachers
made a comment in his class that she thought stereotyped people of color. I
agreed, and thought the comment also stereotyped poor people. In a practice
discussion with the teacher I brought up how his comment had affected me. My
friend spoke with him too. In the next class he publicly apologized. I felt
that the incident was educational and empowering for all of us.
I would like my sangha to be more diverse racially and culturally. I think my
experience would be enriched as we would all have an opportunity to sit together,
learn about one another, and examine our assumptions about one another.
Personal Statement by Robin Hart
I want to practice with people like myself. I feel comfortable around nappy
hair and locks. Accented voices are soothing to me. Looking around at brown
and yellow faces, I feel at home. Some may believe this to be an advocation
of separatism. Quite the contrary. In most of my environments ¾ work,
school, and social ¾ I am the only African American present and, many
times, the only non-white. I would prefer more diversity, but that is my existence
at the present time. In my sangha, however, where I may reveal my innermost
feelings ¾ my joys, pains, and fears ¾ I want to feel safe, free,
and supported in a way that I don't yet feel within the dominant culture.
The racism of the larger society finds its way into sanghas. Although acknowledged,
its eradication is difficult. While people of color must, of necessity, move
beyond our comfort zones (and, therefore, evolve) in order to survive and thrive
as minorities in certain environments, there is no such impetus for Caucasians.
White people generally have no idea how it feels to be one among many, as most
can choose to function in all-white settings. Even in the most amenable environment,
a person of color may still have an awareness of being an "only."
For those raised among their own ethnic groups, adjustments and accommodations
must be made in order to blend in. One must always be conscious of one's speech
and mannerisms and the need to appear unthreatening. One's ethnicity must be
submerged or moderated.
I searched for a sangha where I could let down my guard, no matter how like
my own skin it had become. I found a group of women of color with whom I can
enhance my awareness of my/our Selves. The facilitators, Margarita Loinaz and
Marlene Jones Schoonover, teach through the use of appropriate texts and by
sharing their experiences on the Path. I know their stories, not because I have
lived their lives. I know on an empirical level, a tribal level, a spiritual
level, an ancestral level, and, perhaps, on an ancient memory level. We're of
One Mind.
I have been waiting to communicate with those who speak the same language as
I, who have walked or will walk my same road. I want to listen to my sistahs
whose lives are enjoined with my life through similar histories of oppression
and colonization, through family patterns of struggle and limitation, but whose
spirits yet rise again and again and again. I want to feel the strength of women
who find some ways out of no ways, who keep moving on, sometimes step by step,
inch by inch, going forward nevertheless. In the Group, we cry. We laugh. We
know, sistah, we know.
The day that I discovered the Women of Color Meditation Group, I found myself
in a room full of beautiful swans, just like me. There were Latinas, Africans,
and Asians. For months I had drifted, searching for a place where I would not
be treated as an ugly duckling. During my quests, I sought a refuge, a place
of peace where I would be welcomed and where I could feel safe. I dreamt of
a sangha where I would be among people like myself ¾ people whose stories
I understood and to which I related; people who, when I stated my pain, did
not fall silent or misunderstand or express guilt or denial. I wanted to be
around people who were willing to be vulnerable, as was I, in the hope that
this opening of oneself would lead to empowerment and healing.
For months after I began to practice Buddhism, I searched for a sangha in which
to find support and guidance. Often, I felt like a colorful presence amidst
a stark whiteness, treated with curiosity or disdain or simply ignored ¾
the latter being worse because I had no one to explain the rituals to me. On
one occasion, when the sitting ended, I remember walking out of the meditation
hall before the abbot. When I saw the look on his face, it occurred to me that
I had done something wrong; but, there had been no greeting, no smiles, no show
of friendship or loving-kindness whatsoever. There was no sense of peace or
joy. I did find sanghas which were "open to" integration and made
up of "progressive" people. In these communities, I was warmly greeted
and encouraged to participate. Nevertheless, I was the only one like me. In
a few sanghas, the dharma talk was not relevant to my experiences. As with any
situation, listening to others was educational, but I did not feel a bond or
connection with them.
The Women of Color Meditation Group is like a breath of fresh air to me. The
dharma talks are guided discussions about ways in which our practice can be
applied to the issues we face day after day, moment by moment. Women speak freely
and fully, knowing that their words and feelings will be acknowledged and that
they will receive support and words of wisdom. We can find solace in a womb
of warmth and friendship. The sharing of women Buddhists of color strengthens
and humbles me. The female energy is one of compassion and conciliation.
When we end the Sunday session, I feel calm and whole. Rejuvenated. Open. Light.
Encouraged. Empowered. I am committed to meditate more regularly. I gain new
tools to help me live my practice. I receive insight into myself and about others.
It is in the Women of Color Meditation Group that I find freedom of expression
and freedom to be who and what I am ¾ in all aspects of myself.
Robin Hart is an attorney and writer living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She
has an MA in Theology from the Pacific School of Religion, is a consulting editor
of Turning Wheel, and has published articles on Buddhism and racism.
The One-Hand-Clapping Black Zen Baptist by Connie Hilliard
It has been several years since that strange and powerful and beautiful insight
descended on me. I had been sitting on the meditation cushion for what seemed
like hours that particular morning. But of course the wall clock sadistically
colluded with reality in an insistence that less than fifteen minutes had gone
by. The discomforts ¾ an itching left nostril, an aching left thigh,
a mysterious pain in my right side (surely, my appendix was on the verge of
rupture!) ¾ were not merely physical. My distracted, wandering "monkey
mind" demanded to know what I as an African-American woman, raised in the
black Baptist tradition, was doing in this ridiculously un-Baptist zendo.
And then in that instant I saw, with a clarity beyond words, that I had indeed
come home. I understood, at the deepest level of my being, that the shouting,
musical vibrancy of the black church and the contemplative stillness of the
Zen monastery shared a remarkable family resemblance. Both emphasized the experience
of religion rather than its intellectual or theological constructs. For the
goal of these seemingly divergent traditions was not an intellectual one upsmanship
emanating from the disembodied thoughts and beliefs its trained theologians
might espouse. It was rather to bring its adherents to a healing, joyful place
of inner peace.
I have over the last several years come to appreciate the ways in which the
experience of these two traditions, while in some ways similar, rely on two
different states of consciousness. To accomplish its intended end, the black
church experience creates for its adherents an emotionally liberating communal
consciousness, employing the almost hypnotic rhythms of the pastor's intoned
sermons, the mechanisms of call and response, the vibrancy of spiritual and
gospel music. Zen, on the other hand, trains the individual to enter a state
of mindfulness. This practice has taught me to wake up truly to life, to leave
behind my fantasies for the future, and relivings of the past, in order to create
an accurate perception of the here and now. Having grown up in the Christian
tradition, I had learned how to get down on my knees to petition God in prayer.
But through the practice of "mindfulness" I now know how to create
the stillness of mind and body in my frenetic life, so that I can experience
that all-loving, and infinitely wise divine answer.
Connie Hilliard, Ph.D., Associate Professor of African History
University of North Texas, Denton, Texas
E-mail: connie@unt.edu
Personal Statement by Robert Horton
In Buddhism, mind is viewed as a series of discontinuous thoughts that arise
and pass away. Ego is that which denies the discontinuity and instead convinces
itself of a continuous self that has an ongoing identity. A lot of this convincing
is done through dualities or polarities. "I exist because there is other."
"I am this because I am not that." Our assumed identities have values
and belief systems, core issues, etc. A corollary of this ego/identity is that
we are separate from everything else-from people, from nature.
As we begin to examine the issue of race and to look closely at our white conditioning,
we will find a powerful polarity. The polarity of "good white person"
versus "bad racist person" is central to who we think we are. Imagine
two baskets ¾ one labeled "good white liberal Buddhist" the
other labeled "bad racist white supremacist." We definitely want to
see ourselves in the first basket.
Our white conditioning is a part of discontinuous arising of thought patterns
that we picked up though growing up in this culture. As children, we did not
choose to take this on. We merely absorbed from the environment, from our parents,
peers, media, nursery rhymes, language, stereotypes, stories. This conditioning
is how the white cultural ego defends itself against difference. Racism is not
necessarily about believing in the stereotypes. It is being steeped in the cultural
ego's fear of other, without even being aware how deeply it is in us.
As we challenge where we place ourselves in the two baskets, we threaten our
very identity. Ego becomes sneaky and we start squirming. We need to see ourselves
as "good" because we have hearts, we really do care. But as we become
more aware, as we begin to pierce the veil of ignorance, many difficult emotions
will come up and we may begin to feel "bad." At this point, if we
do not connect with our inherent sense of unconditioned goodness, we strengthen
ego by putting ourselves into the bad racist basket. So we must be willing to
stand in a bigger awareness, outside the two baskets, and provide much compassionate
space for our shame, guilt, etc. We need to feel these emotions completely while
touching in with our basic goodness as much as we can. Only that seems to get
us beyond the ego games. We can always do that. Just as in sitting practice
we can always return to the present, to our breathing, to our body sitting on
the earth. In this practice, we need to notice when we are trying to climb into
either basket. That is a central part of our investigation.
Buddhism in America simply has not turned the focus of awareness on race. This
says more about the subtle oppressiveness of our white conditioning in general
than it does about Buddhism. Things are left out, not noticed, avoided, ignored,
not mentioned, not spoken of, not seen. Differences are smoothed over. These
are the forms of white liberal racism.
Joel Kovel in his book White Racism: A Psychohistory lists two primary styles
of racism, one based on what happened historically in the South which he calls
"domination," and one based on the Northern way of life he calls "aversion
racism." The first is the direct acts of oppression ¾ slavery, Jim
Crow laws, overt discriminations, hate crimes, murders, rapes, etc. (Of course,
these acts have not been confined to the South.) With the victory of the Northern
way over the Southern, the second has become the primary and most insidious
ongoing form of racism. "Aversion racism" is how we avoid living in
neighborhoods with people of color, avoid having them for friends, avoid having
sex with them, marrying them, avoid knowing that they live in a different world,
avoid knowing anything about them. It is the racism of ignorance, of not seeing,
of being unaware. It is subtle. And it is everywhere. It is the way we unconsciously
create or manifest white environments, saying that all are welcome, but really
only being comfortable with those willing to act like us, talk like us and dress
like us. Then somehow we avoid even knowing that is what we are doing. Today,
most people think only of the first type of racism when they look for racism.
That in itself is an example of aversion. "Don't look here. It's those
awful people in Texas who drag black men behind their trucks. It isn't me. No,
not me."
How could you apply your particular practice to:
· Tracking down your white conditioning?
· Dealing with emotions that come up around race?
· Attempting to place yourself and others in either basket?
· Provide space for the pain that people of color experience through
racism?
· Provide space for the pain you and other white people experience participating
in
racism?
© 1999 Robert Horton
Taking the Path Together by Mushim Ikeda-Nash
In 1992 I was visiting a Buddhist friend, and saw a copy of Beneath a Single
Moon: Buddhism in Contemporary American Poetry (Shambhala Publications, 1991)
sitting on the table. Intrigued, I picked it up and scanned the table of contents
to see which American poets had been selected for inclusion in the anthology's
358 pages. I remember dropping the book as though it had burnt me. It was an
instinctive response, something I didn't even think about or try to explain
to myself at the time. After that I just purposefully forgot the book even existed.
It wasn't until three years later that I understood why I had been so shocked.
In the afterword of Premonitions: The Kaya Anthology of New Asian North American
Poetry (Kaya Production, 1995), editor Walter K. Lew writes that "the 45
American poets [in Beneath a Single Moon]
are all Caucasian, and the book
only mentions Asians as distal teachers, not as fellow members or poets of the
sangha
. When one considers the relative obscurity of some of the poets
included in the book, one wonders how it was possible not to have known of the
Buddhistic poetry of such writers as [Lawson Fusao] Inada, Al Robles, Garrett
Kaoru Hongo, Alan Chong Lau, Patricia Ikeda, and Russell Leong."
I felt such relief when I read that list of names, mine included. Yes, I thought,
we Asian American poets are here. Under the name Patricia Ikeda, I have become
known as one of the "pioneers" of Asian American poetry ¾ although
there would be no need of pioneers if Asian American poets had been accepted
as, simply, American poets, along with African American, Latino/Latina, etc.
poets. Of course, this may sound merely like sour grapes on my part, but it
is the complete exclusion of Asian American poets from Beneath a Single Moon
that still fills my heart with grief and pain.
Another incident occurred in the spring of 1998. I was invited to be a speaker
on a panel of "Asian and Asian American Women Buddhists" for the conference
on North American Buddhist Women. Since one of the conference's stated aims
was to especially welcome Asian American Buddhist women, I was nonplussed when
the program was printed and my name was not included on the list of presenters.
Although I am now convinced that this was simply disorganization, I inquired
into it, and in the process was assured by one of the conference's organizers,
a European American college professor, that I should not worry, because "many,
many Asian American women are coming ¾ Asian American women from Burma,
from Thailand, from Nepal ¾ "
"Excuse me," I broke in, "I'm confused! Are you talking about
Asian American women who are living in Burma and Thailand, and coming home at
the time of the conference?"
There was a silence on the other end of the phone. I was dismayed to realize
that this American college professor did not know that Asian Americans are
.
well, we're American. I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and though my grandparents
came from Japan, the only language I speak besides English is French. I've never
been to Japan.
Like many Asian Americans, I have been treated as an "other" my entire
life. Not accepted as being truly American in my own country, I also know I
would be extremely uncomfortable were I to visit Japan, where my American way
of speaking, dressing, even walking or making eye contact might seem improper
to the Japanese. Throughout my more than 30 years in the American midwest, I
have also been "invisibilized" ¾ a form of unconscious racism
in which people simply look past or through you ¾ and marginalized.
Things are much better now that I live in the Bay Area in California, and I'm
happy that my husband, who is white, and I are raising our son here. My married
name, Ikeda-Nash, reflects the combined heritages of our family; my husband
has changed his surname to Ikeda-Nash as well. And there's been progress in
the American mahasangha: a greater awareness of diversity issues is dawning
(brought forward in many instances by courageous gay, lesbian, and bisexual
Buddhists); healing racism in our sanghas work is being done in the Bay Area
and elsewhere; and teachers of color like Ralph Steele and European American
teachers identifying as allies are emerging. However, much of the journey still
lies before us. I hope we can all walk it together.
Charles Johnson
My name is Charles Johnson. I am 3/4 African American and 1/4 Native American.
Racism has had a negative impact on my participation in Buddhist groups. The
following two stories will hopefully provide insights into my experience. Both
relate to incidents that occurred at a recent retreat.
TEACHER DISRESPECT
In a recent retreat a teacher for whom I have a lot of respect was very disrespectful
to me. This teacher asked me about discussing sometime in the future, my involvement
in a training program that will be starting later this year. I enthusiastically
informed him that I was very interested in pursuing it. He ignored my comment
and proceeded to comment about us talking in the future. Thinking he had not
heard me, I again informed him of my interest and noted that I had discussed
this program with one of the current participants and was very, very interested
in pursuing it. He ignored me again. Why? I assumed it was because of my apparent
eagerness, so I sent him a note (talking was limited at the retreat) noting
I must appear like an anxious puppy, but my interest was genuine. He never responded
to my note. Why? Whatever his reasons, he treated me like a non-person.
At the beginning of the retreat participants have to provide personal information
on a form. Some of this information is a description of our current practice.
I have been meditating a long time, more than 14 years. My current practice
also includes Yoga and Tai Chi. Although we have never discussed it, my impression
on a very deep visceral level is that this teacher believes that I am not telling
the truth about my practice. Why? I do not know. Are my feelings real? I do
not know that either, but they are very strong. Do I think this teacher is a
racist? No, not in the slightest. I think I have a lot to learn from this person.
However, I do think that as a product of our American culture, his view of African
Americans is jaded. I think that on some level he realizes that. I also think
that he has some perceptions of me, which he believes are accurate. I very much
believe those perceptions are influenced by my race.
During the retreat, this teacher made a very impassioned and heartfelt comment
about an African American baby's life being negatively impacted as a result
of the color of his/her skin. Although I agree with his point, the approach
is like saying someone was killed because they were in the way of a speeding
bullet. In my view, a more accurate comment, and one that puts the responsibility
where it lies, would have been that the baby's future would be negatively impacted
by the racist and bigoted attitudes of some white Americans and the institutions
they have developed.
KITCHEN HELPER JOB
At this retreat each participant was assigned a work meditation job. There were
6 food preparation jobs each morning. Four of these were as "veggie choppers"
the other two were called "angels". All 6 were to get the veggie choppers
set up at the beginning of the work period. Then the veggie choppers had to
find out how the cook wanted the veggies chopped based on the meal to be prepared.
The angels were assigned whatever the cook needed done in the kitchen that day.
On the morning of the third day of the retreat, the preliminary work was done,
and I asked the cook what she wanted the angels to do. She immediately started
verbally attacking me, not only by the words used but the tenor of her voice
and scowl on her face. She was saying that by now I should know what my job
is and should be working with the others on my team and should not have to ask
her what to do...etc. etc. At that point, not wanting to get into an argument,
I left and went over to the table with the veggie choppers. The other angel
followed suit. The cook soon joined the six of us at the veggie-chopping table
and began chastising the entire group. Her words literally made no sense, especially
to the others since they were not aware of the earlier event. At one point,
stumbling over her words, she paused long enough for one of the veggie choppers
to ask her what she was talking about. She responded by saying, "I am not
doing a very good job of this am I?" and apologized. She then proceeded
to tell us that we should be able to get things set up by now and started telling
us where the cutting boards and other materials were. At the conclusion of her
diatribe she proceeded to show the veggie choppers how to cut the food and then
took the other angel and me into the kitchen to show us what she wanted us to
do.
One of the choppers was Oriental, the rest of the kitchen helpers and the cook
were European American. Was this incident racially motivated? That is how I
took it. Had the cook opened her eyes, she would have seen that all of the preliminary
work had been done well ahead of any of her angry words. And at the conclusion
of her words she proceeded to do what I had asked in the first place. So why
the angry words? Later, when she addressed the entire group I believe she did
so only to give the impression that I was not being singled out for this ridicule.
It was a vain attempt. Could this event have been motivated by other circumstances?
That is also possible. Everyone has bad days. This was a very minor incident.
However, it was hurtful. It kept me awake for a while every night for the rest
of the retreat. At one point I was going to ask for a job outside of the kitchen.
Each night I kept asking myself how the situation could have been handled in
a more skillful manner that would have helped her and me.
What's Your Name Again?
Is Refuge for Everyone? by Diana Lion
A friend of mine recently went to his first all-day session of meditation practice
at a dharma centre on the East Coast. He was supposed to meet his buddy ¾
a long-time dharma practitioner ¾ at the door before sitting the day
together. Unfortunately on this particular day the friend was sick and needed
to cancel. So my friend entered the centre alone. He was nervous, as most of
us were when we first started out. While standing in line to enter, he noticed
that the woman doing registration smiled at each participant ahead of him and
checked their name off on a list. However when his turn came, she looked at
him and asked him his name three times and whether he was sure he was in the
right place ¾ even though he was on the pre-registered list. My friend
felt unwelcome and left ¾ hurt, angry, and disappointed. It had taken
courage to attend that meditation day. As a former drug user it took all the
remaining courage he had to stop himself from going off to get high to numb
the old familiar pain.
Maybe you have guessed by now that my friend is African American. He happens
to be a large man ¾ 6'5" tall. He also happens to be a scientist,
former professor in an accredited school, and son of a judge. He doesn't fit
any of the stereotypes ¾ either in the black or white communities. He
is someone I have known for several years, and whose presence is a blessing
in my life.
I am a Canadian woman who has lived in the U.S. for the last 20 years. I have
been deeply saddened by the wounds that racism has created in both of these
countries. There are the obvious devastating ones: the broken lives, families
and communities shattered by the individual and systemic race dynamics which
weave through all areas of life. And of course all the messages of personal
failure ¾ the opposite of knowing our Buddha nature ¾ which people
internalize as small children. These messages often continue to colonize people's
minds even after they "make it". I see this in some of the black members
of my own family, as well as the members of my (Latino) ex's extended family.
The latter and I remain close, and the pain of watching my step kids maneuver
around the racist incidents of everyday life is heart wrenching. It's hard enough
to grow up without extra pain
When my friend walked in the door of that dharma centre, and had the interaction
I described above, he and the white woman registrar were not only acting as
individuals. Because of the imbalance in the race demographics of western "convert"
sanghas, they were each also (perhaps unknowingly) representatives of larger
groups. The interaction happened between a representative of an institution
that had been perceived as a place of refuge and someone perceived as a potentially
threatening black man. The quality of the welcome was the symbolic gateway to
contact with this new place. A suspicious, rather than warm, welcome not only
harms the individual interaction: it harms the greater notion we hold together
of refuge. We give out the message that refuge is offered for some, but not
for everyone.
And of course there's another toll that racism takes. That is the toll on us
"white folks". I hear some of my white friends' guilt and shame about
not having any friends of colour. And I can sense the contraction in them around
that pain. I remember feeling that in my chest and the pit of my stomach when
I first emigrated here from Canada: the fear of not wanting to say something
that was politically incorrect, and the fear of being criticized. As someone
who is dedicated to social change I hold a strong value around inclusion, but
I wondered how I could connect with people so different from myself. In Canada,
I had had a few friends of colour, but the race issues there had a different
flavour from what was happening in the States. However, I didn't want to stop
with the helplessness: I felt determined to go deeper into this inquiry.
As I sat over and over with the tightness inside I realized that it covered
various broken parts of my past ¾ and shreds of images floated up. Remembering
being left out in the schoolyard ¾ the hollow bewilderment of that experience
of being banished from circles where I wanted to be. Feelings of being frozen
and tongue-tied in the face of jeering classmates ¾ who were not even
jeering at me. Remembering the smallness I felt, as I was silent when they made
fun of another girl; and how relieved I felt that it wasn't me. And how ugly
I felt that I was too afraid to stand up for her and risk the same treatment
for myself. Remembering comments trusted adults had made about "those people",
and the internal editing and choosing I had had to do in order to keep my now-tarnished
trust for those adults intact.
Each of these old experiences had resulted in some disconnect from my heart,
and an intensifying of my sense of "outsiderness". I was then able
to use this trail of disconnections as a path toward connecting with various
friends of colour who had experienced their own disconnections.
As I continued, I also noticed the overall brokenness in so many "white"
people's sense of their own ethnicity, heritage and stories. In a class I co-led
for white people unlearning racism about 10 years ago, I noticed that the only
European Americans in the class with some sense of joy around their particular
heritage were the Jewish participants. As a Jew myself, I have realized that
the more I am able to connect with my own culture the more a sense of wholeness
emerges. In fact Buddhist practice has actually deepened my appreciation and
connection to my Jewish heritage. So, in addition to the previously mentioned
commonality of disconnection, I have also been able to use my sense of deepened
connection with my roots to connect with friends of colour.
It is important to me to diversify our sanghas ¾ but not out of a sense
of political correctness, which seems to be a synonym these days for disconnected
guilt, shame, and obligation. Rather, I want to walk my (dharma) talk and sit
the way I live: trusting in the interdependence of all things (including all
cultures and beings) and knowing that the wholeness we seek comes from including
all the pieces of the beautiful mosaic of life. Sangha is a true refuge and
place of rejoicing for me when it includes the richness of the many cultures
of my Canadian and American friends.
Diana Lion is the Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Prison Project,
and a woman of Jewish European heritage.
Lori Pierce
Everyone must be on the same page. This means understanding our fundamental
dysfunction re race in this country. The current media vogue is to construe
racism as something neo-Nazis, skinheads or other marginal bigots do. This absolves
the rest of us from taking responsibility not just for individual acts of discrimination
and bias on a daily basis, but for the ways in which White supremacy reinforces
and guarantees White skin privilege. Racism in the U.S. is not primarily about
individual acts of ill will. One can be benign, neutral, open, accepting and
friendly to people of color and still be participating in the perpetuation of
racism in this country merely by not actively working against racial hierarchies.
A good working definition of racism comes from Michael Omi and Howard Winant's
Racial Formation in the United States. There, they argue that racial projects
"create or reproduce structures of domination based on essentialist categories
of race." All White people need to understand the multiple ways in which
institutions in this country reproduce structures of domination in this country
that are harmful, dehumanizing, or downright dangerous to people of color.
White people must make a commitment to working against racism on a daily basis.
We all must be as committed to anti-racist work as we are to our daily practice.
In fact, I believe that for American Buddhists, being committed to anti-racist
work must be our daily practice. Our country is so fundamentally dysfunctional
with regard to race, racism and racial ideologies that we no longer recognize
the degree to which it structures and influences our daily life. This is especially
true for White people who enjoy privileges and unearned advantages on a daily
basis, and therefore effectively discriminate against people of color. It is
not enough to be sorry or to go out of your way to smile and be friendly. Racism
is not about personal feelings and therefore anti-racist work requires that
we move beyond feelings and emotion to action and advocacy. We must constantly
be vigilant and speak out about the root causes of prejudice and discrimination
¾ racial structuring based on White supremacist beliefs and practices
in our institutions.
White people must educate themselves about these issues. Racism in the United
States is now and always has been a White problem, and therefore it is incumbent
on White people to talk amongst themselves about how they propose to solve this
problem. Waiting for people of color to enter White spaces in order to educate
White people about their blindness to racism is arrogant, patronizing and disrespectful.
Feminists have, for years, called men to task for not taking responsibility
for dismantling patriarchy. The same is true for the responsibility White people
must take for dismantling racial hierarchies.
Reading:
Michael Omi/Howard Winant. Racial Formation in the United States.
Ruth Frankenberg. White Women Race Matters.
Noel Ignatiev. Race Traitor.
Toni Morrison. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness and the Literary Imagination.
George Lipsitz. The Possessive Investment in Whiteness.
Michelle Fine. Off White: Readings on Race, Power and Society.
Lori Pierce completed her doctorate in American Studies at the University of
Hawai`i at Manoa and has been appointed the Owen Dunston Visiting Professor
of History at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Indiana. Her research and writing
focus on the intersection of race, religion, and ethnicity in the United States
and Hawai`i.
Tending the Well, Sharing the Water by Canyon Sam
I had just returned to the States after a year in China, Tibet, and India, where
I studied dharma and lived and worked in Tibetan communities.
I started going to a Monday night sit an hour's drive north of San Francisco
in a small church. One night the lead teacher brought up the topic of sangha.
We left each Monday night to return to jobs, homes, families, but how might
we stay in touch and help each other as a sangha on a more continuous basis,
he asked. He looked out over the dozens and dozens of yogis, mostly Euro-Americans,
cross-legged on their cushions on the church auditorium floor till hands popped
up. Carpooling, one yogi said. Caring for the homeless on Fourth Street, another
offered. Getting involved with the local AIDS program, helping the victims of
last winter's mudslides in Corte Madera, said others.
"Yes, we need a sense of engagement and purpose as a community. Any more
ideas?"
Though I was nervous to be around these people: they were all white and upper
middle class, I knew I had to say something. I mean, I had just spent a year
living in Buddhist Asia, the birthplace of this practice, and these countries
were some of the poorest on the face of the earth. I raised my hand and spoke
up.
I mentioned the exciting, historic convening of the first ever international
conference on Buddhist nuns two months earlier, the appalling condition of refugee
Tibetan nuns. How nuns were fleeing religious and political persecution in Tibet,
and daring for the first time, after meeting nuns from other countries, to dream
that they could obtain educations. Historically nuns were taught to memorize,
and do menial chores, while monks were taught to read and debate and study.
We could start a sponsorship program that would provide basic education and
literacy. $20 a month is not much, but it stretches far in India. It would be
the chance for Tibetan nuns to read and study dharma for the first time in history.
The teacher rose off his cushion, waving his arms to cut me off with thin-veiled
agitation. He took the floor again, steering the conversation to the local community,
something that affected our own lives. It was precisely because since returning
to the States I realized how self-absorbed Americans were that I thought this
thriving sangha would like to build bridges with struggling Buddhist communities
in Asia. After all, they were drawing from the well, shouldn't they be caring
for it? The county we were sitting in was the richest county in California,
and one of the wealthiest in the nation. Twenty dollars seemed not a lot of
skin off their noses.
Another man broke in addressing the teacher by his first name:
"I think I understand what you mean. We can help each other, like in the
days when farming families held barn raisers. The whole community got involved.
Some things you can't do alone, everybody's gotta pitch and work together. Like,
I've got a patio project I've been putting off for months, got the bricks and
everything. The sangha could come over some Sunday, we could order pizza, and
people could help lay the brick patio around my swimming pool. We could have
fun with it. Make it a day."
The teacher broke in more strenuously and segued into a rap about how the community
was getting cramped here and some of them had been looking for land. Soon the
figure one point two million dollars tumbled out of his mouth.
Opening up the dialogue to the sangha was just his way, I suppose of trying
to get the need to arise from the masses themselves, but it didn't quite work.
I had cajoled a friend to accompany me that evening. She was, like me, Asian
American, a lesbian, and worked in the building trades. It was a step up from
her small town upbringing in the central valley where her parents owned a small
corner grocery. I had been trying to get her interested in Buddhist meditation,
so I could have a buddy to do teachings with. It was everything I could do to
keep her from bolting to the car. On the ride home she exclaimed that she labored
on rich peoples' houses during the week for a living, why would she want to
do it on the weekend "for fun"? Those
people with swimming pools in Marin feeling sorry for themselves were not in
any way, shape, or form her community. She was never going back and come to
think of it wasn't as interested in learning to meditate as she thought.
Many years later, after His Holiness won the Nobel Peace Prize and Tibet gained
more popularity this same teacher became very interested in Tibet. Every other
sentence referred to the Dalai Lama saying this and such in Dharamsala, or Tibet
something or other. Posters appeared on the community bulletin board sponsoring
events benefiting or involving Tibet or Tibetans.
It was like Columbus discovering America.
Larry Saxxon
The Buddha's awakening entailed experiencing life and its interconnected parts
as simply that which... is at its both bare and complex essence. As such, he
consciously moved (through both his Teachings and his behavior) against the
Brahman's posture of ranking, discriminating, and judging people based on their
outer appearances, gender, and social ranking et. al. Thus, he simply BECAME
and LIVED TRUTH
The Buddha was in short, socially engaged, and through his actions, revolutionary.
Change through kindness and love.
What have Westerners learned from this unchanged initial revelation??? Nothing
Many of the dominant practitioners in the West, the majority of whom happen
to be of European descent, have cloaked themselves in the outer covering of
the Dharma without going through the complete transformation process. Because...the
onion/Path has a multiplicity of soothing and beautiful layers.
There are layers of change which far surpass the initial "Pop Culture Buddhism"
which seems to be the prevailing hegemony in the West. The first few layers
are simply seduction and immobility....non-spiritual growth; even iatragenic
in many instances ...harmful
How anyone can come to intimately KNOW THE PATH and not, through their innermost
actions, become also a social revolutionary...begs the question of Dharma. You
suffer...I suffer...we suffer because there is no real disconnects between us.
Selectively practicing the Path is simply a non-option. As has been stated in
the Zen Path...You either DO...or YOU DO NOT DO...You DO NOT TRY...YOU DO NOT
PONDER!
Ironically, the Western application of the Dharma has again placed the people
of color, those who are not male gender, those who are not heterosexual, and
those who seem Different... in the oft visited position of having to diagnose,
prescribe the course of treatment, and most sadly of all...PROVE the state of
the social pathology.
Many of us grow tired of having to delude the child with softness, comfort and
patience while attempting to heal the child's illness in addition to mitigating
and remediation of the social, environmental and spiritual damage that such
a powerful child creates in the connected existence. Because the child does
not know, from deep within, that all actions, thoughts and volition are external
on such a large scale...the child simply continues to play the game of Behaviors
By Rights of Entitlement.
As it is difficult to not despise the beginner...it is so with this dangerous
child. Only the Path allows a clear vision of the child sitting in its own waste...and
sadly...laying waste
Dharma...Whose Dharma???.....
The very moment in which one dares to assume the right to ask the "who"
...one has immediately missed the entire Path.
The onion is so very much deeper...starvation occurs on the outer layers only
...........................GO DEEPER...go deeper go deeper; and, we all go with
you...
Metta, Larry Saxxon
Vietnamese American Thoughts on Being a Buddhist in America by T. Liên
Shutt
To begin with, I will clarify that my intellectual understanding of Buddhism
is recent, based upon some book knowledge and almost two years of (mostly) regular
sitting meditation. I was, however, born a Buddhist into a Buddhist society.
Therefore, this essay is, on one level, a personal exploration of what Buddhism
means just to me. However, on another level, I offer these thoughts not only
as a means to explain myself but because I know that my experience is part of
a larger experience of Asians/Pacifics and Asian/Pacific Americans living in
America who are, or want to be, practicing Buddhism with a community/sangha.
One commonality that many Asians/Pacifics in America share is a family history
of Buddhism. Myself, I was born in Saigon in the mid-1960s. I was raised by
a single mother. Though temple visits were not a regular practice, I still have
vivid memories of my mother lighting long sticks of incense and bowing before
an altar. At the age of eight, I was adopted by Caucasian Americans and have
since lived in American cultural settings. As part of my "Americanization,"
I was baptized and raised as a Presbyterian.
Though there are some similarities between Christian/American and Buddhist/Vietnamese
values, these were not felt by me as I was growing up. One American value, which
I never could understand, is the need to have everything legalized and written
down: "signed, sealed, and delivered" is the expression, I believe.
I have always had a deep sense of Right Speech through the Asian cultural value
of honestly and truthfulness. A person's word is obviously not worth much in
the Caucasian American culture, was my thinking.
As mentioned above, I have not "practiced" Buddhism for very long;
that is to say, in the "American Buddhism" definition. That is, I
have not sat in meditation for very long. I have wanted to for a long time.
I remember talking about meditation with a friend in college in 1983 but the
only meditators we saw in North Dakota were White ones. When I moved to San
Francisco four years ago, I lived down the street from a Zen center but once
again, I was daunted because of its Whiteness. Yes, one can say that if my spirituality
was sufficiently strong enough or devout enough, I would have persisted better.
There is truth to this. There is also truth to the fact that, as a person of
color, joining a mostly White group is always daunting, especially as meditation
encourages one to touch and learn to expose one's essential self.
On top of that, as a Vietnamese American, learning from White people teachings
that I knew in my bones as having roots in my childhood in Vietnam, was hard
to work through. Though there are strong Vietnamese Buddhist communities and
many temples within the Bay Area, because I have lost my native Vietnamese,
due to well-learned acculturation, I cannot attend these temples. This is ironic
to me.
I would theorize that this is also true of many Asian/Pacifics and Asian/Pacific
Americans. Therefore, my request is that the communities, which call themselves
"American Buddhists," make space for people like me/us. As I see it,
"American Buddhism" is made up of non Buddhist born members who went
to different Asian countries in the late '60s and early '70s, learned from Asian
teachers there who, within Buddhist traditions, generously shared their understanding
and love of the Dharma teachings and practices. I am not calling for the stopping
of such exchanges. Love, compassion, and kindness are values that we all can
use more of in our lives. However, by keeping sanghas and retreat centers most
comfortable for and accessible to only/mostly European Americans or those who
have best assimilated those values, "American Buddhism" remains, in
my eyes, yet another act of appropriation, taken from Asian cultures and used
to exclude Asian/Pacific Islander people.
I know that some of my words may be strong. Always, my hope is towards Right
Speech. I hope that I have done that here. I bow deeply to all. Metta. ---T.
Liên Shutt
My name is T. Liên Shutt. I am an American of Vietnamese ancestry. I have
been a caretaker of the Buddhists of Color (BOC) Sangha (Bay Area, California)
almost from the beginning of its inception. While there are many reasons that
bring people to the BOC, as a caretaker, I feel that my greatest responsibility
is to hold space for the Sangha. To provide a refuge for all people of color
and mixed-race people.
Thich Nhat Hanh in his book The Heart of the Buddha's Teachings, wrote that
the Buddha in his last months of life taught that the Three Jewels are in all
of us: "Take refuge in yourself, not in anything else. In you are Buddha,
Dharma, and Sangha" (p. 163). However, in relation to Sangha, Thich Nhat
Hanh also tells this Vietnamese story and teaching:
when a tiger leaves his mountain and goes to the lowlands, he will be
caught by humans and killed. When a practitioner leaves her Sangha, she may
abandon her practice and "die" as a practitioner. Practicing with
a Sangha is essential (p. 164).
Therefore, just as Enlightenment is possible to all of us but needs mindful
practice for its cultivation, the Three Jewels are in us all, yet need the environment
of a Sangha for the possibility of their expression.
For many people of color and mixed-race people, because of our individual and
collective histories of disenfranchisement, the need to find Refuge in a sangha
is especially important. While each of us work towards the ability to be safe
and free wherever we find ourselves in this present world, having a place that
validates our essential being on a racial, ethnic, and cultural front is a necessary
step in the process. It is my hope as a caretaker, that the Buddhists of Color
Sangha is such a place. A place in which all people of color and mixed-race
people can rest on our path towards individual and collective Enlightenment.
Triscuit Wagner
My name is Triscuit Wagner and I am a 36 year old, white, queer man. I feel
racial and ethnic diversity is very important for our sanghas. First, the dharma
needs to be accessible to as many people as possible, so that individuals can
decide for themselves whether it is something that appeals to them. In order
to accomplish this, I think sanghas need to be multi-cultural in their approach.
Allowing people of color and all ethnicities to have their interpretations of
the dharma and how it is relevant to them culturally is important. I believe
it would be unkind and unaware to assume that a white interpretation of the
dharma is going to be appropriate for a clear understanding by non-whites. I
recently attended the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, and Transgendered retreat at Spirit
Rock and left with a very clear feeling and sense of why it is important for
me to practice with the queer community. I believe we all have a fundamental
need to be mirrored by others from our community. Through this mirroring I am
able to have more access to my heart and ultimately compassion, and I also feel
safer and more at ease. I imagine racial/ethnic groups must experience something
similar when they practice culturally relevant dharma.
I appreciate the opportunity to express my views on this subject.
May all beings be happy
May all beings live with ease and in balance
May all beings be liberated
Sincerely, Triscuit Wagner
No Color In the Room: A Question of Skillful Means by angel Kyodo williams, ZPO (Zen Peacemaker Order)
My name is angel Kyodo williams and I am a student of Pat Enkyo O'Hara,
Sensei of the Village Zendo in NYC. Enkyo was a student of both Maezumi Roshi
and Bernie Glassman Roshi. I have, with support of Enkyo Sensei, written a book
that introduces Buddhist/Zen principles to people of color, particularly black
folks.
The book, Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace
will be published by Viking this Fall. The publisher has been very generous
and supportive and I expect that by nature of its being a major publisher, the
publicity campaign will naturally pique interest in buddhist practice across
the board.
I came to write this book originally because I felt so discouraged that I do
not see more people of color practicing within sanghas. Even in my own sangha,
where I know my teacher to be open and accepting of everyone that comes, I am
still the only consistent black practitioner after 3 years. I believe that this
phenomenon goes beyond mere face-to-face racism and is indicative of a larger
problem that must be addressed. Like the dharma, it is both very subtle and
very profound.
As the publisher of eDharma.com ( http://www.edharma.com/?POC ) I field many
different questions about why people of color are left standing on the outside
door to practice of the buddhadharma, particularly when it comes to schools
other than Nichiren Shoshu, such as Zen, Tibetan, and Vipassana.
While I understand some of the reasoning behind not allowing non-teachers to
participate directly in this conference, it is my sincere hope that the organizers
will see that it is this type of methodology that continues to perpetuate the
problem as it stands. By this, I mean that it is so apparent that people of
color will not be well-represented in this forum because there are so few of
them that are recognized teachers, the matter of racism within the sanghas has
the potential to become yet another discussion of 'them' (people of color) by
'us' (teachers, by nature of the circumstances, not of color) that does not
bear witness to the reality of the situation and instead casts it off as words
and ideas.
I thought to suggest that any conference on Buddhism in America and/or the West
is severely lacking without proper attention to the glaring matter of No Color
In The Room, but it seems the issue didn't gain attention or cache early enough.
We continue to stoke the fires of elitism within this practice by focusing attention
over and over again on a relative few "superstar" teachers whose schedules
are so busy they are booked for these gatherings two years in advance, thereby
shutting out the possibility of receiving any one or any thing new. I say this
with sincere respect for the gift of their practice and teaching. At the same
time, is this what we want to be our Way? The same names presented everywhere
we go because that is what will draw and people will pay for? Each of those
people morphing into experts on the subject du jour for as long as they continue
to pull those that can pay $65 for a one day retreat.
Very Western, indeed.
In all honesty, it would have been most prudent to create a special forum in
which non-teachers would be permitted to join in this discussion just for the
sake of balanced representation. I am of the mind that special matters deserve
special action. Is this not what is meant by skillful means? At this rate, it
will be a little while still before a representative number of people of color
(non-Asian) become teachers, yet the problem to be dealt with has not waited
and demands attention in this very moment, right now.
For how much longer will a large gathering of non-people of color sit about
the table reading Our words and talking about what ought to be done about Us
without Our being invited into and encouraged to be in the room?
There is a passage in the last chapter of the book in which I speak directly
to Buddhist America, appealing to them to insist on diversity of their sanghas
to be a main priority. (I realize we have dharma centers located in places in
which there is a rare person of color to be found.)
I feel sure that this small passage, my own story and the book itself as a resource
presented to the conference would be beneficial to the understanding of the
question of race and Buddhist practice in the West.
Personal statement by Lewis Woods
For some time, it has appeared to me that the culture of the predominantly White,
convert sanghas (in which I, as an African American, have practiced) is deeply
marked by the experience of Whites from the '60s counterculture ¾ an
experience that differs greatly from that of most African Americans. As I understand
it, the civil rights movement represented an extension of traditional Black
culture, no doubt energized by the youth, but deeply connected with and rooted
in the heritage of resistance to white supremacy inherited from previous generations.
With respect to Black communities it would be absurd to speak of a "counterculture"
in the 1960s. By contrast (and at the risk of over generalization), the White
counterculture (activists, hippies, and enlightenment seekers) was marked by
rejection of, and rebellion against, the mainstream, and a stereotypically American
desire to start over.
The segmentation implicit in the countercultural rejection of the mainstream
has had the result that many Buddhist centers seldom have much of an organic
connection with a community beyond the walls of the center. In a number of cases,
in fact, they resemble colonies of White culture situated in predominantly African
American communities where real estate values are lower than average. Convert
Buddhist centers tend to exemplify the lifestyle-enclaves discussed by Robert
Bellah et al. in Habits of the Heart. (See Bellah et al., 1985; p. 72.)
Compare your "average" convert Buddhist center with your "average"
Black church in the U.S. In the church one will often hear sermons about political
races, police brutality, or public education ¾ issues that affect not
just members of the church but members of the larger Black Community. In the
Buddhist centers, on the other hand, such topics are rarely the subject of a
Dharma talk and when they are the speaker almost has to apologize for straying
from the main purpose of the practice.
Black churches tend overwhelmingly to be embedded in larger communities. They
are structured so as to mitigate the effects of individualism with an organic
social engagement borne of the concrete situation of the members of the churches.
Predominantly White convert Buddhist communities, however, tend more to resemble
clubs, enacting a sort of corporate individualism in which the center is as
alienated from public life as any 1960s commune was from mainstream society.
Thus, for Black folks, joining a predominantly White convert Buddhist sangha
entails an immigration of sorts ¾ a cultural border crossing into a land
that is unsupportive of Black individuals and communities (to put it mildly).
These convert sanghas are also thoroughly disconnected from the public concerns
that members of Black communities cannot help but bring with them, given the
position of African Americans in the American racial hierarchy.
My hope, therefore, is that we will not view increasing diversity as a simple
matter of assimilating African Americans and other people of color into existing
centers as they are. Rather, I hope that we will seek ways to make the Dharma
available to African American communities in an appropriate cultural and social
idiom.
Personal Statement by Larry Yang
Practicing as a person of color in almost exclusively euro-american sanghas
is difficult and often painful. The teachings describe that there is no hierarchy
of pain or dukkha. However, I have found that when issues of race, class, oppression,
discrimination, insensitivity, or not-being-seen arise in practice, people of
euro-american descent generally are not aware of the complexities, are not sensitive
to the issues, and cannot relate to the feelings. While this may not involve
spiritual hierarchy, it does involve an interdependent experience of different
kinds of suffering. This is especially important because the vast majority of
western Buddhist teachers are caucasian. Thus, as a practitioner of color, I
often do not get meaningful guidance in this area of identity formation and
ego solidity, and how it relates to the Dharma. I do not hear Dharma stories
that are similar to my own experiences. And I do not hear an interpretation
of the Dharma that reflects non-euro-american experiences, values, and norms.
While one's response to these conditions may shift as practice lengthens, this
is a serious problem for beginning practitioners of color. Therefore, it is
an obstacle to accessing the teachings.
Several experiential examples come to mind.
1. For years, I walked into the sangha where I sit, and was extremely uncomfortable;
no one said hello; no one said anything to me, except to ask for dana; and no
one expressed the hope that I would return. Whenever I walk into a space in
which I am the only person of color, it becomes a statement (this is out of
my control; the statement "becomes" all by itself). It was a statement
to which this sangha was completely oblivious. This kind of denial further exacerbates
obstacles to practice and affects how accessible I perceive the invitation into
the Dharma. The idea of "invitation" is so crucial when approaching
communities outside of the perceived mainstream. "Invitation" has
very important cultural meaning and significance. Often, people who have been
marginalized (whether due to race, orientation, class or other disenfranchisement)
experience rejection, at best, and often abuse when walking into a space uninvited.
Many of us have learned and been conditioned, not to go where the invitation
is not explicitly given. Even when there is consent for inclusion, if it is
silent, the consent is not experienced by those who need to be included.
2. For the feelings that arise from situations like the above, there is usually
not the effort made nor concern expressed by teachers to guide a practitioner
of color. In one metta retreat, teachers ignored my written request for help
around being only one of three people of color in a room of ninety. In an extended
retreat, a teacher would not read aloud my question about diversity during a
Q&A session. My personal experience is that most caucasian teachers will
ignore the issues, focus the attention back onto my practice and my response
and my attachment to ego/identity, or ask me to drop my baggage at the door,
and just talk about my practice. I have experienced all these situations and
know that all of these strategies can deepen practice, and in fact all of these
have deepened my practice. But I also know in my body and my heart that there
are other ways to address hindrances and to present the Dharma.
3. Western convert sanghas have yet to create a safe container to absorb and
process the volatile emotions that arise when diversity issues get raised. Practice
containers have been created for the difficult and extreme emotions that arise
around sexual abuse and betrayal, gender discrimination and inequality, and
even abuse or violations by teachers. But I was told in one interview that "This
is not the place to process this issue. That is why there are diversity committees
and people of color retreats." I would respond that as long as the issue
is kept separate (as in "over there," in a committee or segregated
retreat or isolated program), people will feel separate and therefore will be
separate. It is commonly described by teachers that every single issue will
arise on the cushion. And yet, this seems to be one issue that does not receive
assistance or guidance when it appears. There also seems to be confusion between
the act of naming the nature of a condition and blaming a specific source. There
are times that I have been treated as if I was blaming someone or the group,
when I was merely stating the nature of an experience. There is an important
difference.
Pain around the separation caused by identity issues, be they of race, class,
gender, or sexual orientation, has not ameliorated simply because we are in
a spiritual community with the best intentions. Intention is a sacred place
to begin and apply our practice; and intention is a painful place to end, if
no movement arises from that practice. Most faith communities in North America
are still self-segregating. If Buddhist sanghas wish to have different karma
than this, it will require more than merely not being "against" oppression
and racism. It will require more than just being "for" diversity.
It will require a joyous involvement and effort from all of our collective beingness.
For me, in that shared beingness and movement is the possibility to transcend
this dukkha.
Personal Statement by Rosa Zubizarreta
I share my story with you, for whatever benefit it may bring to all sentient
beings.
My name is Rosa, and part of my experience includes being born in Peru to a
Peruvian working-class father and a Cuban middle-class mother, and immigrating
to this country when I was eight years old.
Another part of my experience includes being a voracious student of world religions
from a very young age, with a particular interest in Eastern religions.
As a light-skinned Latina woman, raised in this country, I don't look identifiably
different from your typical "Western" sangha member. If I wanted to
do so, I could "pass" for white; as such, I know I carry the privilege
of not being an identified target of unaware and/or racist behavior. I am also
aware of many of the other privileges (as well as lack of privilege) that I
have experienced in my life.
At the same time, I feel keenly the pain that my invisibility brings. Regardless
of whether you treat me as "part of the group", there is in general
little space in Western sanghas for who I am (in a relative sense, of course)
to be seen, let alone welcomed. Because of my experience, I am also conscious
of how many other "hidden diversities" are present in the sangha,
how many others also do not feel truly seen.
It feels too facile to be told that my culture, my life experience, my family,
my language, do not matter, are not "who I really am". This is especially
true since the "difference" that I bring to my study and practice
of buddhism has made me highly aware of how much our understanding and "view"
is influenced by who we are, by the "lenses" that we ourselves bring
to the teachings and the practice.
I don't believe that ANY group has a monopoly on truth. I'd love to contribute
to an on-going exploration of how our many diverse experiences can help ALL
of us generate a deeper understanding of the Dharma, and deepen our practice.
Yet, in my experience, this has not yet been a high priority in most of the
Western sanghas I've encountered.
After years of being a (mostly) solitary student and practitioner, I have worked
along with others to help create greater opportunities for those of us in similar
situations, as well as to bring a greater awareness of these issues to the larger
buddhist community.
The Healing Racism in Our Sanghas event in the fall of 1998 helped catalyze
an ongoing group of Buddhists of Color, as well as an ongoing Healing Racism
group. And, the Mindfulness, Diversity, and Social Change sangha is a buddhist
group open to folks from of all backgrounds and orientations ¾ ethnic,
race, religious, class, sexual persuasion, age, etc., where we use Council Circle
practice, in addition to sitting and walking meditation, as a way to consciously
explore the diversity of our sangha.
In closing, I celebrate the contributions of the many people who have been and
are involved in these and similar efforts, and invite you to find your own way
to join in the exploration of the gifts diversity can bring to our understanding
and practice.
confronting the fearful demons
as humans living in the 21st century
concerned with relieving the suffering of sentient beings
and overcoming our own ignorance
learning about racism
and how to transform it
might be viewed as skillful means
*********
if we are not interested in learning about racism
we may want to examine
whether we are truly taking refuge
in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
Instead,
we may simply be taking false refuge
in our own privilege.
*********
the Buddha left his father's castle
to learn about
the suffering of the world.
How often do we
extend ourselves
outside the realms of our own privilege
in order to become familiar
with the suffering of others?
*********
At the same time,
paying attention to issues
of racism, classism, sexism, and the like
is NOT primarily about helping others.
As long as we ourselves
are not able to feel completely close
to all other human beings,
it is we ourselves
who are living
in illusion.
by Rosa Zubizarreta
spring of the year 2000
Santa Rosa, CA
Section Two: Personal Essays
The following four pieces (three essays and a Dharma talk) were originally submitted
by their authors for Part One of this booklet. Because these writings could
not be condensed to the suggested length due to their various formats, we are
including them here as "personal essays." All personal submissions
in this booklet are held in equal esteem by the editors of this booklet.
The Road Being Traveled: My Life and Times at San Francisco Zen Center (1990-2000)
by Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquín
By the time that I arrived at my first zazen instruction at Green Gulch in August
1990, I was ready for Lou Hartman, the monk who was the first to hold open for
me the Dharma gates of sweet dew. That day, Lou Hartman stole my heart when
he said, "learning how to sit zazen takes fifteen minutes, practicing,
however, takes a lifetime." Right then and there, I threw myself completely
into the ocean of Buddha.
On New Year's Eve of that same year I was in the zendo sitting zazen. At around
11:30 p.m., Barbara Kohn, who was either the Ino or the Tenzo at the time, was
inviting, mostly the newcomers, to join in ringing in the New Year with the
108 bells. The sound of the Densho was filling my heart. This simple act of
standing in a circle of strangers, in the basement of an old building, participating
in an ancient ritual, felt very familiar to me. I felt deeply at home. Yet,
as I stood in a circle with other practitioners waiting my turn at the Densho,
I looked around and noticed that I was the only Person of Color. I am Cuban
of African and Spanish descent and identify as a Black Latina or as Afro Cuban.
The joy of the moment became bittersweet with the sadness of invisibility. From
that moment on I began to question: why is everybody white?
Having spent the previous ten years as a practitioner in the field of what in
the '90s began to be called 'diversity', I soon suggested to a couple of white
senior students that they participate in a training workshop that looked at
issues of racism. The response I received from one of them was "here at
Zen Center no one is racist." From that moment on I knew that SFZC was
not going to be the place where I would find support for being a Person of Color.
The practice of colorblindness ran deep, and the fear and discomfort of openly
speaking about differences prevented any opportunities for growth.
In spite of a lack of cultural and institutional support around race, I found
support at the interpersonal level around gender and sexual orientation within
the very visible white Lesbian community that was part of SFZC sangha. And to
this day I am convinced that my long conversations in Spanish with Idilio Ceniceros,
who is Mexican American and who in 1990 had already spent several years within
the institution, kept me coming back. Idilio's deep knowledge of Dharma was
like an oasis in what felt like a dry and distant environment.
There was a lot of talk about creating intimacy those days. For me, if we are
spending time talking about it, then we are not doing it. It was evident, that
the white cultural paradigm of individualism precluded true intimacy and interdependence.
Then one day, I don't exactly remember when or why, I got a call from Laurie
Senauke, a member of the Board. She had an idea and wanted to know what I thought
about it. I listened, and the rest is, as they say, history. This story is my
personal statement.
San Francisco Zen Center's diversity initiatives began in 1993/1994 when Laurie
Senauke, then a Board member, pulled together a committee to place the issue
of addressing racism at SFZC on the Board of Directors agenda. I was a member
of that committee. The result of this effort led to three outcomes.
The first was a series of trainings for staff and residents addressing diversity,
racism and multicultural change. Workshops took place at each of the three SFZC
sites: City Center in San Francisco, Green Gulch in Marin and Zen Mountain Center
in Carmel Valley, and also the Board of Directors. I co-facilitated the training
at City Center.
The second outcome was an article on Racism and Buddhism that appeared in the
Windbell (1995), SFZC's biannual journal. The article was a transcript of a
conversation of several Buddhists of Color facilitated by Sala Steinbach, an
African American woman. The third outcome was the establishment of multicultural
collections at each of the three sites' libraries.
In December 1996 I received lay ordination from Zenkei Blanche Hartman, Abbess
of SFZC.
In the fall of 1997 the nominating committee of the Board asked me if I would
consider running for an open seat. I laughed and teased them that there was
no way I could be elected for I was too much of a revolutionary. I was told
that yes, that is why they wanted me to run. I was also told to be prepared,
that newcomers don't get elected the first time around. Although previously
Sala Steinbach had been appointed to the board, it appeared as if this was the
first time that a Person of Color was on the ballot.
I was elected by the membership the first time around. Soon after, I met a senior
student that had been in residence for almost 20 years. As she shook my hand
I introduced myself. She commented: "I voted for you because you were the
only person I did not know." I was not sure what the statement meant, however,
I just took it as a good thing.
Also in 1998 Tanto Teah Strozer and Outreach Director Paul Haller co-led the
Fall Practice Period focusing on the teachings of the Sandokai (Merging of Difference
and Sameness). During this practice period, Co-Abbot Zoketsu Norman Fischer
and City Center Director Mary Mocine gave Dharma talks during the Saturday public
program on diversity and oppression.
In January 1999, Vipassana Teacher Ralph Steele was invited to SFZC. On Saturday
the 30th, Ralph gave a Dharma talk to a packed Buddha Hall. It was the first
time in almost 9 years of hearing talks in the Buddha Hall that seated on the
platform was an African American Dharma Teacher. Ralph's visit also coincided
with the first meeting of what has come to be known as the Buddhist of Color
Sangha that met at SFZC on the last Sunday in January. He was present at that
meeting.
In February 1999, I introduced to the Board of Directors a request to appoint
a task force with a budget to lead a long-term initiative at SFZC. This initiative
would take a multilevel approach to addressing diversity in educational development,
policies and programming over a two-year period. The board did not take action
on this specific request. However, it asked for a group of volunteers to study
and research what was happening at each of the three centers in terms of SFZC
leadership's view on diversity.
An Ad-Hoc Diversity Committee was formed immediately; however, it wasn't until
late summer that that group began to meet. Although I was part of the group,
I chose not to lead it for it's my personal belief, based on my professional
experience, that white people must take leadership on these issues. In order
to assess the climate and views on diversity, I designed a survey that was used
as a guide in conversations at different levels of leadership.
In June 1999, SFZC President and Senior Teacher, Barbara Kohn, participated
in the VISIONS 4-day training "Modern Racism: A Personal Approach to Multiculturalism."
She became instrumental in moving the diversity agenda forward within the institution.
The training, open to the public, was held at SFZC Conference Center on Page
Street.
In September 1999 three new activities for People of Color began. In the first
one, Paul Haller and I co-taught a class on Mindfulness Awareness and Stress
Reduction for People of Color in the helping professions. This was the first
time that I was teaching a class at SFZC and it was part of my training. Thus,
Paul, a white man of Irish descent was one of the instructors.
The second one was the inclusion, in Spanish, in the Zen Center Fall catalog,
of a full page detailing a series of classes of meditation instruction for Spanish
speakers. Photographs of Idilio Ceniceros and I, who took turns being available,
accompanied the text.
Last, also in September 1999, I began to lead an ongoing Sitting and Dharma
discussion group for People of Color. The group is scheduled during SFZC Practice
Periods.
Since then, every catalog has a page titled "The Color of Dharma"
where activities for People of Color are listed so as to be easily read. (I
want to thank my dharma brother Larry Yang from whom I first heard the term
"the color of dharma.")
Also in the fall, Barbara Kohn gave a Dharma talk at a Saturday public program
where she outlined SFZC's intentions to address diversity issues at an institutional
level.
In November 1999, the Diversity Ad-Hoc Committee presented to the Board of Directors
a two-prong proposal: a) hire a person to manage this area; and b) establish
a far-ranging, long-term commitment to make efforts to enable Zen Center to
become a more multicultural institution.
In January 2000, at the invitation of the F. Felix Foundation, SFZC submitted
a proposal requesting funding to operationalize the proposal before the Board
of Directors.
In March 2000, SFZC was awarded funding by the F. Felix Foundation to begin
implementing a comprehensive diversity initiative which will both foster diversity
and multiculturalism within Zen Center, and challenge established racial and
social boundaries in making the Dharma available to a wider community. SFZC
is pursuing this initiative by: 1) establishing a framework for developing cultural
competency within SFZC that takes into account the variables of attitudes, communication
skills, institutional policies and organizational structures in order to build
a truly multicultural Buddhist community; and 2) actively developing the scope
and impact of our existing diversity outreach work, and responding to the needs
of historically underrepresented populations with new programs.
In April 2000, the Board of Directors voted on a series of implementation steps
that will meet the stated goals. Programmatically, these steps include: the
implementation of an ongoing internal cultural competence skills training program
for SFZC residents, staff, teachers, and Board member; the development of a
Dharma Teachers of Color Residence Program; and the development of a Diversity
Advisory Council to lead the full implementation of the initiative. There is
a three-year timeline for accomplishing these goals.
In June 2000 VISIONS, Inc. will be conducting its annual public West Coast training
at SFZC Conference Center once again. The training, called "Modern Racism:
A Personal Approach to Multiculturalism," is open to the public. In exchange
for use of the facilities, members of SFZC Senior leadership are invited to
attend the 4-day training. At this time it is expected that a couple of Senior
Teachers will attend the training.
In August 2000 I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary at San Francisco Zen
Center.
Today, I continue to raise the issues of differences, oppression and equity
in my sangha in spite of making others uncomfortable. Again, I take this as
a good thing. I have learned that institutional issues must be tackled with
institutional level interventions. And I have shed tears of both sadness for
the suffering that the denial of oppression causes, and joy at seeing what is
possible, as when I give zazen instructions on Saturday morning to dozens of
beginners. There are now more shades of different colors in the Dharma wheel
that is turning in our midst.
In December 2000 I will complete my 3-year term on the Board of Directors. According
to the by-laws, I could run for a second term. At this time that is not a certainty.
Whether or not I run, my life and times at San Francisco Zen Center will continue
as I sew my kesa for priest ordination with Zenkei Hartman.
I offer this story for the benefit of all beings in the ten directions. May
all beings be happy. May we all live in peace and safety.
To Buddhist or not to Buddhist:
Why We Need Ethnic/Racial "Diversity" in Our Buddhist Communities
by Lawrence Ellis
Reframing the discourse from "embracing diversity" to "stopping
the perpetration of violence"
One of the most insidious forms of violence is "cultural" violence:
the beliefs, values, and habits of being that justify or legitimize direct violence,
structural violence, and psychic violence.1 For me, one of the foremost reasons
why racial/ethnic diversity is needed in our Buddhist communities is for us
to be true Buddhists ¾ in particular, to honor ahimsa, to stop perpetrating
violence against others. Let me be clear. I do not think that "diversity
for diversity's sake" is a compelling reason to "diversify" our
sanghas. This approach often casts "diversity work" in terms of "choice"
or "helping to relieve the suffering of 'the oppressed.'" Choice often
leaves people with convenient exits. The focus on relieving others' suffering
often puts at center a static view of who constitutes "the sufferer(s)"
and who constitutes the one(s) in a position to relieve their suffering ¾
which may more often serve ego than the Dharma. Don't get me wrong. Choice has
an important place in the scheme of things (sometimes). As for the value of
karuna
for a conference of Buddhist teachers, I needn't say much about
this. Nonetheless, this framing of the issues fails to put at center compelling
reasons for diversifying our sanghas. For me, one of the most compelling reasons
goes something like this: one's status as a practicing Buddhist gets called
into question deeply if one knows one is perpetrating violence against others,
and yet one fails to cultivate practices to transform being a perpetrator.
Liberal white racism2 and "racial mindlessness" as perpetration (i.e.,
"cultural violence")
In limited allotted space, I cannot adequately define the contours of or the
nefarious impact of liberal white racism and of racial mindlessness (i.e., virtually
no mindfulness of race and racism dynamics). So for now, I'll share a few items
that will hopefully somewhat cast these into relief.
" "
published in the New England Journal of Medicine. A carefully
conducted study found that doctors were 40% less likely to order sophisticated
cardiac tests for women and blacks who complained about chest pain than for
men and whites with identical symptoms
concluded that the disparity in
what are literally life-and-death decisions was most likely due to unconscious
biases about gender and race
what this study shows is the extent to which
subconscious racist attitudes still afflict even highly educated, humane white
people who sincerely believe they do not have a prejudiced bone in their body"
(from "Prejudice? Perish the Thought" in Time magazine, March 8, 1999).
(It's worth noting that the NEJOM is often considered the most respected medical
journal in the US. It's also worth noting that the Time reporter de-emphasized
the role of subconscious sexism- in the section above and in the article in
general).
" Questions posed by sexism/patriarchy are instructive and (along with
other "ism"'s) challenge Buddhism to the core. Historically (and currently,
I would note), how is it that (a) key individuals claimed to have been [somewhat]
enlightened and were viewed by others as [somewhat] enlightened, and yet (b)
were so opaque to patriarchal "formations" and ways of being in their
own consciousness and living, and to systems of domination in Buddhist cultures
that marginalized/oppressed half of the human population?3 One clear possibility
is that Buddhism ain't all it's jacked up to be in terms of providing tools
and practices for generating deep insight, cultivating a profound sense of interconnectedness,
etc. Another possibility is that Buddhism does provide, generate, and cultivate
these. Nonetheless, sexism/patriarchy (and other ism's) are so deeply entrenched
in consciousness that even highly evolved beings have failed to notice ¾
let alone transform ¾ them.4
" Sexism/patriarchy and racism (and other ism's) have differences. They
also have similarities. One striking similarity seems to be that in many Buddhist
communities in the West, currently many practitioners seem to be as opaque to
racism as many men (and many women) historically were (and sometimes still are)
to sexism/patriarchy.
Impact and responsibilities of leadership
As teachers, you have formal leadership roles in Buddhist communities. On this
issue, I would note two points:
" Decades of empirical research supports that leadership style tremendously
influences climate (that is, the sense of what it is like to work, or practice,
in a place). 5 So the data supports commonsense: y'all have tremendous influence
on others.
" Racism as cultural violence leads to other forms of violence. Given strong
prohibitions in Buddhism against direct violence, I would doubt that Buddhist
cultural racism links closely with racist direct violence in the US. However,
its close links with racist psychic violence are staggering (I have chosen not
to share stories of my experiences with racism in Buddhist communities (though
I do have scores of them), but instead a perspective/framework for interpreting
personal stories, individual and collective responsibility and accountability,
etc. It is my hope that my sisters and brothers submitting papers will offer
numerous stories that bear witness to racist psychic violence). Finally, how
will we measure the links between Buddhist cultural racism and racist structural
violence? Very challenging task. May I suggest that we look deeply at the ways
in which our beliefs, values, and habits of being influence "the world"?
Do they influence the policies and leaders we endorse ¾ whether in our
sanghas or in our elected officials? Are there people working in myriad fields
who might be acting analogously to the doctors referenced in the study noted
in Time. Are there members of our sanghas who have significant influence on
decision-making in organizations, communities, etc. ¾ which decisions
get translated into norms, guidelines, policies, laws?
Racism doesn't "just happen." There is the principle of dependent
co-arising. At issue is not only violence, but also creating the conditions
that allow for its manifestation. The solution is not diversity "perfection"
- I've never met anyone embodying whatever this might look like, nor do I think
I ever will. A solution is diversity "practice". Unfortunately, diversity
practice does not currently appear to be highly valued by many teachers in the
West. I deeply appreciate your being on the leading-edge of changing this.
Aho. Asé. Metta.¾ Lawrence Ellis (African/Native-American)
Notes
1. Johan Galtung, often referred to as the parent of peace studies, articulated
3 types of violence: (1) direct violence, e.g., physical attacks (interpersonal,
militaristic, etc.); (2) cultural violence, noted above; and (3) structural
violence, e.g. institutional, legislative, and other forms of systemic violence.
I add (4) "psychic" (i.e., intrapersonal) violence to denote deep
feelings/thoughts/etc. of (a) shame, alienation, self-hatred, and the like and/or
of (b) profound exclusion, invisibility, marginalization, and the like ¾
both of which are often "fed" by the other forms of violence. The
seeds that manifest in our minds as psychic violence are in all of us. We are
responsible for transforming them. However, we also have a responsibility not
to "water" these seeds in others. I thank Buddhist scholar and activist
Sarah Laeng-Gilliatt for introducing me to Galtung's conceptualization, and
for expanding his definition of cultural violence to include "habits of
being." See Johan Galtung's "Cultural Violence", Journal of Peace
Research, vol. 27, no.3, 1990, pp. 291-305.
2. For purposes of this paper I deliberately omit references to "lateral"
racism (racism between different Peoples of Color), systemic racism in geographic
contexts outside of "the West", etc. Instead, I limit my comments
to issues of racism by people of European descent towards/against People of
Color, which I believe is generally the most pressing issue of racism in the
context of sanghas in the US (I cannot generalize to all of the West). Lastly,
I am aware of claims by several researchers that the majority of Buddhists in
the US are people of Asian descent. That Buddhists of Asian descent and other
Peoples of Color (POC) choose to meet in ethnically-specific or POC-only sanghas
(that is, without people of European descent) may have little to do with prejudice
against people of European descent, "reverse racism", etc. Instead,
we often meet in such settings as a response to European-American racism Such
settings serve as places to preserve our linguistic and ethnic-cultural heritages;
to find sanctuary/refuge from pervasive racism in US society in general and
in predominantly European-American sanghas in particular; and to be able to
interact with others who "get it", who understand our experiences
as POC without the constant need for us to have to explain or to educate about
those experiences. Such places of refuge are vital ¾ as are settings
where European-American allies meet not for exclusionary purposes (conscious
or unconscious), but to take responsibility for their own education of "unlearning"
racism.
3. The data on/accounts of sexism/patriarchy in historical and current Buddhist
communities and cultures is voluminous. Given restrictions on length of entries,
I don't have space to treat the interconnections between the ism's. Nonetheless,
I acknowledge that the other ism's are alive and kickin' (in Buddhist communities,
as well as in society at large), that they are often deeply interconnected,
and that addressing them is exceptionally important.
4. I am well aware of the stance that one can be [somewhat] enlightened, highly
evolved, etc. and still exhibit unskillfulness in some areas, not be aware of
all relative phenomena, etc. Still, patriarchy suggests such unskillfulness
and unawareness as to call into question whether so-and-so was in fact [somewhat]
enlightened ¾ and if yes, then the very definition and merits of being
[somewhat] enlightened get called into question.
5. "Managerial style overall is found to account for 53-72% of the variance
in organizational climate variables" (from Stephen P. Kelner et al., "Managerial
Style as a Behavioral Predictor of Organizational Climate", (Boston: McBer
& Co., 1994), p. 1). Given the nature of some teacher-student, master-disciple
relationships, the influence of leadership style may even count for more in
some Buddhist communities. For more information on climate research, contact
one of the preeminent behavioral sciences organizational consulting firms, Hay/McBer:
http://trgmcber.haygroup.com, or 800-729-8074.
Lawrence Ellis has been a meditator for more than 25 years. He has an MA in
Philosophy with a focus on Satyagraha (Gandhian Truth-Force), received in 1986,
while studying on a Rhodes Scholarship at Oxford University. His "social
identities on the margins" include: African/Native-American, disabled,
gay/two-spirited. As a co-founder of the Mindfulness, Diversity and Social Change
Sangha, he was active in the sangha's formative stages. He sits with the Buddhists
of Color sangha in the SF Bay Area, and is the Buddhist Peace Fellowship representative
to the East Bay Alliance for a Sustainable Economy (EBASE) and to A Just Harvest
(an interfaith clergy and lay-leadership organization supporting economic and
social justice for farm workers).
On Race & Buddhism by Hozan Alan Senauke
(A Dharma talk given at the Berkeley Zen Center, August 23, 1997. This talk
was also given at the San Francisco Zen Center, and a version of it appeared
in the first Think Sangha Journal.)
Zen Master Dogen wrote "Gourd with its tendrils is entwined with gourd."
This means we are all intimately bound up, wound up with each other. Truly inseparable.
So this morning I would like to speak about the complexities of diversity, race,
zen practice, and our community.
Something we've been talking about at Buddhist Peace Fellowship, San Francisco
Zen Center, here at Berkeley Zen Center, and more and more around sanghas and
centers in the United States. This is not just about "political correctness,"
it is about practice and awareness. I must confess that my own thoughts are
not entirely clear, but I will try my best not to mislead you. If I sound critical,
it is a voice of self-criticism. My own efforts have fallen short and I think
we need to work on this together. So I will leave some time for discussion at
the end.
After six years of practice, homeless among householders, wayseekers, and teachers,
the Buddha sat under the Bodhi Tree with the firm intention of awakening. After
seven days of zazen he perceived the true nature of birth and death, the chain
of causation and awakened to realization with the morning star. At that moment
he spoke these words: "Wondrous! I now see that all beings everywhere have
the wisdom and virtues of the enlightened ones, but because of misunderstandings
and attachments they do not realize it."
Allowing his understanding to ripen, allowing Bodhicitta, the mind of compassion
to ripen, he took up the responsibilities of teaching, sharing his experience
in a way that unlocked the mystery of our own experience. As the Buddha came
to express it, "I simply teach about the nature of suffering and the end
of suffering." This is a radical teaching, true to the meaning of radical,
getting to the root. His understanding that all beings everywhere have the wisdom
and virtues of the enlightened ones leaves us with a great responsibility. As
the wheel of Mahayana Dharma turned, our own Zen vehicle, that responsibility
was further clarified by the Bodhisattva vow to save all beings. We constantly
affirm this vow.
And yet this vow was there from the beginning. Why else did the Buddha rise
from the comfort and joy of enlightenment and freedom to teach? Why else did
he offer teachings like the Metta Sutta, where he says:
May all beings be happy.
May they be joyous and live in safety.
All living beings, whether weak or strong,
in high or middle or low realms of existence,
small or great, visible or invisible,
near or far, born or to be born,
let no one deceive another, nor despise any being in any state;
let none by anger or hatred wish harm to another.
Even as a mother at the risk of her life watches over
and protects her only child,
so with a boundless mind should one cherish all living things,
suffusing love over the entire world, above, below,
and all around, without limit;
so let one cultivate an infinite good will toward the whole world.
And true to that teaching, he offered refuge to everyone he met on the path.
Kings and paupers, ascetics and householders, people of all castes, brahmins,
outcasts, and criminals. After some strenuous convincing, he even offered refuge
to women. That's a long story in itself, not unrelated to the issue at hand
today, suggesting that patriarchy has deep roots running through many if not
most cultures.
Taking refuge means committing your life to waking up, to taking on the problem
of suffering and the end of suffering for all beings and ourselves. This is
what zazen is about. Sitting upright in stillness means to see oneself in complete
interdependence with all beings, with the rocks and trees and ocean and sky.
The emptiness we so often talk about is not some kind of negative space. It
is total interdependence. "Gourd with its tendrils entwined with gourd."
True reality is empty of any one thing, empty of self, because all things, all
people co-create each other.
Seeing through and beyond dualistic thinking is the direct experience of
zazen. I underscore the word experience, because if it we are just caught by
an idea or an idle wish, we slip back into the tide of duality. All of us have
such experiences from moment to moment, time to time. A moment of merging with
someone or something we love, a moment of doing something completely, a moment
of losing oneself in just sitting. And at times in zazen we settle fully into
the realm of nonduality and recognize that this is our true mind, our true state
of being. All the great spiritual traditions express an understanding of this
natural way of life.
But by habit we often see a world thoroughly conditioned by duality. Driven
by doubt and fear, by a lack of trust in our true Mind, we see things as self
and objects, as us and them, as other. It seems so hard to recognize the truth
that Tibetan Buddhists preach: that every being was at one time my own mother.
The root of racism is denial of this truth. It is about seeing people as other
in a systematic way that is such an entrenched habit we are not usually aware
of. I would underscore the word systematic, because as ideas like a virus in
society they have a power that goes beyond individual like and dislike. Racism
is a system of domination that is economic and political as well as personal.
It runs deep in the oppressor and the oppressed alike, though the damage caused
is different.
Even though I have the privilege of a good education, middle class male
upbringing, white skin, I find in myself deeply ingrained and systematic survival
responses as someone born Jewish. Several years ago at a meeting of international
Buddhist activists in Thailand I realized that in the first day I had figured
out who ¾ among the westerners ¾ was Jewish. And even stranger
I realized that all the Jews were doing the same thing and had "signified"
to each other. We knew who each other was, and we were more comfortable for
it. This, I am sure, is a pattern that goes back through centuries of being
ghettoized, of being the other. It's not a genetic thing. I can remember my
mother telling me how to watch out for myself. That some people would exclude
and threaten me just for being Jewish. It's so deep that sometimes I find myself
looking around the zendo and counting those I think are Jewish. Some of you
may find yourself making a similar census. From talking with them, I know that
people of color do this.
And yet, let's remember where our Buddhism came from. Our ancestors come
from India, China, and Japan. In June I visited Suzuki-Roshi's temple, Rinso-in
and I walked in the graveyard where the old priests of the temple were buried.
How amazing it is for Zen to leap oceans and cultures and be so generously offered
to us. We should accept it humbly, recognizing the price of suffering paid to
plant the Dharma seed here. And we owe it to our teachers and ourselves to share
this practice with the same generosity and openmindedness. Keep in mind that
most Buddhists even in America don't look like me. They are Chinese, Japanese,
Thai, Vietnamese, and so on. I come to Buddhism out of suffering. They come
to Buddhism by birth.
So how does it feel to come to Zen practice as a person of color? And they will
come; they do come. My friend Sala Steinbach says an African American woman
at SFZC says, "If it is about liberation, people of color will be interested."
They are. The Dalai Lama draws stadiums full of people in Mexico. In South America
there are Zen and Tibetan teachers with very strong lay sanghas. So I ask my
Asian, and Latino, and African American friends about how it feels to come to
come here, to San Francisco Zen Center or Spirit Rock. And I ask myself what
feelings come up. Dogen suggests we take a step back to turn one's light inward
and illuminate oneself. What I see there in myself is then reflected back into
the world.
The answer to how it feels to anyone largely depends on two further inter-related
questions. First, does one feel safe and seen in the community? Are the conditions
of your life acknowledged, welcomed, explored in the sangha? I suspect that
this is sometimes yes, too often no. Thoughtless words can turn people from
the temple and from the practice. I have seen this happen here and elsewhere.
An offhand comment is made about the white, middle class makeup of the community
with people of color and working class friends sitting right there. Again, through
the unintended eye of class and white supremacy ¾ hard words, I know
¾ people are made to feel invisible and uncounted. Maybe I should say
something about white supremacy. It is a building block of racism, part of my
blindness to my own privilege as a white man. It is at once personal and systematic.
If one wants to see it, the practice of individual mindfulness, of turning our
light inward needs to be blended dialogue with friends and sangha members who
don't carry this very particular privilege.
The same kinds of painful things happen if you are homosexual, or if because
of injury or fact of birth you can't get up the steps of the temple. These blindnesses
hurt and turn people away. That's what it might feel like from one side.
On the other side, the Buddha's understanding is "all beings have the wisdom
and virtues of the enlightened ones, but because of misunderstandings and attachments
they do not realize it." This understanding is so precious that we are
obligated to share it. I don't mean crude proselytizing, but the Buddha himself
never stopped preaching Dharma. Now we have centers and institutions. To make
zazen and Dharma available, we need to tell people they are welcome and invite
them to practice with us. Already we are taking practice to jails and hospitals,
to people who might not be able to come to us.
The next obvious step is to find ways to open our doors to those who can come
to us. I hear that some San Francisco churches have created a kind of covenant
of "open congregation." This means that in their literature and at
their services, classes, and events they make it known that they welcome people
of color, gays and lesbians, and so on. Being pro-active rather than passive
on questions of diversity and inclusion.
This is necessary because in America, passivity means white supremacy. It is
subtle and pervasive, conditioned by and conditioning our magazines, movies,
tv, our clothing, all the things we buy. It is a virus infecting my own mind
as a person with so-called privileges, and the mind of someone who might not
have such privileges. Last week I was invited to talk about Buddhism and race
to a diverse group of teenagers
doing an interfaith social action internship in San Francisco. Now maybe I did
a good job talking to them, but I was the first Buddhist choice that came to
mind for the organizers. There is some irony in that. Buddhism in America gets
defined as and by people who look like me. I have to watch myself carefully
not to buy into this.
But the wonderful thing about what the Buddha taught, what we can experience
in zazen, is that each of us can go beyond duality. It can't be done just by
reason and talk. We have to get the reality of the world deep in our bones and
then bring it back out again into the world. We must make a lot of mistakes.
Maybe like this talk. Suzuki Roshi said giving a talk is making a mistake on
purpose. Make our mistakes, learn the lessons and go back at it. bell hooks,
the African American scholar/practitioner bell hooks writes about this in Buddhist
Women on the Edge:
In a culture of domination, preoccupation with victimhood and identity is inevitable.
I once believed that progressive people could analyze the dualities and dissolve
them through a process of dialectical critical exchange. Yet globally the resurgence
of notions of ethnic purity, white supremacy, have led marginalized groups to
cling to dualisms as a means of resistance....The willingness to surrender to
attachment to duality is present in such thinking. It merely inverts the dualistic
thinking that supports and maintains domination. Dualities serve their own interests.
What's alarming to me is to see so many Americans returning to those simplistic
choices. People of all persuasions are feeling that if they don't have dualism,
they don't have anything to hold on to. If we are concerned with dissolving
these apparent dualities we have to identify anchors to hold on to in the midst
of fragmentation, in the midst of a loss of grounding. My anchor is love....
I like to think that love and compassion are anchors of my practice. But they
depend on mindfulness too. Zazen is rooted in mindfulness, breath after breath,
thought after thought. This kind of training carries over into life outside
the zendo. I try to uncover my own thought patterns. This is sometimes painful
and embarrassing, but it is the essence of saving myself and all sentient beings.
It is amazing to see the stories one can make up about other people, and how
these stories are conditioned by race, or class, or privilege. Check it out
for yourself. When you meet someone you consider different from yourself, do
you think you know something about them? Would you think you know the same kinds
of things about another white person or someone more like you? This is a mindfulness
practice, watching one's thoughts about race, or any kind of difference. And
it is for our own sake. Not for the sake of political correctness. I think that
this is a very personal practice.
Then we can take it further into our extended communities. Ask your friends
of color how they experience the practice and the community. This is entering
the realm of not knowing, a little risky, but completely necessary. In the wider
Buddhist community, it might mean making some excursions and visits to Asian
Buddhist temples. They are friendly places. The same Dharma resides there, though
it may take some different forms. We think nothing of going to restaurants featuring
Asian cuisine. This is just another form of basic nourishment.
Maybe when we have closely examined ourselves, and begun to look around
and share our thoughts with others, then we have created the conditions for
change. If our American society could take such steps, it would be the start
of a wonderful, hopeful era. Could there be racial peace for the first time
in history? This is no pipe dream. It is the Bodhisattva Vow, the working of
our Way Seeking Mind.
If each of us and the sanghas we cherish could nurture this process of mindfulness,
the change could come much quicker. Compassion and peace could blossom in very
surprising ways. And zazen would be a golden wind blowing across a meadow of
wildflowers. How can we take up this work together? I welcome your thoughts.
Hozan Alan Senauke is Executive Director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship (BPF)
and a priest at the Berkeley Zen Center.
Reflections on the Five Precepts and Diversity by Sharon Smith
The following are some preliminary reflections as to how the five Buddhist lay
precepts can be applied to the issue of racism against people of colour. The
precepts are here being understood as training principles that enable us to
transcend the mind-made dualism of 'self' and 'other' by encouraging the progressive
development of greater sensitivity, awareness and compassion. For this reason,
these reflections do not seek to construct a set of absolute moral rules around
this issue nor can they be considered exhaustive. Discussion on the reflections
and comments on further applications of the precepts to this issue are welcome.
1. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from taking life. With deeds
of lovingkindness,
I purify my body.
Given that "hate crime" is one of the key issues around diversity,
crimes of racial harassment and abuse have an obvious direct connection with
this precept. We can seek to cultivate and encourage universal lovingkindness
and tolerance in working against the attitudes that give rise to "hate
crimes" in others and ourselves. Another aspect involves challenging tendencies
to apathy or indifference about "hate crime", affirming individuals'
right to life and celebrating diversity.
Another area that many will already be aware of is the need to uphold the conditions
people need to sustain and preserve life itself, and seeking to address factors
that undermine these. Action to combat environmental racism, the dumping of
toxic waste in areas with a high population of poor people and people of colour,
might be an example of such an approach.
2. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from taking the not-given.
With open-handed generosity, I purify my body.
One of the principal forms that racism has taken is appropriating others' property/resources
without proper permission and failing to respect these on the grounds that the
owners are from an inferior race. Imperialism and colonialism come to mind as
obvious examples of the breach of this precept.
In terms of the cultivation of generosity to all sentient beings ¾ this
might be approached by measures that encourage giving people what they need
in a way that is relevant, sensitive and accessible to them, empowers them and
upholds their dignity. For instance, many black people are under-represented
as users of social services, such as care services for people with learning
disabilities. In the UK where I come from, our Commission for Race Equality
conducted a review of the care services people are entitled to. It found that
black people are over-represented in services with a custodial element, such
as mental hospitals as non-voluntary patients. However, black people are under-represented
in those services with a greater care component such as counselling services
and for elders, residential and day care. Making such services available in
ways that black communities find equally socially and culturally accessible
¾ for instance by having staff who speak languages other than English,
providing culturally appropriate food and taking account of residents' diverse
religious customs/needs is a potential way forward.
Of course, describing such issues in terms of the cultivation of generosity
is not to say that white people should see themselves as the "donors"
and people of colour the "recipients" of "charity". Firstly,
that would be seeing issues within the context of ego. Also, too often there
can be a tendency to undervalue the contribution that people of colour have
made and continue to make to the wealth of developed nations while being consistently
under-rewarded. However, the Buddhist approach would fundamentally seek to go
beyond a notion of exchange to one that seeks to go beyond the duality of self
and other.
3. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from sexual misconduct With
stillness,
simplicity and contentment, I purify my body
The many cases of military rape in the Balkans and other ethnic conflicts is
a sad reminder of how racism can give rise to sexual violence. Other factors
people may be aware of are the negative use of racial stereotypes against African
and Asian women for the purposes of pornography, sex tourism that exploits women
and children, and the trafficking in women.
By removing purported negative links between ethnicity and sexuality, myths
and negative stereotypes that deny the full humanity of the "Other"
and which give rise to craving can be countered. In this way we can develop
greater contentment because of being less polarised between self and other.
4. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from false speech.
With truthful communication, I purify my speech.
We can see the aspect of truthfulness in this area as functioning on two inter-related
levels. The first is the factual one and the other on the emotional level of
open communication.
In terms of the first aspect, we can make efforts to prevent mindless acceptance
and repetition of various beliefs and generalisations about ethnic groups' abilities,
attitudes, behaviour, conditions and potential. This might mean, in the spirit
of the Kalama Sutta, not accepting things solely on the basis of the authority
of the person presenting them, but questioning received authority whether this
is based on science, or, the social/political/religious status of the person
presenting the viewpoint. We can make efforts to ensure that our understanding
of different ethnic groups is not based on stereotypes that misrepresent and
dehumanise them. In order to do this we can try to become better informed about
issues around race and the context in which these arise in order to develop
our awareness and understanding.
One of the saddest things about racism as well as the violence it can generate
is the way that racism can develop to a point that genuine and open communication
between people of colour and white people is rendered impossible. Toni Morrison's
novel Beloved as well as others about slavery are good examples of how although
black and white people had a high degree of proximity during slavery, real communication
did not take place because one party simply could not accept the humanity of
the other. In order to survive, people of colour have had to develop emotional
strategies to reduce the potential pain they may experience in their communication
with white people. Attitudes that are patronising, defensive, and extremely
arrogant, which fail to appreciate the common human sensitivity that all people
share have also hampered White people's communication with people of colour.
Cultivating conditions that encourage mutual receptivity and openness in an
atmosphere of kindness and awareness is therefore of importance.
5. I undertake the training principle of abstaining from taking intoxicants.
With mindfulness clear and radiant, I purify my mind.
The role of intoxicants in ethnic conflicts, while not perhaps immediately apparent,
can be considerable. After all, one readily available intoxicant, alcohol, is
commonly used to reduce inhibitions and is often associated with violent crime.
The use of alcohol in contexts giving rise to inter-ethnic violence may be ad
hoc, or can be more highly organised. Michael A. Sells reports in The Bridge
Betrayed: Religion and Ethnic Conflict in Bosnia that:
Serb army officers used alcohol to break down the normal inhibitions of the
young men in their commands. Serb soldiers were kept drunk night after night,
weeks at a time; military convoys were accompanied by truckloads of plum brandy
(ë ljivovica). In Sarajevo, there was an evening ë ljivovica hour
during which Serb soldiers would get drunk and broadcast over loudspeakers,
in grisly detail, what they were going to do to the Bosnian civilians when they
got hold of them. Survivors of mass killings reported that once soldiers began
drinking, the atrocities followed. (p. 74)
According to the Buddha, mindfulness is to be "valued everywhere".
After all, it is through cultivating mindfulness that we can be aware of others,
of the opportunities available for us to act for the common good and in a spirit
of lovingkindness. We can also stimulate our awareness and sensitivity to these
issues by taking steps to become better informed about them.
May this be of benefit.
ABOUT THE WRITER
I am an African-Caribbean woman based in the UK who has been a practising Buddhist
for nearly ten years. I am very interested and concerned as to why so few black
people currently become involved in Buddhism and Buddhist meditation groups
and am currently researching this issue. I feel a strong commitment to contributing
to the process and dialogue around developing more diverse and inclusive Buddhist
communities and am very excited about the promising possibilities this holds
for all of us in the Sangha. I can be contacted at sharon@matilda-northiam.demon.co.uk
Personal statement/essay from a 27-year-old Zen student
For the past 4 years, I have been practicing at the San Francisco Zen Center
- in residential practice for the last three years and in full time work practice
(i.e. both living and working at City Center) for the last two.
I didn't plan on being in a predominantly white environment at this point in
my life. I spent much of my pre-college time in schools which were mostly white
- dealing with people and curricula which were mainly European American and
middle to upper middle class dominated. Luckily, I had a strong and flexible
Asian American environment at home and the opportunity to travel and be in different
places and cultures. Furthermore, there was college. For me, while difficult
in certain ways, college was also this amazing immersion experience with other
people my age who were not white. What was amazing was that despite many of
our disparate backgrounds (our racial, ethnic, class, & gender differences,
our degree of able-bodiness, and our differences in sexual orientation &
personality), there was a common sensibility re. what it was like to have grown
up as non-white in America during the '70s, '80s and early '90s. This sensibility
involved a common hurt and a common sense of responsibility. I did also connect
deeply with a few white folks in college and to the tremendous breadth of their
experiences.
What stood out for me from college was the richness and possibility of a way
of life where white, European American, middle-upper middle class (as well as
male, heterosexual and physically abled) was not THE PRIMARY frame of reference.
After I graduated from college, I simply took it as a given that I would not
be in a predominantly white environment - perhaps if I absolutely had to in
school or work to get the tools I needed to live this life well, but not in
my home and certainly not as I investigate and become familiar with the depths
and crevices of my heart.
So, here I am living in this Buddhist practice center whose sangha members are
98% white and most of whom either come from or are currently in middle-upper
middle class situations (including myself). For the first year I lived here,
I was the only female under age 33 (though there are now a number of us in our
20s and 30s). I would describe the culture here as most often white, middle-upper
middle class, college-educated, politically liberal/progressive and to a certain
degree queer friendly (though not being queer myself, I say this with a certain
degree of trepidation).
In terms of race/ethnicity stuff, through my lens, I would say there are two
main aspects that stand out. On the one hand, there are the subtle differences
which "do not bring up much stuff." I do not even want to necessarily
attribute these differences to race/ethnicity, except to say that in my experience,
the white environments I have been in, including this one, have tended to be
like this and the Asian American environments I have been in have tended to
be like that. For example, here, it seems that people tend to communicate/process
things primarily by verbalizing and intellectualizing them and tend to use direct,
in your face styles as the primary/default communication style, whereas in the
Asian American environments in which I have been (specifically Chinese, Japanese
and a few Vietnamese & Cambodian; multigenerational), non-verbal and indirect
communication styles tended to be more prevalent. As I said, these differences
don't seem to jar me too much except for the occasional pining for the specific
non-verbal dance that my family and I do and for the more general familiarity
with non-verbal communication that I have noticed in many Asian Americans.
On the other hand, there are aspects of my experience here where "more
charged stuff comes up." In these situations, I've noticed that I usually
feel as if differences have been ranked (as one better than another) and that
dominance/
submissive power positions have become manifest.
Examples experienced over the last 3+ years include:
o an older white female practitioner patting me on the head & petting my
hair while speaking to me in what I perceive to be patronizing tones.
o interacting with an older white and African Am. male practice leaders and
feeling as if they do not hear what I am saying unless I say it in business-like,
direct and often ardent tones.
o interacting with my practice leader outside of practice discussion and sometimes
feeling "put in my place" by his body language and by his telling
me "what you* need to realize is..." (*my interpretation)
o encountering young white male guest students when they come to stay here and
feeling stared/gazed at.
o hearing residents comment to me that my parents, who recently visited, are
"sooooo cute" and feeling as if they are describing a teddy bear.
o hearing newcomers ooh and ahh over the Asian art in the building & the
Asian spirituality they are exploring and feeling that they are exotifying these
things.
o having friends of color come over & feeling that people are manifesting
discomfort or a need on their part to categorize and/or intellectualize these
people's presence (particularly after recent incidents where items have been
stolen from the building).
These types of experiences have provided much fertile ground for practice over
the last few years. In some ways working with them has been like working with
other "hurts" that have come to the fore in practice:
o there is the initial hurt (often having first manifest years or even generations
ago)
o there are all of the reactions & habits that have been developed in relation
to that hurt
o and, in the midst of it all, there is the intention and effort to be fully
present and to manifest appropriate action.
For example:
o When I have felt like residents are putting down Asian people and things,
how to be fully present for the initial fuzziness, the disbelief, and then the
hurt and annoyance? How to make contact when sensations and remembrances arise
of past experiences when Asians have been relegated to the category of sub-human
(often in order to deny opportunities or resources) and to not get stuck or
lost?
o When I feel like young men are looking at me through their stereotype pumped
lenses, how to be present for the arising disdain and for the remembrance of
other not so pleasant encounters I have had with certain men (being told such
things as "you are so exotic. I really like special, exotic things").
How make space for the rising impulse to close off and become "all-business
like" as well the deep desire to be open and to meet each person in the
moment as human. How to be present for all of these things and neither suppress
or over emote. And when I can't do this, how to remember to just give myself
a hug and to notice.
In working with these phenomena, sitting and formal service & kitchen practices
have all been helpful as have regular practice discussions and (some) dharma
talks. I often feel a tremendous nonverbal resonance with certain practice leaders
and practices done here and that has been extremely helpful.
What has been difficult, however, has been 1) the lack of others going through
similar stuff, 2) the lack of familiarity of practice leaders and sangha members
with this particular form of hurt, and 3) just being in this environment day
in and day out. It is difficult to spend a day working with all this stuff and
then to sit down at meal-time in the large dining room and sometimes hear (what
I perceive to be) certain people's lack of knowledge re. the history of race,
class and privilege in this country. It is difficult to hear (what I perceive
to be) a lack of awareness or forgetfulness that there are people down the street
who don't have enough money at the end of the month to adequately feed their
families and who seem not to know that the privileges that many of the residents
experience here (including myself) are in some way linked to the oppressive
history of this country. It is difficult to go to some (though definitely not
all) dharma talks and not relate to the examples given.
What has sustained me has been checking in with two close friends here (though
they recently moved out) and sitting with and participating in the Buddhist
and Women of Color sanghas. Each time I have heard a dharma talk at these events
the specific form of what they talked about rang true. Maintaining close ties
with my family and friends back East and with members of the Buddhist Peace
Fellowship BASE (Buddhists Allied for Social Engagement) group in which I participated
in 1997 have all been helpful. Also, I find the presence of art from my cultural
heritages (so often denied in the past) helpful and keeping up with feminist,
anti-racist, anti-classist, ablist, and heterosexist/homophobic, thinking often
quite clarifying.
Finally, what has been extremely helpful - in fact, essential - in being able
to remain more or less engaged in practice here has been the willingness and
commitment of nearly all the practice leaders to look at these issues in the
open and to engage with them explicitly. This is in no small part due to the
tremendous work done by people of color and white ally sangha members over the
years as well as, I assume, to the extensive sitting/examining ego practices
that the practice leaders have done. When I first brought up Asian American
issues, I was met with defensiveness and denial. However, many were able to
look at their reactions and then come back and have discussions. Now, many practice
leaders here are much more aware of the realities and consequences of racial
and social conditioning. They (as well as many sangha members) seem to catch
themselves before or as they make generalizations and they are more willing
to see their stuff simply as dependent co-arising phenomena and not as some
deadly mistake/sin. On the institutional level, SFZC has committed to and begun
to explicitly address issues. So, fellow PoCs, structures are being put in place
to support us, and the energy and resources do seem to exist to implement things
that we feel need to happen.
I do worry, though, that as certain American Buddhist institutions transform/adapt
their forms and rituals from their current Asian encasings, they will replicate
the cultural hegemony and oppressive dynamics that has occurred repeatedly in
white dominated institutions over the last 400+ years. I also worry that the
currently middle-upper middle class white populated institutions will become
defined as "THE American Buddhism" and that the other Asian American,
African American and other Buddhist groups will be relegated to the margins
or considered nonexistent.
Personally, while I tremendously value sitting practice, I am increasingly noticing
the desire to be in a place where there are more Asian Pacific Americans and
other people of color for a while - either in home, work or school. I still
hope to remain practicing here - either as a resident or outside sangha member
- and do foresee doing some intensive sitting at Tassajara in the future.
It has been my observation that when a group of people - no matter how well
intentioned - get together and when no effective interventions/efforts are put
in place to specifically address mainstream conditioning with regards to race,
class, gender, sexuality and physical ability, all the same problems arise.
Despite the fact that the sangha members here manifest some of the most honest,
open, tolerant and heartfelt behaviors I have ever seen and despite the strong
sitting and precepts practices done here, I have seen white supremacy/racism,
patriarchy/sexism, classism, heterosexism/
homophobia and ablism all arise. If practice leaders wish to create environments
open to all interested in the dharma, I highly encourage them to make contact
with this arena of their experience, with that of their sangha members, and
with the realities of those living outside the mainstream cultures of their
centers.
I think of the White/Latina woman who lived in a transitional shelter down the
street and who expressed an interest in coming on Saturdays and asked about
child care. I think of my friend, an Asian American, who came to the Saturday
program - but left 30 min into the sit because she felt looked at and didn't
feel comfortable sitting with all of those white folks.
I think of Sokoji, a Zen temple in Japan town, where White Americans were asked
to leave by the Japanese American members after they had been inhabiting the
temple for a while and of how I, a yonsei, came to be find out about Zen Buddhism
through a "predominantly white Zen Center" rather than through a "local
Japanese American temple." I think of the Latina mother of a former student
who, even if she could get child care and could take time off work, could not
afford to pay the $40 towards the cost of a one day or multiple day sit and
who has no time to volunteer to offset the cost. I think of an African-American
male guest student, a regular sitter, who stayed here for an extended time and
felt he was having conversations that he had "waited his whole life to
have" - but who then left - in part because he could not find a job to
support a standard of living in SF and also in part because he did not want
to be in a city where black middle class folks were increasingly non-existent.
Lastly, I wonder. I wonder if my fellow activist/community work friends (whom
I value and cherish so much, and many of whom are people of color and spiritually
secular) might find some use in these teachings and practices in their life.
I wonder whether the youth I worked with - who were just out of juvenile hall
or other forms of detention - might find this of use. I wonder whether that
bus driver I spoke with last month - an African American male - who upon finding
out I was studying Zen proceeded to tell me about his spiritual journeys and
then ask for posture and meditation suggestions - I wonder whether he will show
up one day (either physically at the building or in his own community) and I
wonder whether there will be a dharma center ready to greet him.
Section Three: Practical Suggestions and Strategies
This section was written primarily by European American practitioners from varied
Buddhist traditions with feedback from Buddhist practitioners of color. One
intention was to acknowledge that work in Diversity and Racism is the joint
responsibility of European Americans and Communities of Color.
We believe that many European Americans in predominantly White sanghas are interested
in increasing racial and ethnic diversity. However there is often a lack of
awareness of what may be off-putting to People of Color and what needs to be
done to address this problem. The objective of this section is to offer practical
suggestions and strategies to help sanghas create environments which are more
welcoming to people of color.
One view we have heard from some sangha leaders is the following: "our
sangha is open and welcoming to people of all races, but People of Color don't
come; I guess they are not interested in Buddhism." This view unfortunately
is a dead-end. It doesn't lead to further inquiry and it assumes something about
People of Color without hearing what they might have to say. We believe there
are many steps sanghas can take to create a more inclusive atmosphere. This
can be an opportunity for Western Buddhist sanghas to take leadership in healing
the painful wound of racism by becoming aware of how it is manifesting in their
own communities.
These suggestions are based on what we know from information in some sanghas
located in Northern California and on ideas which have emerged from a group
called "Healing Racism in Our Sanghas." "Healing Racism in Our
Sanghas" has been meeting once a month in Berkeley, California for approximately
a year and a half. We also received much helpful input from various Buddhist
practitioners of Color. We offer here a broad range of suggestions. Some may
fit for your sangha more than others. (For more reading related to this topic,
we refer you to "Outside In: Buddhism in America" by Lori Pierce in
Buddhist Women on the Edge, ed. Marianne Dresser.)
Hold Healing Racism workshops or trainings in your sangha
Ideally these would be held for all groups within the sangha: teachers, sangha
members, staff and board members. Living in the United States, and perhaps in
other Western countries as well, we cannot help but be impacted by the racism
which has been a part of our society since its beginning. These workshops are
geared not toward the racism of neo-Nazis or Klansmen but toward the often unconscious
racism of well intentioned, good hearted people, who may consider themselves
anti-racist. It is often very uncomfortable for People of Color to interact
with European Americans who have not done the work of exploring their unconscious
racism, their unearned White privilege or the guilt related to benefiting from
this privilege. In addition, those who have not done the work may incorrectly
assume that the way White middle-class folks interact produces a neutral environment
in which people from all races and classes can feel at ease. These trainings
cannot be limited to a one day event, but need to be part of an ongoing commitment
to face racism and to liberate ourselves from its destructive impact.
Acknowledge the existence of racism & include examples of racism in Dharma
talks
Hearing their own daily struggles used as examples of how to apply Buddhist
practice in Dharma talks is often very meaningful and helpful to students. It
helps them to feel seen and included. When a Person of Color struggles with
racism every day of his or her life and never hears even the fact of racism
acknowledged in Dharma talks, this lack of acknowledgement can feel extremely
alienating.
Buddhist teachers speak a lot about the First Noble Truth: life is suffering.
The racial wound that exists in the United States is a tremendous cause of suffering
for both People of Color and European Americans. Ask any racially mixed group
to speak from their hearts about how racism affects them and the racial wound
becomes painfully evident. This kind of suffering can be included in talks.
Dharma talks often point out how we need to examine and go beyond our assumptions
and views. Some of the most destructive assumptions we hold are our conscious
and unconscious assumptions about people who are racially different from ourselves.
Including examples of these assumptions in Dharma talks can encourage students
to use their practice as a means to becoming aware and letting go of their deep-seated
racial conditioning. It is also meaningful and helpful to include the wisdom
and writings of people from various cultures and races in Dharma talks.
Identify individuals who have progressed on the path of unlearning racism as
possible allies
to people of color who come to your sangha
An ally is someone who does not share a particular oppression but who stands
beside the person who does. An ally offers friendship and support and will speak
out on behalf of that person if necessary. People of Color, when coming to virtually
all-White sanghas can experience a variety of highly uncomfortable feelings:
lost, clueless, alone, self-conscious, anxious, fearful, alienated, invisible
and so on. Knowing that there are allies available to be called on, if wanted
or needed, may help mitigate some of this discomfort.
A very ambitious example of ally work can be found in some Episcopal churches.
These churches have declared themselves as OASIS churches to gays, lesbians
and bisexuals. There is a whole process of education and experiential training
in unlearning prejudice that must go on before a church can designate themselves
as an Oasis church. This education and training is not only undertaken by the
priests and the congregation but also by the board members and church staff.
Thus when a gay man contemplates attending an Oasis church, he can count on
at least some level of understanding and sensitivity regarding his sexual orientation.
Develop a diversity strategy for your sangha
This strategy may look different for different communities and sanghas. Some
sanghas may decide to form a diversity committee to set clear diversity goals.
Others may integrate the value of diversity into all the different levels of
their existing structure.
Spirit Rock Meditation Center, for example, has a mixed-race Diversity Council.
This council recommended and received initial funding for a retreat scholarship
program for People of Color. In September 1999, Spirit Rock held its first residential
retreat for People of Color. In contrast, the San Francisco Zen Center has developed
a strategy that infuses diversity work into a number of existing programs and
offerings. SFZC also offers practice groups, workshops, and sesshins to people
of color. (See Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquín's essay detailing the
development of diversity at the SFZC in Section Two, Personal Essays, of this
booklet.)
In a holistic approach, diversity goals would be reflected in the Mission, Vision,
and Values of Buddhist communities. They would also play a part in key organizational
strategies (for example, governance, growth, fund-raising, and outreach strategies).
If diversity training or unlearning racism workshops are implemented as the
sole solution to diversity issues, without integrating diversity into the other
aspects of the organization, there may be a risk marginalizing diversity work.
For example, those who undertake the training may find they do not have a supportive
environment in which to exercise what they have learned.
Facilitate People of Color to take on teaching, administrative, board and staff
positions
Facilitating people of color to take on teaching roles may involve some kinds
of affirmative actions and mentorship. It can also involve allowing for different
levels of teachers so that students get to hear a variety of voices, not just
those of the lead dharma teachers. Another option is to offer a related activity
such as a martial art or yoga at retreats which could allow you to include a
teacher of color in these practices.
When bringing People of Color onto administrative, board or staff positions,
try to avoid bringing on just one Person of Color. It is extraordinarily difficult
"being-the-only-one." Even if the environmental and social factors
seem to be supportive, the internalized responsibility that arises with the
condition of "being-the-only-one" produces a great deal of anxiety,
and sometimes frustration. While a person of color may feel qualified and confident
about the message that they have to say, it is not their responsibility to be
the only one to say it.
If you do not have diversity in the various roles mentioned above, it will be
important to look at your systems of recruitment, hiring and retention to see
where there might be missed opportunities.
Exhibit a willingness to accommodate different needs and cultural sensibilities
This can be difficult for European Americans. Because they often are so predominant
and associate with just each other, European Americans can lose sight of the
fact that they operate in some variety of White culture. It then becomes more
difficult to understand that not all peoples feel at ease in that culture. Ways
of interacting, levels of acceptable affect, and dietary needs may differ according
to one's culture. Just being aware that White culture is neither neutral nor
universal can go a long way to increase the sensitivity of European Americans
to the ways of other cultures.
Hold retreats and events for People of Color
European Americans involved in healing racism workshops often have a difficult
time understanding why People of Color need to meet separately, for at least
part of the workshop. There are various reasons for this. It may be too wounding
for People of Color to be present as European Americans unearth their toxic
conditioning regarding people of other races and manifest various resistances
to owning up to their own racism. Also, People of Color have their own work
to do in healing their internalized oppression ¾ a process that would
feel unsafe in the presence of European Americans. Additionally, often People
of Color don't want to continue to be in the position of teaching White folks
about White racism. It is a responsibility that European Americans need to take
on themselves.
Ironically, one of the most welcoming things you might do for People of Color
is to provide them with an opportunity to meet together.
Be explicit about welcoming People of Color in your outreach material, including
your newsletters
If your sangha has formed a Diversity Committee or has made a commitment to
working on unlearning racism, you can state this in your outreach material.
This can also be a part of your mission statement. You might also consider advertising
in places where people of a variety of races might read it.
Being explicit when you are inviting participation is crucial when approaching
communities outside of the perceived mainstream. "Invitation" has
very important cultural meaning and significance. Often, people who have been
marginalized (whether due to race, sexual orientation, class, or other disenfranchisement)
experience rejection, at best, and often abuse when walking into a space uninvited.
Many have learned and been conditioned not to go where the invitation is not
explicitly given. Even when there is consent for inclusion, if it is silent,
the consent is not experienced by those who need to be included.
Consider having some kind of system for welcoming and orienting new members
Many folks new to a sangha can feel rather lost and at sea. There is a way things
go (for example, meditation follows chanting which follows bowing), certain
rituals, certain expectations of students, etc. A person of color might feel
especially awkward in this situation. Does your sangha have a guest master or
a person to call who can orient the new student to the ways of your sangha?
Below is an example of how Berkeley Zen Center explicitly extends welcome to
all peoples. This Affirmation of Welcome is posted on the main zendo bulletin
board.
Affirmation of Welcome
Walking the path of liberation,
we express our intimate connection
with all beings. Welcoming diversity,
here at Berkeley Zen Center the practice
of zazen is available to people of every race, nationality, class, gender,
sexual orientation, age, and physical ability.
May all beings realize their true nature.
Create a forum in your sangha where practitioners can express their views and
feelings on what it is like to be a part of your sangha
A forum such as this allows all voices to be heard, including minority voices
who may have special views and needs. It is important to create an environment
or container which feels safe, so that deep feelings and truth can emerge.
One form useful in creating a safe container for expression of different voices
is The Way of Council. This is a form borrowed from Native American tradition.
Participants sit in a circle around which a talking piece is passed. The person
who holds the talking piece has the opportunity to speak from his/her heart
without interruption or to remain silent. When finished, this person passes
the talking piece to the next person in the circle. Those listening are encouraged
to listen openly and receptively, without judging or arguing with the speaker,
even silently. Commenting on what has been said by other participants is to
be avoided. The goal is to accept and honor different expressions and perspectives.
Do everything you can to make the practices of your sangha accessible
Something to ask when considering accessibility issues is "How might our
sangha be inaccessible to certain people ¾ people who are not able-bodied,
White, and middle-class?" Location, accessibility to public transportation,
child care and costs of retreats may all be of issue here.
Sliding scale fees, financial assistance or a scholarship program might be considered
as ways of making retreats available to those who cannot afford regular fees.
Another possibility is to provide a way for new and used Dharma books and materials
(including tapes) to be donated for use by practitioners with limited incomes.
Section Four: Reference Materials
Listed below are articles and books which are thought to be useful. Please note
that this list was generated through a grassroots call for recommendations and
is far from comprehensive.
Batts, Valerie. Modern Racism: New Melody for the Same Old Tunes Cambridge:
Episcopal Divinity School Occasional Papers, 1998.
Buddhism in the Americas: Buddhist Communities in the Americas* in Turning Wheel:
Journal of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Spring 2001. (*compendium of voices
of Buddhists in Mexico, Central America, South America, and the Caribbean, and
of Latino/Latina immigrants in North America)
Buddhists of Asian Descent in the West in Turning Wheel: Quarterly Journal of
the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Fall 2000.
Davis, Stephanie M. & Adrienne D. Making Systems of Privilege Visible in
Delago, Richard & Stefancic, Jean (eds.) Critical White Studies: Looking
Behind The Mirror Temple University Press: 1997: 314-319.
Delago, Richard & Stefancic, Jean. Imposition in Delago, Richard & Stefancic,
Jean (eds.) Critical White Studies: Looking Behind The Mirror Temple University
Press: 1997: 98-105.
DeMott, Benjamin. America's Dirty Little Secret: Class Boston Sunday Globe:
Sunday November 25, 1990: 60-63.
Fields, Rick. Confessions of a White Buddhist in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,
Fall 1994: 54-56.
Fine, Michelle. Off White: Readings on Race, Power and Society (book)
Fischer, Zoketsu Norman. On Difference and Dharma in Tricycle: The Buddhist
Review, Summer 1999: 19.
Foye, Addie. Buddhists In America: A Short, Biased View in Tricycle: The Buddhist
Review, Fall 1994: 57.
hooks, bell. Contemplation and Transformation in Dresser, Marianne (ed.) Buddhist
Women on the Edge Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1996: 287-292.
hooks, bell. Waking Up To Racism in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Fall 1994:
42-45.
Hori, Victor Sogen. Sweet- And- Sour Buddhism in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,
Fall 1994: 48-52.
Inayatullah, Sohail. Painfully Beyond East & West: Reflections on the Transnational
Person & the Future of Culture In Context. No. 19: 50-52.
Johnson, Charles. A Sangha by Another Name in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,
Winter 1999: 43- 47, 110- 112.
Leong, Russell. Litany in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Fall 1994: 58-63.
Lopez , Ian H. White by Law: The Legal Construction of Race (book)
McIntosh, Peggy. White Privilege and Male Privilege: A Personal Account of Coming
to See Correspondences through Work in Women's Studies Center for Research on
Women, Wellesley College, Wellesley, MA 02181-8259, 1988.
Morrison, Toni. Playing in the Dark: Whiteness & the Literary Imagination
(book)
Nattier, Jan. Visible & Invisible: Jan Nattier on the Politics of Representation
In Buddhist America in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review, Fall 1995:42-49.
Parker, Joe. The Cost of Buddhist Practice: Class, Access and Diversity in Turning
Wheel: Journal of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Spring 2000: 33-35.
Pierce, Lori. Outside In: Buddhism in America in Dresser, Marianne (ed.) Buddhist
Women on the Edge Berkeley: North Atlantic Books, 1996: 93-104.
Pierce, Lori. Diversity as Practice: Thinking about Race and 'American' Buddhism
in America in Tsomo, Karma Lekshe (ed.) Innovative Buddhist Women: Swimming
Against the Stream London: Curzon Press, 2000: 277-284.
Prebish, Charles S. and Tanaka, Kenneth K. (eds.) The Faces of Buddhism in America
Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998.
Ross, Thomas. Innocence and Affirmative Action in Delago, Richard & Stefancic,
Jean (eds.) Critical White Studies: Looking Behind The Mirror Temple University
Press: 1997: 27-32.
Smith, Sharon. Widening the Circle: Black* Communities & Western Buddhist
Convert Sanghas Historical and Cultural Studies. Goldsmiths' College, University
of London. hsp01ses@gold.ac.uk (*refers to people of African, Caribbean, and
Asian descent)
Steele, Ralph. An Open Letter On Diversity in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,
Summer 1999: 32.
Steele, Ralph. In the Lineage of Sister Mary in Tricycle: The Buddhist Review,
Spring 1999:65.
Tanaka, Kenneth K. Perspectives of Asian American Buddhists on American Buddhism:
With a Focus on Their Views on Non-Asian Buddhists Japan: Musashino Women's
University.
The Full Picture: Guidelines for Gender Analysis Ministry of Women's Affairs,
New Zealand.
The Invisible Divide: Buddhists Look At Class in Turning Wheel: Journal of the
Buddhist Peace Fellowship, Spring 2000.
Thompson, Cooper. White Men and the Denial of Racism © 1998, 25 Whitney
Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139. 617-868-8280.
Wearing the Words: An Interview with Anna Deavere Smith in Tricycle: The Buddhist
Review, Fall 1994: 64-65.
Williams, Angel Kyodo. Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living With Fearlessness
and Grace Viking Compass, 2000.
Willis, Jan. Buddhism and Race: An African American Baptist-Buddhist Perspective
in Dresser, Marianne (ed.) Buddhist Women on the Edge Berkeley: North Atlantic
Books, 1996: 81-91.
CONCERNING STRATEGIES/WAYS OF ENGAGEMENT
Kivel, Paul. Uprooting Racism: How White People Can Work for Racial Justice
British Columbia: New Society Publishers, 1996.
Loden, Marilyn. Implementing Diversity Chicago: Irwin Publishing, 1996.
'We Cannot Live Without Our Lives:' White Women, Antiracism, & Feminism
in Mohanty, Chandra Talpade, Russo, Ann, and Torres, Lourdes. Third World Women
and the Politics of Feminism Indiana University Press, 1991: 297-313.
movies/video:
Color Schemes. Third World Newsreel: 212-947-9277.
Ethnic Notions. Calfornia Newsreel: 415-621-6196.
Follow Me Home. Speak Out!: 510-601-0182.
Lockin' Up. Women Make Movies: 202-925-0606.
Skin Deep. California Newsreel: 621-6196.
Slowly this. Third World Newsreel: 212-947-9277.
The Color of Fear. Stir-Fry Seminars: 510-419-3930.
This Way Home. Day Distribution: 1-888-367-9154.
When You Think of Mexico: Commercial Images of Mexicans in the Mass
Media. Carl Heyward: 415- 285- 7815.
"A BROADER AND DEEPER VIEW"
Please note that this list is far from comprehensive and that these pieces are
offered as starting blocks rather than as "the representatives" of
a particular group's experiences.
Almaguer, Tomas. Racial Fault Lines: The Historical Origins of White Supremacy
in California Berkeley: University Of California Press, 1994.
Diamond, Jared. Guns, Germs and Steel: The Fate Of Human Societies New York:
W.W. Norton & Company: 1999.
Loewen, James W. Lies My History Teacher Told Me New York: Touchstone/Simon
and Schuster, 1995.
Omi, Michael and Winant, Howard. Racial Formation in the United States: From
the 1960s to the 1990s New York: Routledge, 1994.
Perea, Juan F. Immigrants Out: The New Nativism & the Anti-Immigrant Impulse
in the US (book)
Shiva, Vandana. Biopiracy: The Plunder of Nature and Knowledge (book)
Takaki, Ronald. A Different Mirror: A History of Multicultural America Boston:
BackBay Books, 1993.
Zinn, Howard. A People's History of United States New York: Harper Press, 1995.
Albrecht, Lisa and Brewer, Rose M. (eds.) Bridges of Power: Women's Multicultural
Alliances Philadelphia: New Society Publishers, 1990.
Anzaldua, Gloria and Morago, Cherrie (eds.) This Bridge Called My Back: Writings
by Radical Women of Color (book)
Lorde, Audre. Sister Outsider New York: The Crossing Press, 1984.
Churchill, Ward (Keetoowah Cherokee). A Little Matter of Genocide: Holocaust
& Denial in the Americas 1492 to the Present San Francisco: City Lights
Book, 1997.
Nagel, Joane. American Indian Ethnic Renewal: Red Power and the Resurgence of
Identity & Culture (book)
Thornton, Russell. Studying Native America (book)
movies/video:
Columbus on Trial. Women Make Movies: 212-947-9277.
Home of the Brave. Cinema Guild: 212-246-5522.
Then There Were None. Pacific Islanders in Communication:
1-800-474-2843.
Asian Images and We Will Not Be Used in Matsuda, Mari. Where Is Your Body? Boston:
Beacon Press, 1996.
Bulosan, Carlos. America Is In The Heart (book)
Takaki, Ronald. Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans
(book)
Yung, Judy. A Chronology of Asian American History in Asian Women United of
California (ed.) Making Waves: An Anthology of Writings By and About Asian American
Women Boston: Beacon Press, 1989.
Zia, Helen. Asian American Dreams : The Emergence of an American People Farrar
Straus & Giroux, 2000.
movies/video:
A Dollar A Day, Ten Cents a Dance. NAATA: 415-552-9550.
A Passion for Justice: Yuri Kochiyama. NAATA: 415-552-9550.
Rabbit In the Moon.
Sewing Woman. NAATA: 415-552-9550.
Who Killed Vincent Chin. Filmaker's Library: 212-808-4980.
Anzaldua, Gloria. Borderlands: La Frontera (book)
Anzaldua, Gloria. Making Face, Making Soul /Hacienda Cara (book)
Oboler, Susan. Ethnic Labels / Latino Lives: Identity and the Politics of (Re)presentation
in the US (book)
Pulido, Laura. Environmentalism & Economic Justice: Two Chicano Struggles
in the Southwest (book)
Romero, Mary. Maid in America (book)
movies/video:
Ano Nuevo. Cinema Guild: 212-246-5522.
Chicana. Women Make Movies: 212-947-9277
Lady Marshall. Women Make Movies: 212-947-9277.
Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History. Collision Course Videos:
415-587-0818.
Collins, Patricia H. Black Feminist Thought (book)
Ellison, Ralph. Invisible Man (book)
hooks, bell. Black Looks: Race & Representation (book)
hooks, bell. Killing Rage: Ending Racism (book)
Malcolm X and Haley, Alex. Autobiography of Malcolm X New York: Ballantine Books,
1965.
West, Cornel. Race Matters New York: Vintage, 1993.
movies/video:
All Power to the People: The Black Panther Party and Beyond. Filmakers
Library: 212-808-4980.
Finally Got the News. Women Make Movies: 212-925-0606.
Hoop Dreams.
Up South: African American Migration in the Era of the Great War. American
Social History Productions: 212-966-4248.
Root, Maria P. Racially Mixed People In America California: Sage Publications,
1992.
Root, Maria P. The Multiracial Experience: Racial Borders as the New Frontier
California: Sage Publications, 1996.
movies/video:
Do 2 Halves Make a Whole? Women Make Movies: 212-925-0606.
Frankenberg, Ruth. White Women Race Matters (book)
Ignatiev, Noel. Race Traitor (book)
Lipsitz, George. The Possessive Investment in Whiteness (book)
Rodiger, David. The Wages of Whiteness: Whiteness and the Making of the American
Working Class (book)
Section Five: Resources for Buddhism and Diversity
The following list of resources, mostly in the Bay Area of San Francisco, California,
is incomplete, and meant only as a starting place for those of you who are interested
in examining issues of racial and ethnic diversity in your Buddhist communities.
If you are doing similar work in a sangha that is not mentioned here, we would
very much like to hear from you. In addition, we invite you to network with
others by using any appropriate Internet e-groups or "bulletin boards"
at websites listed below. Perhaps a central "clearinghouse" for this
information can be established in the near future.
http://www.egroups.com/group/blackbuddhists
Buddhism is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing religions within the
African-American community. Our online discussion group provides a means by
which Black Buddhists as well as Christians, Muslims and others can come together
and explore the ways in which Buddhist teachings and meditation can illuminate
our spiritual journeys and help us to lead more satisfying, meaningful and skillful
lives. This group will also provide an opportunity for African-American practitioners
of Buddhism, who oftentimes find themselves isolated and scattered throughout
the country, to come together and chat with like minded brothers and sisters.
This forum is open to those engaged in all Buddhist practices, whether Zen,
Hetep Dhamma, Theravada, Tibetan, to Pure Land, and others. Founded September
11, 1999.
Buddhists of Color Sangha
Part meditation group, part support group/watering hole, the Buddhists of Color
Sangha emerged from a people of color caucus group held in Nov. 1998. We meet
1x per month in either San Francisco or Oakland to practice together and to
support each other's practices. In addition to sitting and/or other Buddhist
practices we often have a dharma discussion. Past topics have included: working
with internalized oppression, engaging with hurt, outrage and anger, working
with violence, and maintaining balance in our everyday lives. For more information
call (415) 789-8359.
To access the Buddhists of Color eGroup mailing list, first go to the home page
of eGroups at URL: www.egroups.com If you have never become a member of eGroups,
follow the instructions to register (it is free, and you specify your own password).
Then go to the following URL and subscribe to the Buddhists of Color eGroup
mailing list: www.egroups.com/group/buddhists-of-color
Compassionate Transformation: A Buddhist Way to Unlearn Racism
Compassionate Transformation: A Buddhist Way to Unlearn Racism is a program
for white people who are interested in exploring a Buddhist way to unlearn racism.
This 12 week, 54 hour program emphasizes: Community, Compassion, Education,
and Spiritual Practice, and incorporates Buddhist antidotes for guilt, denial
and isolation. Sliding scale. Shorter workshops are available. Will travel.
Contact: Vanissar Tarakali, 469-49th Street, Oakland, CA 94609
Phone: (510) 594-6812 E-mail: vanissart@ciis.edu
Healing Racism in Our Sanghas
"Healing Racism in our Sanghas" meetings are gatherings primarily
for European Americans from all Buddhist traditions, held on the first Friday
of each month from 7:00 - 9:00pm at Empty Gate Zen Center, 2200 Parker St (at
Fulton) in Berkeley. We have been meeting for a year and a half. The following
are our objectives: To become personally aware of our racial conditioning and
to heal the injuries that are a result of that conditioning; To increase teachers'
and sangha members' awareness of racial issues that are present within the sanghas;
To understand more deeply why People of Color often do not feel comfortable
or welcomed within the sanghas; To do what we can to transform ourselves and
our sanghas so that People of Color feel comfortable and welcomed.
To contact Jeff Kitzes or Sheridan Adams: (510) 845-4990 (press 3)
E-mail: metta@dnai.com
Website, with bulletin board: www.buddhismandracism.org
Mindfulness, Diversity & Social Change Sangha
Our group meets every Monday from 7:00 - 9:00 PM at the 1st Unitarian Church,
14th and Castro in Oakland, California, and includes periods of sitting and
walking meditation, dharma readings, and discussions on various topics. Please
bring your own cushion to sit on if you have one.
Also, please do not wear any scented products, as some of our members are chemically
sensitive.
Our practice is based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh and other mindfulness
practitioners. We welcome people of all faiths who wish to explore mindfulness
practice as a way to help heal the interconnected forms of injustice and oppression,
from global threats of militarism and environmental exploitation to everyday,
habitual forms of racism, classism, sexism and other "isms" which
cause such painful separations in our human society.
For more information about the sangha and directions,call Don at 510-530-1319,
Olga at 510-540-0141, or Kym at 547-1254.
RainbowDharma.com
A loosely organized group of Buddhist people of color on the Internet sharing
views regarding the boundless nature of the Buddhadharma. Founded by Choyin
Rangdrol in response to feeling deep compassion for those lost in the habitual
samsara of racism in shanghas. Rainbowdharma.com is a beacon for those lost
in the sea of secret turmoil. The only services provided are heartfelt prayer,
lovingkindness, and a few humble comments for those seeking comfort from the
storm. "Only through realizing chains of gold and rope are equally binding
can one become aware how fire and water manifest dependent on different circumstances
yet from the same gem whose boundless nature is unnamable." ¾ Choyin
Website, with bulletin board: www.Rainbowdharma.com
Choyin Rangdrol
Rainbowdharma
369-B Third Street #119
San Rafael, CA 94901
Spirit Rock Meditation Center - Diversity Council
In 1997, the board of directors of Spirit Rock formed the Diversity Council
to expand efforts to create accessibility of the Dharma to all communities.
Since its formation, the Council has been committed to finding and implementing
ways to make Spirit Rock's contemplative practice accessible to all ¾
particularly to those who have been historically marginalized or disenfranchised.
Within the stated objectives of the Diversity Council are [1] to "promote
a commitment to uproot attitudes and behaviors that reduce the humanity of any
person(s) or group(s), " and [2] to "inspire the investigation and
transformation of assumptions of the dominant culture (conscious or unconscious),
that cause separation and suffering."
The Diversity Council meets for three hours approximately once a month. Members
include participation from the board of directors, teachers, staff, as well
as sangha practitioners. The Council oversees the administration of the People
of Color Scholarship Fund as well as participates in developing practice opportunities
and programs for People of Color. Dialogues have begun to create possibilities
and opportunities for diversifying the demographics of the Board, Staff and
Teaching communities. Communication with Communities of Color and other practice
groups having Diversity experience are also important to the process. These
are some of the methods by which the Diversity Council continues to advocate
and remind the Spirit Rock community of the necessity of Diversity consciousness
in spiritual practice and how it is inexorably congruent with the teachings
of the Dharma.
contact: Larry Yang - E-mail: Lyang55@aol.com Tel: (415) 665-1264
The Color of Dharma
The following events take place at San Francisco Zen Center on an ongoing basis.
The address is 300 Page Street (at Laguna), San Francisco, CA 94102. For further
information, please contact:
Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquín, E-mail: wildzen@webpc.dellnet.com
or call the SFZC City Center office at 415.863.3136.
All events are listed in the SFZC catalog and at the Website: www.sfzc.org
Instrucción en Meditación Zen
Instucción en zazen (meditación sentada) se ofrece en español
para familiarizar a nuevos estudiantes con los detalles elementales de la práctica
Sota Zen. Para mas información, llame al 415.621.0557.
Tarde de Meditación Para Personas de Habla Hispana - Date to be determined.
Sitting and Discussion Group for People of Color -Thursdays 7:30 - 9 p.m. Call
for current dates.
One-Day Sitting for People of Color - Call for current dates.
Women of Color Sitting Group
Started in January, 1998, this Vipassana meditation and discussion/support group
meets twice a month in Marin City, California. It is cofacilitated by Marlene
Jones-Schoonover and Margarita Loinaz, both graduates of the Community Dharma
Leaders Program of Spirit Rock Meditation Center. Phone/Info: (415) 488-0164
x314.
- The following unlearning racism resources were submitted by members of the
greater Bay Area Buddhist community -
Providing Alternatives to Violence
(PAV) is an umbrella organization offering Jump Start, a densely layered violence
prevention project teaching young people skills to work out conflicts instead
of fighting. Jump Start, begun over 11 years ago, focuses on unlearning racism
and deconstructing cultural biases. It is designed for children, teens and the
adults who teach and care for them.
Contact: Lorie Hill, Director
2955 Shattuck Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94705
Phone (510) 486-8088
UNtraining White Liberal Racism: how does unconscious racism affect your spiritual
growth?
The UNtraining is a forum for white people to explore what it means to be white
and how "white training" affects people of whiteness and people of
color. By focusing on the training in ourselves while maintaining consciousness
of our basic human awesomeness, we are able to better understand the world around
us and we are empowered to create change, both within ourselves and in the world
at large. The UNtraining is based on the diversity work of Rita Shimmin, and
the ongoing work Robert Horton has done with white groups since 1994. Small
groups meet once a month for 6 months in a challenging but highly supportive
workshop format.
Contact: Robert Horton, phone (510) 235-6134, E-mail: roberth@lanset.com
VISIONS, INC. (Vigorous InterventionS In Ongoing Natural Settings)
VISIONS is an international non-profit, educational corporation established
in 1984. Among its founders were three African American women from Rocky Mount,
North Carolina, who were raised and nurtured by a cohesive community in the
midst of an ongoing struggle for civil, cultural and economic rights. As they
entered various professions, these founders and their colleagues developed VISIONS
as a way to pass on what they had learned from their elders in this small southern
town. In particular, they sought to honor a legacy of respect for group and
individual differences and faith in the potential of creating just and equitable
institutions.
VISIONS defines multiculturalism as the process of recognizing, understanding,
and appreciating our own and others' racial and cultural heritage, as well as
the impact of those differences. The organization's mission in to eliminate
all forms of "Isms" and Internalized Oppression. VISIONS provides
multicultural services in the areas of consultation and training, organizational
assessment, program planning and development, executive coaching, technical
assistance, research and evaluation, and psychotherapy.
545 Concord Avenue, Suite 1, Cambridge, MA 02138 U.S.A.
617.876.9257 (voice) 617.876.5118 (fax)
E-mail: visions-inc@worldnet.att.net Website: www.visions-inc.com
Valerie A. Batts, Ph.D., Executive Director, Cambridge, MA
Hilda Gutiérrez Baldoquín, Senior Consultant, San Francisco, CA
If you and members of your Buddhist community are interested in opening a dialogue
on issues presented in this booklet, you might find it helpful first to seek
out general diversity trainings and workshops such as those provided by the
groups listed below. (See also, the above listing.) Diversity training can provide
valuable models, tools, and formats that you can bring back to your sangha and
adapt to your community's needs.
The following brief list of Bay Area organizations is not meant in any way to
be comprehensive, but to provide you with a starting place, if you need one,
to look for similar organizations in your area. These days there are many groups
offering diversity trainers representing a variety of approaches to this work.
Oakland Men's Project
Multiracial, community-based violence prevention program, operating since 1979,
dedicated to eliminating men's violence and promoting cross-gender and cross
racial alliances. Through education with youth and adults and through community
organizing, OMP reaches high school and junior high adolescents and teachers,
parents, social service professionals, and religious, civic, governmental, and
correctional organizations throughout the State of California and across the
country.
1203 Preservation Park Way, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 835-2433 Fax: (510) 835-2466
StirFry Seminars & Consulting, Inc.
Workshops and training programs on human diversity issues for corporations,
non-profits, government agencies, colleges and universities. Specialize in long-term
customized training programs as well as effective facilitation of the documentary
The Color of Fear, organization director Lee Mun Wah's best known film on race
relations.
3345 Grand Avenue #3, Oakland, CA 94610
Tel: (510) 419-3930 Fax: (510) 419-3934
E-mail: stirfry99@earthlink.net
Todos Institute
The mission of the TODOS: Sherover Simms Alliance Building Institute is to help
individuals and groups heal from the effects of oppression, build cross-cultural
alliances, and create environments where youths and adults from all cultures
are honored, valued, and respected. Our approach involves the elimination of
racism, sexism, anti-semitism, classism, and other forms of social oppression
and the building of cross-cultural alliances. TODOS provides workshops, trainings,
and consultation on multicultural issues and conducts programs for youth.
1203 Preservation Parkway, Suite 200, Oakland, CA 94612
Tel: (510) 444-6448 Fax: (510) 835-2466
E-mail: todos@igc.org or hugh@color-of-fear.org
World Trust
This organization offers educational and transformation workshops on race, gender,
and class. The filmmaker, Shakti Butler, uses her film, The Way Home, as a catalyst
for dialogue on the above issues. She will travel to various locations to conduct
workshops. You can also order a video of the film which comes with a conversation
guide to help facilitate dialogue amongst viewers.
5902 San Pablo Ave., Oakland, CA 94608
Phone: (510) 595-3322
E-mail: info@world-trust.org Website: www.world-trust.org
Compilers of this booklet
Sheridan Adams is a practitioner of Vipassana and a board member of Buddhist
Peace Fellowship. She is one of the original members of the Buddhism and Racism
Working Group which organized an event in Berkeley in 1998, "Healing Racism
in Our Sanghas." She continues to pursue her interest in using Buddhist
teachings and practices to help heal racism within the Buddhist community as
one of the organizers of monthly gatherings of the same name -"Healing
Racism in Our Sanghas." E-mail: metta@dnai.com Voice: (510) 845-4990 (ext
3).
Mushim Ikeda-Nash is a mother, writer, and Buddhist practitioner. She helped
organize the Healing Racism in Our Sanghas workday held in Berkeley in November
1998 and is a member of the board of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship. E-mail:
pikeda@dnai.com Voice: (510) 428-9198.
Jeff Kitzes is the Abbot and Guiding Teacher of Empty Gate Zen Center in Berkeley,
California. He is one of the original members of the Buddhism and Racism Working
Group which organized an event in Berkeley in 1998, "Healing Racism in
Our Sanghas" and continues to help organize monthly gatherings of Buddhist
practitioners continuing this work of healing Racism in our sanghas. E-mail:
metta@dnai.com Voice: (510) 845-4990 (ext 3).
H. Margarita Loinaz, M.D. co-facilitator of the Women of Color Sitting Group
is a member of the Spirit Rock Meditation Center Diversity Council and Community
Dharma Leaders Program. She also teaches mindfulness within the medical setting.
<Rainbowdharma.com> is a loosely organized group of Buddhist people of
color on the Internet sharing views regarding the boundless nature of the Buddhadharma.
Founded by Choyin Rangdrol in response to feeling deep compassion for those
lost in the habitual samsara of racism in sanghas. The only services provided
are heartfelt prayer, lovingkindness, and a few humble comments for those seeking
comfort from the storm. "Only through realizing chains of gold and rope
are equally binding can one become aware how fire and water manifest dependent
on different circumstances yet from the same gem."
Jessica Tan is a 26 year old of Japanese-American and Chinese descent. She currently
practices with the San Francisco Zen Center and the Buddhists of Color Sangha.
E-mail: jesstan@hotmail.com
Larry Yang, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and clinical social worker. He is on
the Diversity Council of Spirit Rock Meditation Center, and is a member of the
Buddhists of Color and Healing Racism in Our Sanghas practice groups. E-mail:
LYang55@aol.com Voice: (415) 665-1264.
Many blessings and thanks
- to our major sponsor, for the core grant which made the production of the
first edition possible: Empty Gate Zen Center and to the following groups and
individuals whose financial donations also contributed to this community-based
project:
The Ikeda-Nash Family, Margarita Loinaz, Rainbowdharma, Canyon Sam, San Francisco
Zen Center and Larry Yang
May the awareness of the needs of diverse communities continue to be recognized
and to grow in all sanghas.
May these sanghas, to the best of their abilities, attempt to do whatever it
takes to eliminate cultural, ethnic, and economic barriers to practice.
May this work on issues of diversity, race, and oppression heal the experiences
of separation and show us all, the commonality of our nature, for the benefit
of all beings everywhere, in all directions.