Welcoming Liberation: A Space for Thriving BIPOC / BAME Dharma and Community Connection.

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Welcoming Liberation: A Space for Thriving BIPOC / BAME Dharma and Community Connection.

On Fri, 31 July, 2020 - 15:49

Sadayasihi

Welcoming Liberation: A Space for Thriving BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) BAME (Black, Asian, Minority, Ethnic) Dharma and Community Connection

UPDATE

Dear friends,

As a team we’ve decided that it’s the right time to bring Welcoming Liberation to a close.

We started this monthly gathering to support BIPOC/BAME in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd and resulting conversations in Triratna about providing safer, affirming spaces for the diversity of BIPOC/BAME within the movement and beyond. At the time there were few spaces for us to gather and practice together. It’s been a powerful space to get to know one another and explore issues specific to our experience of practicing Buddhism as BIPOC/BAME.

In the two years that have passed there have been a growing number of events and initiatives for BIPOC/BAME within Triratna which many on the team have spearheaded and continue to be involved in developing, including:

- The weekly online PoC space hosted by the London Buddhist Centre and West London Buddhist Centre

- The development of a course for PoC in the ordination process (still in progress, watch this space!)

- A gathering for Southeast/East Asian PoC (for further information please contract Danadasa at danadasa108 [at] gmail.com)

- Reading circles for PoC and white allies

- The appointment of a Diversity Coordinator by the European Chair’s Assembly (Aryarakshita can be reached at aryaraksita [at] triratnadevelopment.org)

- Residential retreats for PoC

- Local PoC groups (Birmingham, Manchester)

- The Welcoming Liberation Facebook group

Given the amount of time and energy these initiatives are taking, we realistically can’t continue to offer Welcoming Liberation.

Thank you so much for all you’ve contributed to our gatherings. We hope our connections can continue through the above and other offerings that will emerge out of our shared inspiration.

Love,

The Welcoming Liberation Team - Aryavacin, Bodhilila, Danadasa, Guhyasakhi, Padmadhara, Singhashri, Sujiva, Vimalasara and Viveka

***

We’ve retained the text of this original post here fro archival purposes.

Last Saturday of every month: see here for times this month.

What is the space?
This is a gathering for people practicing the dharma, at any stage of that journey and experience and who also come from the richly diverse lived experiences of these intentionally welcomed identities: Black, Indigenous, and people of color inclusive of Asian/Pacific Islander, South East Asian, Native Hawaiian, Latinx, Arab/Middle Eastern, biracial, mixed heritage, multiracial, and any others identifying as non-white.

A monthly welcoming two-hour on-line international and intentional Triratna community space for:

Authentic connection and co-creating culturally diverse community (sangha)
Deepening dharma practice through meditation, reflection and real conversations
To practice welcoming, empathy, healing, wholeness, complexity, liberation and joy
Learning from each other and with a variety of BIPOC/BAME Triratna order members and community members
Making more possible genuine connection with the Triratna Buddhist community in this space, and beyond

Find out more about this event and register

Support this space by making a donation (please indicate it’s for ‘Welcoming Liberation’)

Tags:

race, buddhism, Dharma, diversity, Vimalasara, Singhashri, Bodhilila, viveka

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