If we are to uphold the dharma, says Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, we must stand up to racism and expose its institutionalized forms—even in our Buddhist communities.
We are at a critical moment in the history of the nation as well as within the Buddhist teaching and tradition in America. This is the “back of the bus” moment of our time. Fifty years after civil rights laws were laid down, it is clear that these laws were enshrined within a structure that continues to profit from anti-Black racism. The necessary bias that the system requires in order to perpetuate itself has permeated our sanghas, and in this very moment, Buddhists are called upon to put aside business as usual.
If you have ever wondered how you would have shown up in the face of the challenge put before white America when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat, upending the accepted social order, now is when you will find out. Will we actually embody our practice and teachings—or not? It is a clarifying moment about who we are as individuals and who we have been thus far as a collective of people laying claim to the teachings of the Buddha, waving the flag of wisdom and compassion all the while.
Read the full essay here: https://www.lionsroar.com/where-will-you-stand/
Related Content:
The Core of Belonging
In this profound conversation, Tami Simon and Rev. angel take a deep look at how society shapes our sense of belonging—and how we can all take back the power to belong for ourselves.
Living the Questions: Why 2020 Hasn’t taken Rev. angel by surprise
A companion conversation in the On Being episode that has been re-aired for the third time — Krista catches up with Rev. angel Kyodo Williams on how she’s keeping her fearlessness alive through pandemics and rupture.
The World is Our Field of Practice — On Being w/ Krista Tippett
This prophetic conversation, which Rev. angel Kyodo Williams had with Krista in 2018, is an invitation to imagine and nourish the transformative potential of this moment — toward human wholeness.
The Magic of Radical Dharma Camp – Radical Dharma Camp-Omega 2021 [excerpt]
Rev. angel walks us through the cost + violence of unfulfillment & calls us into the question of where do you stand?
Centering Leadership In Presence
Say Their Names (half/day SIT May 2022)
Thank you for saying their names, of the people whose names should be here now. 87u“may they each be held in the grace of knowing they were loved and thus rest in peace.”
Featured Event
half/day SIT – June
a simple practice of spaciousness, love & liberation led by Rev. angel