In a time of both new possibilities for multicultural democracy and pernicious appeals to polarization, the call to reckon with the role of race and racism in our lives has, for many of us, never felt more justified or urgent. And yet, coming together to address racism across lines of real and perceived difference has never been easy. How might Buddhist teachings and practices assist us in our efforts to deepen awareness, understanding, relationship-based engagement, and ethical action for racial justice, redemption, and reconciliation?
Join us for a weekend retreat devoted to practice and reflection as we address these questions together. We will explore practices and perspectives that offer support to us in doing the lifelong inner work necessary to increase skillfulness in turning toward and disrupting racism in our times, all the while cultivating the capacity for socially-engaged love. We'll offer affinity groups for people who identify as White and for people who identify as BIPOC, while inquiring into the need for other identity-affinity-based Breakout Groups to support our work.
People of all backgrounds, of varying experience or even inexperience exploring contemporary racism are welcome, though we ask those who have not engaged in antiracist practice before to set aside time to reflect mindfully on your racial identity and experiences in historical context as part of your preparation for this retreat. Meditation practitioners and interested beings at all levels are welcome.
As we work to become a more inclusive, equitable, and diverse community, we invite feedback/suggestions you may have regarding ways that we can make participation in the program more accessible and welcoming; please email us at contact@buddhistinquiry.org.
Practitioners and interested beings at all levels are welcome.
Online Study retreat: This study retreat will be hosted on the Zoom video conferencing platform and closed captions are available. Our intention is to build sangha and provide meaningful virtual interactions with each other and with teachers in our online programs. When registering for this retreat, please plan to attend as many sessions as possible. The schedule of Zoom meetings for this retreat (shown in US Eastern Time) is as follows:
The schedule of Zoom meetings for this study retreat (shown in US Eastern Time) is as follows:
Friday, May 14
7:30 - 9:00 pm, Opening Session
Saturday, May 15
10:30 am - 12:15 pm, Morning Session
4:00 - 5:15 pm, Afternoon Session
7:00 - 8:30 pm, Evening Session
Sunday, May 16
10:30 – 11:00 am, Meditation Session
11:30 am - 1:00 pm, Closing Session
In addition to these times together on Zoom, the teachers invite participants to add an additional 30 minute independent practice period each day of the retreat.
Please check the time of the group meetings in your timezone here, and please note that sessions will not be recorded.
Registration fees for online study retreats are nonrefundable after the study retreat start date. Cancellations prior to the start date of the study retreat will incur a $25 admin fee. Thank you for your understanding.
