Buddhism has always changed as it encountered new cultures and was expressed in new languages.
How do we respect and honor the Asian roots and lineage of this practice as the teachings are offered to other communities? How do we transmit Buddhist teachings while honoring and respecting the ancestral and cultural traditions of the communities and individuals who are engaging with these teachings? How do we integrate these teachings into our lives in our own times, places, and cultures? One way is by offering the teachings in our native languages so the Dharma can be embodied in our own cultural traditions. There is more than one experience and one way to manifest the teachings; the Dharma is refracted uniquely through each culture it reaches.
When we practice the Buddhist teachings, all that we are is included, we leave nothing out. This includes other spiritual practices, our cultures, languages, etc. Buddhists to practice vipassanā (insight) and mettā (lovingkindness) meditation.
In this latinx/hispanic diaspora, we belong to a large and diverse set of communities with different histories and identities that go beyond a single person or experience.
