Black And Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ส.ค. 2024
- Buddhism is a way of life, a philosophy, a psychology, a set of ethics, a religion, or a combination thereof. Central to the many ways Buddhism is understood is the achievement of emotional, mental, and psychological wellness. African Americans are at perpetual risk of psychological imbalance and trauma due to the social realities of racism in the United States. The authors engage the question: What can Buddhism offer African Americans who want to be emotionally resilient in a context they cannot singlehandedly change?
Pamela Ayo Yetunde is co-editor of Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation and Freedom. Ayo is also the author of Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, U.S. Law, and Womanist Theology for Transgender Spiritual Care (Palgrave Macmillan, 2020) and Objection Relations, Buddhism, and Relationality in Womanist Practical Theology (Palgrave Macmillan, 2018). Ayo is a chaplain and pastoral counselor and is co-founder of Center of Heart (www.centeroftheheart.org) and founder of Audre: Spiritual Care for Women with Cancer.
Cheryl A. Giles is the Francis Greenwood Peabody Senior Lecturer on Pastoral Care and Counseling at HDS and a licensed clinical psychologist, who teaches courses on spiritual care, trauma and resilience for caregivers, and compassionate care of the dying. Cheryl is a core faculty member of the Buddhist Ministry Initiative and co-editor of The Arts of Contemplative Care: Pioneering Voices in Buddhist Chaplaincy and Pastoral Work (Wisdom Press, 2012). Her most recent book is Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Healing.
Judith Simmer-Brown is Distinguished Professor of Contemplative and Religious Studies at Naropa University and Acharya in the Shambhala lineage of Chogyam Trungpa. Currently she co-chairs the American Academy of Religion's Contemplative Studies Unit, and lectures and writes on Tibetan Buddhism, American Buddhism, women and Buddhism, and interreligious dialogue. Her books are Dakini's Warm Breath: The Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism (Shambhala) and Meditation and the Classroom: Contemplative Pedagogy for Religious Studies (SUNY).
Melissa Wood Bartholomew, MDiv '15, is Associate Dean of Diversity, Inclusion, & Belonging at HDS. She is a Christ-centered minister and a racial justice and healing practitioner. Melissa is also an attorney and a mediator with nearly a decade’s experience in public interest law in the state of Washington. She facilitates workshops utilizing her framework, Healers of the Wound: Healing Racism from the Inside Out, a multidisciplinary approach to equipping people for the work of eradicating racism and healing from its effects.
I've been a member of the SGI, ever since I was a child 🙏🏽📿❤💋, thanks for sharing this beautiful video.
"Ajita! If anyone says to others: there is a sutra, let us go together and listen to it", through this merit, the person will be reborn with no disagreeable features. HE WILL NEVER BE BLACK. His lips, tongue, and teeth will be very beautiful. He will thus have the perfect human contenance. Wherever he may be reincarnated, he will hear the Dharma and accept the teaching."
- Lotus Sutra - Rejoicing in Accordance with Merit & Virtue 18
I like to comment about the comment the African American sister brought up about when we African Americans go to a white sangha, and we black people bring up slavery,racism,and Jim Crow etc,and the white sangha members tell us it's no self or attachment in Buddhism. First of all,if white sangha members have not reached that high level of enlightenment where there is no self and attachment they should not talk on that level. Second of all,the Buddha second noble truth is the cause of suffering. So the Buddha want us to look into the cause of suffering,and we should not avoid or be afraid of looking at the sufferings we have caused others, because only can we correct our mistakes by being honest and looking at the suffering we have caused others. So on the Ultimate level when we have attained the Buddha's enlightenment we can truly say it's no self or attachments,but if we have not reached this Ultimate level of enlightenment we should not speak on that level. That's why it is said in Buddhism: Above,their mouths speak about the totally wonderful,Below,their feet do not part with even a more of dust. This statement is referring to people speaking on a high level of enlightenment that they have not reached. "Namo Amitabha"
skandha
"slavery,racism,and Jim Crow etc," do you blame white people for this those dead, alive, unborn?
"and we should not avoid or be afraid of looking at the sufferings we have caused others" Have all white people caused this suffering for you? Does their existence cause you suffering or does your own attachment cause this suffering?
@@apophatic-nonsense I wonder what George Floyd’s mother would think about your idea of attachment causing suffering versus systemic and institutional racism. Black folks will always know that they are Black from the cradle to the grave in the United States of America we don’t have the privilege of esoterically detaching from our skin color or being discriminated against because “there is no self” Even Buddha ate food when hungry, slept when tired and walked the middle Path. The people who need the dharma the most are not sitting next to you and politely meditating, nor are they found in academic settings where intellectual conversations about “the self is being debated.” The sentient beings that need to hear the dharma are single mothers working everyday trying to feed their children, the heroine addicted trying to escape their traumatic past in a drug house, the thugs gang bangers looking for acceptance heavily attached to ego because they have been rejected and abandon by society or system that was created for their demise.
@@apophatic-nonsense White supremacy and racism are to be blamed which were created and supported by, of course, white people. Not every single white individual, but enough of them to build such powerful, long-lasting institutions.
@@apophatic-nonsense Be better than this.
This conversation has made me so eager to read this book! Thank you all for writing a book for us by us.
Lord Buddha said, Not by matted hair, nor by lineage, nor by birth does become holy. But the in whom truth and virtue reign. That one is pure and holy.
WE NEED MORE BLACK BUDDHISTS AND BLACK MONKS (BIKKHUS). I GUESS STILL MOST AFFRICANS DON'T KNOW ABOUT BUDDHISM. I don't know why it took a long time to do something like a "Buddhist Monks Ordination in South Africa" (Being Monks for 9 days! - 2020).
have you got a group chat or something?..my heart resonates so much with Buddhism even though i'm just spiritual.i just need to speak to different people and get to see other perspectives.
@@Soneelicious, Currently I don''t have a group chat to discuss about Buddhism in English, but I can make a group chat in Facebook to add you and add more people. If you can send a message to my FB profile (FB Name: "Suresh Wanayalae" or search "ranrahas") then we can discuss more.
How do I convert to Buddhism I want to become one but IDK where to start any tips?
@@cake1186, watch videos from here (TH-cam channels): "Buddhist society of western australia", "Monk Sarana". "doug's dharma"
@@maxwell4963, TH-cam channels: "Buddhist society of western australia", "Monk Sarana". "doug's dharma"
Buddhism is universal truth, a great vehicle to navigate through life.
"Ajita! If anyone says to others: there is a sutra, let us go together and listen to it", through this merit, the person will be reborn with no disagreeable features. HE WILL NEVER BE BLACK. His lips, tongue, and teeth will be very beautiful. He will thus have the perfect human contenance. Wherever he may be reincarnated, he will hear the Dharma and accept the teaching."
- Lotus Sutra - Rejoicing in Accordance with Merit & Virtue 18
These teachings are so powerful, and contextualizing and describing them in relation to the challenges of our times is incredibly important. Thank you all, so, so much for your painstaking work to connect and uplift the themes of justice and liberation embedded in the teachings. I'd like to lift up to HDS that the auto-generated captions in this video are of low quality, with many misinterpretations and misspellings. Can those be corrected so this video can be enjoyed more fully by those who rely on the captioning to engage?
Good to come across this. Thank you.
I really enjoyed this talk, it found me at a perfect time
The biggest gift you can give yourself is to train your mind in a daily meditation practice without the distraction of external cues (like apps, mantras, music, etc.). This is central to Buddhist practice.
Simple example - (na jajja wasalohothi : na jajjahothi bharhmano, kammana wasalo hothi- kammanahothi bharhmano) this means no one become a wasla( similar to a person who was blamed to be a dirty and sinful just because of their birth) or a bhrahmano( a person who was consider as a pure just because of their birth) anyone will ba a sinfull dirty person or a pure good person just because of their actions. Their actions and intentions are made them sinfull or pure. Not their birth race ,or religion or any other things except their actions.
Read this book last year, a great read!
I've heard that women are householders in Tibet Buddhism. And they can living together with more than one man. They are the decision makers in the family. But most of them choice only one family in their lives
Apart from Black and Buddhist. Wow I have to read this book.
"Associate professor of Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging."
Maybe I had the wrong ideas about Harvard.
Hi from Australia. I would love to know if there is Buddhism in the local Aboriginal community. Are there any good books you can recommend on the African American Buddhist experience?
Black* American Bhuddist.
@@TreyMessiah95 Same thing 🙄
I was really looking forward to listening to this, I like this subject can be powerful. But 15 minutes into the video and it sounds like Jim Crow LARPing. If you want to be inspired, read Yeonmi Park. True oppression is terrifying. I'm grateful to live in the least racist country on planet, at the least racist time.
Why are you feelings so hurt? Lol
anicca dukkha anatta
Whenever I see footage of people in Thailand giving dana to white European monks with the same reverence as they would an Asian monk it reminds me that race is never a part of Buddhism. These monks may remind them of the colonial past, but all they see is the Ssngha. As an older white European I feel that Buddhism has taught me respect for all races as we are all humans struggling in Samsara.
The context of race and racism is very much part of the Dharma. Pretending not to see the effects of institutional and long term racism, or trying to dismiss such things is not in accord with seeing clearly.
Stop using buddhism as excuse to run from things you don't want to talk about. You know how many people who claimed to be spiritually advanced but still couldn't realize their racism? Maybe you've never had to deal with that because the implicit biases associated with black people and white people are every different and it's mostly because white people own all the mainstream media outlets
Why "black" buddhist? buddhist is just buddhist !!! Buddhism is à way of life for whom who wanted, not specifically for White or dark. Please stop using this word: Black buddhist. Quite shocking in my point of view as an asian buddhist for générations. Welcome to our african/american brothers and sisters.
Be better than this.
Sounds like someone who never had to deal with the implicit biases associated with being black in America. Sorry that you thought you could use buddhism to escape talking about things you've been running from
If race is still the most important part of your identity, then you’re not a true Buddhist. You still haven’t transcended your own post-modern delusions (being attached to the appearance of your physical body). Until you can transcend your egoic attachments, you will remain unenlightened. Identity politics has no place in the dharma. Please keep it out.
well that's the point ... for people, like black people, who feel trapped in their experience. a practice like buddhism can help tremendously. you're literally proving a point. would you not want to bring this practice to a group of people who are suffering? a practice that outlines ways to avoid suffering? please stop.
it's your duty as a white buddhist to stop being selfish and recognize that your actions as a community are inflicting harm on communities of color. you're preaching against the very thing you supposedly value.
And if you have no compassion for the suffering of others, you are unequivocally ignoring the dharma and simply upholding white supremacy. Look in a mirror of the soul before you try to engage with others.
This is shameful. Do better.
@@katselah2153 Well said.
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why mention ''BLACK''? what do black people have in common except their skin? What does a black kid in Jamaica have in common with a black kid in Berlin? Just skin. Black people are diverse and span the spectrum in term of thought, food, religion... I could go on all day.
Because people need to see role models that look like them. “Buddha’s arise in accord with needs of beings” Longchenpa. Black Buddhists in GENERAL can speak directly to the hearts of other black people. I think it would be a mistake to not acknowledge that skin color has history and lineage. I understand though that you might mean why do we need to make it exotic? And by label almost create more othering? I think that both are true and create a more complex understanding of this. This is my opinion.
@@FreeForLife13 Well stated. Thank you for your expression.
What an absolute waste of time and at Harvard no less.
@Shavon yup was just about to go in but you’ve covered the bases. I swear ignorance these days
They have more in. Common than color, it’s called experiences. Whoever agrees with what you have commented is dense...
"Ajita! If anyone says to others: there is a sutra, let us go together and listen to it", through this merit, the person will be reborn with no disagreeable features. HE WILL NEVER BE BLACK. His lips, tongue, and teeth will be very beautiful. He will thus have the perfect human contenance. Wherever he may be reincarnated, he will hear the Dharma and accept the teaching."
- Lotus Sutra - Rejoicing in Accordance with Merit & Virtue 18
"I am black and beautiful."
- Song of Solomon 1:5
Buddhism says black is ugly and Christianity says black is beautiful.✝
Doesn't Christianity promote Slaves being beat in Exodus 21:20?
No.buddha never said such words at all.he is compassionate to every living being..
@@NgawangLobsang-nm4fx Have you read Chapter 18 of the Lotus Sutra?
@@MiguelDLewis ok tell me what its says about black people..
@@wonderful4life No, Exodus doesn't even mention slaves:
“And if a man smite his servant, or his maid, with a rod, and he die under his hand; he shall be surely punished.” - Exodus 21:20
The whole point of Exodus was Moses ending slavery. Judeochristianity is the only pro-black ideology. Slavers got the death penalty.
"He that stealeth a man, and selleth him, or if he be found in his hand, he shall surely be put to death.” - Exodus 21:16 🙏🏾✝🕎