Many Communities, One Sangha: Exploring the Reality of Equity & Inclusion
Many Communities, One Sangha:
Exploring the Reality of Equity & Inclusion
October 2, 9, 16, 23, 30
A Class Series to benefit East Bay Meditation Center and SZBA BIPOC Fund
It has been over a year since the murder of George Floyd spurred a reinvigorated effort to bring the principles and practices of racial equity to our sanghas and our lives. While many have had some success, many of us report disappointment at the progress we have made. This course is designed as an online facilitated community inquiry to support and energize sanghas and dharma practitioners seeking to create equitable, inclusive communities.
We will explore questions such as:
- What do we actually mean by equity?
- What are the values, intentions and commitments that drive our pursuit of equity?
- What does it mean to create sanghas that offer safety, dignity and belonging to a diverse community?
- What does it mean to practice being in “right relationship” to hierarchy and authority in our communities?
- How do we work with the intensity of emotion and pain that arises when we are intimate together?
- How do we handle the loss (for some) of “traditional” ways?
- How do we handle the harm that has already arisen (and continues to arise) so that we can move forward in a different way?
We invite you to join us in deep inquiry and practice to investigate together how we can create the ongoing conversation in our dharma communities and our lives that will allow us to create community spaces that provide safety, dignity and belonging to as diverse a group of people as possible. This course will offer dharma talks, panel discussions, journaling, and small and large group discussions, supported by embodied practices that support our capacity to be in the difficult conversations that lead to real change.
Please be aware that this is not a beginning class. To join us, we ask that you bring openness and curiosity, some experience exploring the impact of racism, homophobia, misogyny, ableism, transphobia and classism on our communities, and the capacity (or at least the aspiration!) to stay with difficult conversations.
