Since we first launched the White and Awakening in Sangha course in 2014 (and its sibling/cousin courses at SRMC, SFZC, SZBA and Branching Streams) we have had the privilege of being in community with hundreds of white identified people seeking to see more clearly into the delusion of race and move into wise action to disrupt the operation of white supremacy culture and the harm of race-based oppression.  Many of you have asked for a regular forum to support your ongoing (un)learning and action.

This edition of Continuing on the Path will consist of 5 2-hour sessions (90 minutes just wasn’t enough!) on Sundays from 10:00-12:00 Pacific Time, January 22, February 26, March 26, April 23 and June 4, 2023 with Crystal Johnson and Heather Lear.  We will focus on Metta (Lovingkindness) and Karuna (Compassion) as practices that support, sustain and inspire our efforts.  Technology and COVID willing, we will do our best to hold some of these dates as hybrid programs, so that folks in the Bay Area can gather in person (!), and those who can’t come in person can join us via Zoom.

These meetings are a time for us to gather in community as white identified people working to operate in the world in a way that fosters equity, healing and community building.  If you are like us, you find yourself from time to time overextending, or worrying about whether you are doing “enough,” or whether you are too concerned with your own happiness when there is so much suffering in the world.  These are deeply conditioned mental/emotional habits that drain energy and get in the way of being effective and joyful.  The practices of metta and karuna support you to build a sustainable course of action that fosters joy and connection.

In this series, we will offer brief dharma talks, guided practice, small and large group sharing and discussion, and, of course, lots of resources and some new readings.  If you would like to be part of a small, peer-led group in between meetings, we will help you arrange that with other participants.  We will offer partial recordings of the sessions for those who can’t attend live, but still want to see what we are up to.

If you are white and have not taken the original course, you are also welcome here; just know that this is not a beginning discussion. If you are biracial or otherwise identify with a significant dose of European ancestry, you are also welcome.  Again, just know that our focus is on whiteness and white conditioning.

About the money: at the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC), we practice Gift Economics, which means, among other things, that we welcome you into our community, and invite you to contribute according to your capacity and inspiration, rather than as if you are purchasing a product/course.  Those of you who have taken the course know that the teachers have always donated their time and wisdom as a personal practice of reparation.  All proceeds from your registration contributions will go to support the East Bay Meditation Center (EBMC).  By donating to EBMC, you are supporting a community founded and dedicated to creating a dharma refuge for BIPOC, LGBTQI2+, people with disabilities, other marginalized communities, and everyone (including us white identified folks) who seek to end suffering and cultivate happiness. Our mission is to foster liberation, personal and interpersonal healing, social action, and inclusive community building.  We hope that you will join us.

All registered participants will receive a link to join us via Zoom with their EventBrite confirmation email.