Dharma and Justice: Solidarity and Accountability in Black and Asian Buddhist Sanghas
Join us on Tuesday, April 11 at 7:00 PM for Dharma and Justice: Solidarity and Accountability in Black and Asian Buddhist Sanghas, featuring Cristina Moon and Rima Vesely-Flad.
As Buddhism gains numbers of practitioners throughout the U.S., there is increasing attention paid to cultural adaptation and appropriation within “convert” sanghas. How can Buddhist practitioners, including Black Buddhists who have similarly experienced cultural appropriation, respond ethically? Recognizing the distinctive ways in which Asians and Asian-Americans have been racialized, as well as the distinctive ways in which Black people have been racialized, how can we address nuances and dynamics in Black and Asian Buddhist sanghas? Not least, as violence continues to be disproportionately inflicted upon Black and Asian community members, how can Black and Asian communities create further avenues for solidarity?
ASL interpretation will be provided.
Cristina Moon
After a career in human rights and social change organizing, and graduating from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Cristina embarked on three years of monastic training at Daihonzan Chozen-ji in Honolulu. While still in residence as a priest, she continues to train in zazen, Kendo, Chado, and ceramics—and now works with individuals and organizations to develop the sensitivity and spiritual strength needed to lead in today’s challenging world. Learn more about Cristina’s work here.
Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad is a Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary. She is the author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation (NYU Press, 2022) and Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice (Fortress Press, 2017). She leads retreats and classes for dharma centers throughout the U.S.
Learn more about Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad here.