A collection of teachings, profiles, and discussions about diversity in Buddhism. Featuring angel Kyodo williams, Funie Hsu, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, Arunlikhati, Gina Sharpe, Greg Snyder, Justin Simien, George Takei, Alice Walker, Lama Rod Owens, and more.

Diversity is increasingly discussed in Western Buddhism today, and with good reason. Supporting diversity serves three goals shared by most Buddhists:

alleviating the suffering of others (by addressing oppression in the world at large);

sharing the dharma (by making our communities more welcoming);

freeing our own hearts and minds (by addressing our biases and limitations).

The Buddhist approach supplies us with tools to work on these three goals. It’s not an easy process, but there’s a wealth of advice, wisdom, and anecdotes from pioneers in the field to help guide us. Below, you’ll find favorites from LionsRoar.com, Lion’s Roar magazine, and Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly.

Commentary

Ruth King presents five ways we can address racial ignorance and division to help ourselves and our sanghas become whole.

Chenxing Han examines the stereotypes that have marginalized Asian American Buddhists and reports on the rich diversity and depth of practice of a new generation of practitioners.

If we are to uphold the dharma, says angel Kyodo williams, we must stand up to racism and expose its institutionalized forms—even in our Buddhist communities.

Being with people like us feels comfortable and secure—and it’s a big reason why communities aren’t more diverse, says Zen teacher Jules Shuzen Harris.

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We need to update the traditional narrative of the Buddha’s life, says Pamela Ayo Yetunde, for people who know suffering all too well. She offers some alternative stories for the time of #BlackLivesMatter.

Funie Hsu says it’s time we recognize the contributions of Asian American Buddhists and address the racism and cultural appropriation that marginalizes their ongoing role in transmitting the dharma in the West.

When Tara Brach came to recognize her own white privilege, it revealed painful blind spots. That changed her as a dharma teacher and leader.

For our practice to have meaning in today’s world, says Greg Snyder, it must include a thorough understanding of our racial identities and their impact. This is particularly urgent for white practitioners.

Following two accidents in my teens and twenties, Vidyamala Burch lives with a serious spinal injury, getting around with the help of a wheelchair or crutches and with pain as a constant companion.

Whether you’re part of a full-scale Buddhist center or the humblest of sitting groups, there’s always more you can do to share your energy and practice with others. Brooklyn Zen Center executive director Greg Snyder shares four tips for a deep and helpful relationship with the community around you.

Jan Willis’s 2011 examination of the subtle—and not so subtle—racism that exists in American Buddhism.

Teachings

There will only be social justice in America, says Jan Willis, when we see all people as our equals. She offers an ancient Buddhist meditation to help us do that.

Who am I, really? Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara shares three teachings that have given her solace and strength as she’s asked that question.

Lama Rod Owens says we all need to look honestly at who we are, in all our complexity — and that includes those who teach the dharma.

Mushim Ikeda says it’s not enough to help others. You have to take care of yourself too.

Doshin Nathan Woods considers what it means to stand arm in arm as part of our Buddhist practice.

Like the Buddha, we all get our call to wake up. It often comes when life isn’t working and we may have to go a little crazy. Here’s how Buddhist teacher Spring Washam answered her call.

Profiles

Insight teacher Gina Sharpe is working to create a truly inclusive sangha. The place to start, she says, is facing the truth that even Buddhist communities aren’t free from the suffering caused by racism.

From her childhood in the Jim Crow South to her ascent as a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, Alice Walker has been on a journey to see things as they really are. Colleen Morton Busch explores Walker’s life, work, and spiritual path.

As his cancer goes from bad to worse, the anonymous blogger known as the “Angry Asian Buddhist” strives to accept the absurdity of life.

Conversations

To make diversity real, says Zen teacher angel Kyodo williams, Buddhists must look deep into their own hearts.

Though unusually bold, this Buddhist community’s new statement is presented as congruent with the Buddha’s teachings. Mary Stancavage and JoAnna Harper in conversation with Rod Meade Sperry.

One element of Simien’s identity isn’t obvious in his Netflix hit: Buddhism. But it’s there. Interview by Sam Littlefair.

A 2005 discussion of race, class and education, and how they’re shaping American Buddhist communities and how they’re limiting who becomes interested in Buddhism. Featuring Paul Haller, Marlene Jones, Charles Prebish, and Guy McCloskey.

A 2006 discussion featuring Duncan Williams, Socho Ogui, Wakoh Shannon Hickey, and Ron Kobata. Introduction by Charles S. Prebish.

Gen-X teachers from across traditions are transforming the vision and landscape of American Buddhism.

Personal Stories

An excerpt from Zenju Earthlyn Manuel’s The Way of Tenderness.

Does Buddhism mean you have to be a liberal? Buddhist and lifelong Republican Christopher Ford argues that the answer is “no.”

In September, 2010, at fifty-three, Ellie Krug surgically transitioned from male to female. It happened only after years of therapy, great soul-searching, and grudging self-acceptance.

Singer Buddy Nielsen has had his share of boundary-busting transformation. It hasn’t come easy.

Ray Buckner offers a personal view of what it means to be Buddhist, gender-queer, and trans — and why they all fit together like “a miracle.”

The loss of her brother sent her on a journey into the past, where Ellen Watters Sullivan encountered a family legacy of shame as old as the American South itself.

The actor, author, and undisputed King of Social Media reflects on his fascinating personal history: his childhood and his family’s internment during World War II, his life as a gay man and activist, how far we’ve all come, and why we must press on together.