What does a truly representative American Buddhism look like? What can we learn from listening to Black voices, and other people of color, in the Buddhist community? What do Buddhist teachings have to offer those struggling with injustice and inequality, and what do they in turn have to offer to how we apply those teachings?
A timely new anthology, Black & Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us About Race, Resilience, Transformation & Freedom (Shambhala), takes a deep dive into these questions. Editors Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles write, "[The Buddha’s] teachings, at their root, were caste-disorienting. In other words, Buddhism is a path to de-caste or decolonize one’s mind while simultaneously helping oneself build resilience against trauma."
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