Here for
you.
“Sangha members have repeatedly expressed value for this group as a uniquely safe spiritual and personal space in their lives. They particularly note the trust and openness within the group, not having to code-switch, continual learning, and being seen. They say that they treasure the depth of our conversations. This gathering continues to provide a container of shared joy and grief, deep practice, and mutual support for BIPOC spiritual practitioners. We thank Clouds in Water for its unstinting support of this fundamental activity.”
Carol Busshin Iwata, BIPOC Sangha facilitator
Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) Group
2nd & 4th Sundays: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 pm
Every Wednesday 7:00 – 8:30 pm (Zoom)
The BIPOC Sangha / Sitting Group is a space where Black and Indigenous folks and People of Color can gather for spiritual practice without the judgment or curiosity of white people. Gatherings start with lightly guided Zazen for 30 minutes and then participants converse for about 60 minutes about whatever is arising from their hearts or on a topic that the facilitator might propose. Please email Carol if you need the Zoom link!
Please direct questions to Carol Busshin Iwata: carol.iwata@cloudsinwater.org.
The BIPOC Leadership Scholarship Fund supports the growth of BIPOC spiritual leadership in the Zen Buddhist tradition. Spiritual leadership can look different depending on the path chosen, and the costs in terms of both money and time can be intimidating. The Fund encourages BIPOC individuals to apply for funding for expenses related to pursuing a leadership role on the spiritual path. This Fund is open to BIPOC participants in activities at Clouds in Water Zen Center, or in programs sponsored by Clouds in Water.
Do you seek funding to support your development as a BIPOC spiritual leader? You can request an application by emailing BIPOCFund@cloudsiwater.org.
The LAB proposes and produces programs and activities at Clouds in Water that focus on activism and racial justice. Its mission is to cultivate and catalyze awareness and transformation around racial justice for the Clouds community and beyond.
The LAB is an advisory group to the Guiding Teacher, and members are chosen at the discretion of the Guiding Teacher in consultation with current LAB members. LAB members are Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) who have demonstrated leadership in racial/social justice and equity issues in communities. Consideration for membership includes demographics, needed experiences, and the desire to remain a small group.
The LAB supports conversation and reflection to examine and honor the multicultural origins of Buddhism, especially its Asian roots. It is interested in finding ways to explore, facilitate, and lift up Buddhism and its meditative practices to other persons of color. In this way, all beings can enter into re-imagining and reinterpreting Buddhism from the white-culture framework to one that is open to the liberation of all beings. It has been observed that by bringing zazen together with an explicit concern for racial justice, people of color can turn the Dharma Wheel. Interested? Contact our Guiding Teacher, Sosan, at: sosan@cloudsinwater.org.
Deep Listening for Social Change is a peaceful action initiated by members of the Twin Cities BIPOC mindfulness community. Clouds is honored to be their fiscal sponsor and many of our members are involved in their work.
DLSC is developing a process for LISTENING, led by a coalition of multicultural, multi-gender, multi-generational skilled facilitators to amplify and empower marginalized voices. To learn more and get involved, go to: www.deeplisteningforsocialchange.org.
The BIPOC Sangha / Sitting Group at Clouds in Water, for Black and Indigenous folks
and People of Color, started in January 2018, after Rev. angel Kyodo williams first
visited Clouds in 2017. Their multi-day workshop included one day where only BIPOC
participated. Many who practiced on that intense and intimate day of Rev’s teaching and
our sharing called it transformative.
People who had planned the workshop decided, after Rev's visit, to start a BIPOC
practice space, which became the BIPOC Sangha. Some who attended Rev. angel’s
workshop wanted to practice in a BIPOC group and are now some of the sangha’s
regular participants.
At first we met on two Sundays each month. After George Floyd’s murder in 2020, the
BIPOC Sangha participants and other BIPOC folks wanted to meet even more
frequently, and our schedule was expanded to include every Wednesday evening.
Thanks to Zoom, some of our participants join from the East and West coasts. About
ten members of the group are facilitators. Each time we meet, we do zazen together
guided by a facilitator who then leads a discussion.
To use a Rev. angel term, this group is Buddh-ish in our focus. Participants respond
from our personal experiences and our hearts on topics such as compassion, death,
personal transitions, equanimity in times of global conflict, bodhisattva activism, art and
social justice, racial issues, the paramitas, readings from BIPOC teachers, and the Four
Noble Truths. Keika Aguilar-San Juan, one of our founders, says that groups like the
BIPOC Sangha offer many people from non-dominant, non-white, or non-privileged
communities the opportunity to encounter the many treasures that Buddhism has to
offer.
Sangha members have repeatedly expressed value for this group as a uniquely safe
spiritual and personal space in their lives. They particularly note the trust and openness
within the group, not having to code-switch, continual learning, and being seen. They
say that they treasure the depth of our conversations.This gathering continues to
provide a container of shared joy and grief, deep practice, and mutual support for
BIPOC spiritual practitioners. We thank Clouds in Water for its unstinting support of this
fundamental activity.
Our Story
By, Carol Busshin Iwata, 2024