All About Our BIPOC Sangha
By Carol Busshin Iwata
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.
The large group photo that appears in every sangha news next to the BIPOC sangha invitation was taken at the end of the BIPOC day of the workshop with Rev. angel Kyodo williams in 2017.
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.
Please direct questions about the BIPOC Sangha to Carol Busshin Iwata: carol.iwata@cloudsinwater.org.
Carol Busshin Iwata (she/they) first walked into Clouds in Water in 1998, heard a dharma talk by Byakuren Judith Ragir, and decided to stick around. At Clouds, Busshin is the coordinator of the BIPOC Sitting Group, and a founding member of the Race, Love and Liberation Laboratory for growing spiritual things. She was the Chair of the Clouds Board from 2014 – 2017, and is the current Chair of the Ethics and Reconciliation (EAR) Committee. She is part of the core management team of Deep Listening for Social Change, and also co-founded several Asian-American community-building organizations.
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 BIPOC Leadership Scholarship Fund has been seeded by the generosity of a single donor. We plan to replenish this fund each year with future donations.