Celebrating our Black Dharma Brothers and Sisters
It’s Black History Month and we wanted to do a little recap of three recent Member Spotlights that we did here on the blog of a few of our Black sangha members. Stay tuned for more on our incredible BIPOC sitting group and all they are doing + a review of inspiring Black dharma teachers.
Read our interview with Michael Dotson, who is in our current jukai class and supports the sangha during Sunday services.
Meet Davu Seru, who is one helluva drummer and supports the sangha through his music and is one of our greeters.
Felicia Sy was our very first Member Spotlight and is a member of our Board and on the Governance Committee.
Black, Indigenous & People of Color (BIPOC) Sitting Group
2nd & 4th Sundays: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 pm
Every Wednesday 7:00 – 8:30 pm (Zoom)
The BIPOC 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.
Racial and Social Justice at Clouds in Water
Clouds in Water seeks to become a sangha where all who feel called to the good medicine of Soto Zen Buddhism can study and practice in a community where they feel welcome and nurtured. We are determined to be a sangha where everyone can take refuge in the teachings of Soto Zen Buddhism as a means to practice personal and collective liberation and address the hindrances and harms of systemic racism and other systemic oppressions. We see this as integral to our Zen practice and to the awakening that our sangha seeks together.
Clouds in Water is committed to providing racial and social justice programming through discussion groups, listening sessions, workshops, classes, Dharma talks, council practice, and meditation. This commitment permeates our organization, and is specifically manifested via seven initiatives:
BIPOC Sitting Group (Black, Indigenous & People of Color)
The LAB (Race, Love and Liberation Laboratory – for growing spiritual things)
WURK (White Practitioners Unraveling Racial Karma)
WRAGs (White Racial Awareness Groups)
Being a fiscal sponsor for Deep Listening for Social Change (DLSC)
Encouraging sangha members to participate in social, racial, economic and environmental justice activism through our Bridge Social Justice and Community Care Action Group for engaged Buddhism.