As many scholars have demonstrated, race is a social construct created by humans and used, especially in the United States, to justify unfair and often heinous actions toward other human beings. From a Buddhist perspective, race like so many human-made constructs, is both a product and a perpetuator of the three defilements: attachment, fear, and delusion. As such, it only results in creating suffering, not its cessation. This is true both for those who are the direct targets of racism and those who, on the surface, benefit from racist structures. For our own personal happiness and well-being, as well as for the benefit of all others, we would do well to recognize the emptiness of the construct “race.” When we do so, we experience the personal freedom and joy that comes from such liberation. We also are able to more compassionately examine how we have been conditioned to respond in ways that perpetuate racist systems in this country. And as with other ways we have learned to recognize and change our conditioning, we can work to alter that conditioning to reduce both our own suffering and the suffering of others around us.
I’m not saying this is easy or obvious. Just think of how hard you have worked to alter the effects of other kinds of conditioning in your life. Conditioning that, initially, was helpful, rewarded or even a necessity for survival. But also conditioning that has caused suffering. Changing that conditioning can be difficult, even when you logically understand your responses are not helpful or wise. It can also take regular repeated practice to learn to recognize the stimulus-response patterns we have been habitually executing. Once recognized, we also need to practice new ways of responding until those become our habitual response. Often, we also need to be willing to both be vulnerable and compassionate with ourselves. The same is true for altering the conditioning around race. But like all conditioning built upon empty constructs, its dismantling results in the cessation of suffering and the experience of freedom.
As with most Buddhist organizations in the United States, the overwhelming number of participants in the retreats offered through Mid-America Dharma (MAD) are both White and from middle to upper-middle income homes. MAD is not alone in this of course. Looking from a strictly demographic perspective, Buddhism in the United States is primarily an experience and practice for those who are well-financed, well-educated, and White.
This is less the fault of any individual person or group offering opportunities to learn and practice Buddhism as it is the function of how Buddhism has taken root in a society dominated by racist structures. To be clear, let me define what I mean by “racist structure.” Often, people see racism as an action or intent of an individual. That is, a person consciously acts in a way that reflects an underlying prejudice or bigotry they believe. Though there are definitely individuals in the United States who consciously believe, express and act in support of prejudice and bigoted beliefs, most Americans, and especially American Buddhist practitioners, do not espouse or consciously support acts of prejudice and bigotry, including and especially those based on race or skin color. However, racism is different from prejudice. Racism is more than the beliefs or actions of any individual in our society. Racism occurs when organizational power and control are used to institute and enforce practices (be they legal or conventional) that systematically deny groups of people, based on perceived race or skin color, equal access to desirable – if not the most basic human –opportunities and conditions for living. Those ensconced practices are the racist structures. They are “baked in” to the institutions and systems of our country and society.
And those structures, to those of us who are White or able to take advantage of White systems of privilege, are largely invisible to us. Yet they affect us daily. Those systems are why American Buddhism started out as and continues to be predominantly White. And it will remain that way unless we, as practitioners, decide to examine what has happened, why, and then take action to make meaningful change.
Recently, the board of MAD issued a Statement on Racism and Oppression in response to the recent national events related to racism in the US. One of the things we, as a board, considered important was to commit to taking action within our own organization in order to create space and opportunities that are more welcoming to Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) as well as working in the ways that we can to help eradicate racism in our culture and society. One of the first things we did in response to our desire to examine and change how we do things was to extend an opportunity for each board member to participate in an 8-week, anti-racism course, “White and Awakening Together” cosponsored by Spirit Rock Meditation Center and The East Bay Meditation Center. The course occurred over the months of August and September. In coming months, the board will meet to discuss our own structure and practices to identify and create opportunities for change.
That is what the Board of Directors of Mid America Dharma wants to do: open, in the ways that we can, access to the events and spaces we create for all people, but especially BIPOC members of our communities, to learn and practice Buddhism. We have yet to determine what and how that will look. The anti-racism course recently concluded and we will continue with next steps to look at how we can affect change in our own sphere of influence: the Mid America Dharma community. We know it will involve change on both the personal and organizational levels. We welcome anyone who wants to participate on this journey with us to help further not just the American promise but the promise and the vow of the Bodhisattva:
With the wish to free all beings
I shall always go for refuge to the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
Until the attainment of full enlightenment.
Enthused by wisdom and compassion, today in the Buddha’s presence
I generate the mind of enlightenment for the benefit of all beings
As long as space remains, as long as sentient beings remain
Until then, may I too remain and dispel the miseries of the world.
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