Buddhists of Color

Well, it could be helpful to start by figuring out what ‘Buddhist’ means in your family and going from there, and then figuring out what it means for you (if anything). 

Goodreads has really great lists of books that you can search by topic and genre and often the reviews are really helpful. I use it fairly often to search for books by/about authors of color. 

Hello, 

There’s a lot of ambiguity about ‘queerness’ (a western idea) within Buddhism, in the sense that it’s often not addressed, or only implicitly referenced. it takes a bit of reading past the surface to tease out the gender nuance in texts. A quick google search yields some pretty helpful results. Here’s a good place to start.

Additionally, this text really helped me when I was coming to terms with my own queerness in my late adolescence.  

Hope this helps!

hi! 

one of the things i always try to remember is that there is room for anything, yeah? infinite possibilities. 

compassion is not about excusing behavior, but about understanding it and acting accordingly. also, practicing Buddhism does not automatically make us masters of every tenet and precept. we are always mindful, intentional works in progress. 

interestingly enough, I was just reading a series of articles about drug use, and why it occurs. There are a number of reasons to cultivate compassion around this issue. 

- You can think about the economic or social causes, like government instigation of the crack epidemics across the country in the 80′s that specifically targeted people of color and poor folks in urban areas across the country. This was done in part to destabilize a number of social movements like Civil Rights, Black Power, and to similar effect, Gay Rights and Women’s Rights. 

- We can also think about why people use drugs. Increasingly, studies are finding that people most often use drugs not out of mindless addiction, but because they do not have the means or motivation to make alternative choices. 

But then of course, your place of employment also has valid concerns, like being able to serve customers in an acceptable environment, and providing gainful employment to the folks who work there. 

How then do you practice compassion? (because it’s not just a feeling, it is empathy in action). 

What can you, as an employee, or as a business, do to help resolve the issue? Can you contact a social service organization to help the folks who loiter in the area? Can you perhaps create some sort of job training program? Can you have pamphlets or cards around to give to folks with information? Can you take a collection for things that folks might need? How can you get your customers involved? What do you have at your disposal that you can share with these people?

What are ways that you can problem solve to both your own benefit and the folks with whom you are in conflict? 

I hope this helps. Be well.

Back to stocking the queue!

hi! 

I think perspectives on this will vary based on whether a person is a religious Buddhist or secular Buddhist. 

One thing that I think may be consistent is the importance of understanding  the gravity and history of the practices you are engaging in. Not taking for granted the context and really being purposeful about respect and being truthful to that. 

As someone who was raised in a multi-belief system home, my mom was really intentional about having me learn about and respect various modes of faith and philosophy. One of the things we really enjoy is seeing how traditions overlap or are congruent to one another, and learning about topics from different perspectives. Applying them to our practice as spiritual people. 

I think this is different than what you are referring to - people who take things out of context and use what is convenient or comfortable without really understanding the basis. Or who perhaps aren't invested in deeper learning and integration of these practices. 

Your discomfort is reasonable - you don't need me to tell you that. It's a taking that doesn't come from a place of respect or investment in the belief or practice. The line for appropriation is a lot of times based on an internal compass, so talking about this subject as though it is neutral can definitely cause discomfort. 

That is to say, I know Black people who use Buddhist imagery and philosophy because it's "cool," just as some white people do. So, is it wrong for me to be equally skeptical of any non-Asian's interest in Buddhism and not just white people?

I think this is a really important question and it isn't disrespectful at all. Non-Asian PoC are definitely capable of appropriation and disrespect, and certainly shouldn't get a pass. 

I don't think its wrong to be skeptical or protective of an aspect of your identity that is important to you. It's up to you to decide how you act in response to what you perceive. 

As a Black Buddhist, it makes me really uncomfortable to see other Black people fetishizing aspects of Asian cultures, mashing them together as if they're all the same, etc. I tend to be skeptical as well, and wait to see where people are coming from - if I have the energy, I may engage, interrupt, or correct misconceptions or directly racist commentary. Mostly, it's just an indicator to me of whether I actually want to interact with that person. 

There's an amount of conscientiousness and respect that needs to be at play when embracing aspects of other cultures and when that's not present, it's definitely concerning.  

I hope this helps.