Dear Ones:
As you know, there is a growing understanding for many of us in the white dominant culture that something is very wrong. It is as if we, as white people, before these current times, were able to fragment and cut ourselves off from what has been all around us in clear sight. The not seeing has many causes and conditions but for now, I’ll quote Toni Morrison: “The work of racism is to silence and distract you.” A wise responsiveness on the part of all of us is needed now that we can see more clearly. Yet, the way forward is not clear at all unless we bring our Dharma practice into this realm as much as any other. It is a complex tangle, and the list of obstacles is very long but all of it has to be met with compassion and wisdom.
As a contemplative center, what to do? Easing the false difference between contemplation and engagement in the world is one response. It is not possible anymore to ignore that we are part and parcel of this world. It’s not that each of us is or has to be a social activist in the common sense and meaning of that role. However, I think we may agree that each of us has a mandate to understand the vast disparities of a system that benefits us and is biased against our brothers and sisters of color; to not turn away from seeing the truth of racial bias.
Bryan Stevenson makes the point that we’ve made talking about race political when it is actually an ethical and humanitarian issue. Using the language of the Dharma, racism is a kilesa, a toxic concoction of ignorance, hatred, and greed. It isn’t something to argue about, the way we might argue about politics. It is something to become ever more aware of in the context of the caste* system in the US. I don’t think it matters how innocent one might feel or how culpable we might feel others are; I really do think that is beside the point. The greater point is that we live in a culture that is saturated with racism and as Buddhists, our aspiration is to alleviate suffering in all of its forms.
Those of us in the dominant caste have the seeming luxury of being able to avoid engaging in and talking about race. It isn’t actually a real luxury because avoidance brings ongoing contraction and tension, a sense of being divided within oneself. It can seem almost impolite to bring up the subject. A Dharma sister recently said to me that she feels white people have both consciously and unconsciously made a pact not to talk about race. This strikes me as true. I’ve known many yogis of color who wish that they did not have to either and could simply focus their energies on their passion for meditation. But for them, rather than it being a choice or a particular interest, it is unavoidable. How unfair is that and can we hold the immensity of this tangle together?
I believe that faith leaders have to take a stand because if we do not, we are upholding racialized violence via our silence. Our silence is seen as complicity, regardless of what is in one’s heart. We will inevitably be co-operating with a system that continues to cause tremendous pain and harm. This stand must be aligned with the deepest of the Buddha’s teaching which to me includes the need to honor complexity.
As a white faith leader in the Buddhist tradition, I trust that our compassionate hearts can be touched and that we can find our way together. Thus, I would like to continue to invite you, my white brothers and sisters, into this work of educating ourselves to the racial harm that has been and is done in our name, helping to co-create a CIMC culture that truly is like family for all, and not just for some. A functional family of course!
Doing this work with sincerity often has me out of my comfort zone. With fellow long-time IMS teacher friends, I am in a year-long training with Dharma teacher Ruth King. In our affinity group we dive deeply into the monthly homework and I practice holding the discomfort that arises as something to embrace, not as a signal to flee. In another group—an advisory board of diverse teachers from a variety of Buddhist lineages whose mission is to highlight black teacher voices—we work to actively engage in our own racial deconditioning, opening ourselves to all the emotions, confusion, and discomfort of doing so.
I’d like to encourage you to find opportunities in which you can intentionally talk about race with other white people. We can help each other rather than relying on those of color to educate us. There are many groups forming at this time. It doesn’t matter where you find such a group. Talking about race on a regular basis will help us all. What matters is finding ways to sustain one’s attention because of the conditioned tendency to drift away when our hearts aren’t jolted and shocked out of our complacency by such horrors as the murder of George Floyd and the more recent murders in Atlanta.
One of my models for going about this work is the late Congressman John Lewis, an ordained Baptist mister who merged the political with the religious. He never seemed to forget that everyone has a sacred spark within them. His kind voice, wisdom, love, and courage inspires me to infuse this work with the paramis of truthfulness, compassion, and resolve. This is our time to do something good. You don’t have to know what to do. You just need to be part of the conversation.
Humbly offered with love and respect,
Narayan
*This understanding is from a book entitled “Caste” by Isabel Wilkerson