bell hooks says, “Beloved community is formed not by the eradication of difference but by its affirmation, by each of us claiming the identities and cultural legacies that shape who we are and how we live in the world.” How do we reconcile – can we reconcile – this affirmation of cultural identities and the value of difference with Buddhist concepts of Oneness and the illusory nature of the Self? How do we learn and practice cultural humility in order to become worthy vessels for the sacred stories of the people with whom we share public spaces, yet whom we know very little about? After this Dharma talk, by Mushim, was given at San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center, co-director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship Dawn Haney wrote a related article titled “Is it possible to unravel racism in mostly white U.S. Buddhist centers?”

A Dharma talk given by Mushim on August 15, 2012 at the San Francisco Zen Center’s City Center.

Reflections on “What’s Up with Engaged Buddhism? Who gets to speak?” – a Buddhist Peace Fellowship evening at the Oakland Peace Center with panelists Alka Arora, Katie Loncke, Donald Rothberg, and David Loy, moderated by Jen-Mei Wu and featuring visual artist Kenji Liu, May 20, 2012

http://www.turningwheelmedia.org/the-white-guys-were-intolerable/

A Dharma talk given by Mushim on March 4, 2012 at the Gay Buddhist Sangha in San Francisco.

link

Buddhadharma magazine interview forum with Mushim, David Loy and Joan Sutherland, Spring 2012 issue

Download the complete article as a pdf by clicking here

from the introduction by Melvin McLeod: Are we truly inclusive? Does a monolithic political culture serve the dharma well? We talk a lot about diversity—except political diversity. Our panelists acknowledge that people with conservative political and social views often don’t feel at home in Buddhist centers (nor, I must acknowledge, reading Buddhist magazines). People of all types need the dharma, not just educated, middle-class liberals. Is a Buddhist party line keeping people who need it away from the dharma?

There are those who argue that the best way to benefit sentient beings is to leave social and political engagement aside and concentrate on achieving enlightenment. Yet few of us, even the most devoted, will lead lives of full-time practice. We will make our contribution from within society—in our daily practice, in our relationships with those close to us, and in our lives as citizens and members of society. We cannot wait until we achieve enlightenment. We need to act now, offering society our insight and values in the most skillful way we can—and to our surprise, maybe finding realization too.

A Dharma talk given by Mushim on December 4, 2011 at the Gay Buddhist Fellowship in San Francisco.

Tricycle editor Sam Mowe wrote: “In her essay, ‘Not What I Thought,’ Mushim describes an incident at a Thai Buddhist temple in Chicago in the mid-eighties where the bhikkhus declined to invite her to meditate because she was a woman. From there she goes on to reflect on the diversity of North American Buddhism, as well as her place in it. Mushim’s essay is so enjoyable and thought-provoking that I decided to reach out to see if she might talk about some of the ideas she raises a little more in depth. What follows are pieces of our recent email exchange, which explored diversity in a Buddhist context, Occupy Wall Street, and more.

James Shaheen, Editor & Publisher of Tricycle: The Buddhist Review writes: Buddhism in the West is a dynamic and multifaceted project, but it is often seen, including by Buddhists, in terms of simple categories and stereotypes. For all its positive contributions, Buddhist publishing has done more than a little to reinforce these errors. Tricycle is no exception. We have, though, seen in recent years, largely through the participation of our online community, that much of the standard thinking about who practices Buddhism and how they practice is quite stale and needs dismantling.

Readers of the magazine may have noticed that we have been taking steps toward that end. Here is another. We have reached out to three members of the Tricycle community who in some way or ways—ethnicity, geographic region, health issues, age—don’t fit the image of a Western Buddhist put forth in the popular press or, for that matter, in the Buddhist press. We asked them to lift a corner to reveal parts of the Buddhist experience that often are hidden. Hearing their stories, we can better appreciate the richness of the community life we share.

http://www.turningwheelmedia.org/bringing-shantideva-%E2%80%98s-prayer-home-at-the-general-strike-in-oakland/

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Kartika Review editor Jennifer Derilo writes:
Issue 10 is live and up and ready for free download.I’m creating a Virtual Issue Release Party on fb, so if you’d like to check that out, please like & join our fb page: https://www.facebook.com/kartikareview

This gorgeously designed issue features original works by Anna Alves, Mark Canto, Lizelle Festejo, Kathleen Hellen, Patricia Y. Ikeda, Sam Katz, Dickson Lam, Kristine Joy Mallari, Melissa Sipin, Shruti Swamy, Teresa Shen Swingler, and Timothy Yu;

and author interviews with M. Evelina Galang, Ed Bok Lee, and Jean Kwok. Check it out at: http://www.kartikareview.com.
To download the full Issue 10 e-journal: http://www.kartikareview.com/Kartika_Issue10.pdf

To order the print copy of Issue 10 (regular): http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/kartika-review-issue-10-fall-2011/18492788  ($12.00; Kartika makes $4.00 profit off each sale, with 10% going to APICC).

To order the print copy of Issue 10 (full color artwork): http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/kartika-review-issue-10-fall-2011-%5bfull-color%5d/18492816  ($25.00; Kartika makes $1.30 profit off each sale, with 10% going to APICC).