Read the Two Statements offered in June 2020 by the MRO Sangha—our Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) sangha, and our teachers, board members and planning committee members who are white, in response to the on-going killing of Black people and the systemic, institutional racism in our country.
Sangha Practice Groups
BIPOC Sangha Practice Group (for those who identify as black, indigenous, or a person of color), Wednesdays, Bimonthly, 6:30-8pm. An on-going meeting of sangha members who identify as BIPOC. Click Here to register and receive a Zoom link for the meeting. You can also email the group coordinators via bipoc@dharma.net
LGBTQ+ Affinity Group Meeting A support and discussion group for anyone who identifies as part of the LGBTQ+ community. We meet on Sunday’s after Sesshin from 1:30-3:00pm. Click Here to register and receive a Zoom link for the meeting. You can also email the group coordinators via lgbtq@dharma.net
TGNC Sangha Practice Group (for those who identify as transgender or gender-nonconforming) Meeting weekly on Mondays, 7-8:30pm. Visit the Sangha Practice Group page for more info or click Here to register via Zoom. Or email lgbtq@dharma.net for more information.
LGBTQ+ Sitting Group (for those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or other) Please join us on Tuesday evenings from 7-8:30pm for two periods of zazen, followed by a half-hour community check-in. Click Here to register via Zoom.
What is Whiteness? Study Group The MRO’s online “What is Whiteness” group is an ongoing monthly inquiry – based in Dharma practice – into Whiteness and its many biases and blindspots. These meetings are for those who identify as white specifically because of the need for each other’s help to address their conditioning and to be of benefit in the world. These meetings are intended to be part of a personal and collective commitment to attend each meeting.
BFoD’s Vision and Mission is an evolving process. Check this page periodically for updates.
10 Values Guiding our Beyond Fear of Differences Work
- Trust—Cultivating and earning a confidence that we are working toward our mutual well-being and liberation (Listen to a talk by Shugen Roshi on this Value)
- Equity—To create just outcomes, we recognize that different treatment—including reparations—is sometimes required because of historical oppression and our varying positions in contemporary society. (Listen to a talk by Shugen Roshi on this Value)
- Courage—The ability to step forward, be vulnerable, tolerate discomfort, and hold space for new ideas. (Listen to Part 1 and Part 2 of Shugen Roshi’s talks on this Value)
- Accountability—The Sangha—teachers, seniors, monastics, Board, students, Councils, practitioners—are mutually responsible for upholding these values and communicating with each other. (Listen to a talk by Shugen Roshi on this Value)
- Humility—Recognition of the depth of our own conditioning and the vastness of the path. (Listen to a talk by Shugen Roshi on this Value)
- Reverence—A deep respect for each other’s humanity and identities, and the transformative power of the Buddhadharma.
- Generosity—The willingness to embrace all our experiences of sangha with openness and appreciation; also the willingness to give and take in feedback on the impact of our actions as part of our dharma training.
- Whole Person Framework—In our study and liberation of the self, we recognize that because our social identities are not experienced in isolation, they cannot be examined in isolation.
- Cultural Fluency—Knowing that we live in a white supremacist culture and that our views are conditioned by power and privilege, we commit to our ongoing learning and understanding of each other’s cultural and ethnic identities.
- Authenticity—Truly being connected with our emotions, expressions, and experience.If you have questions, or resources you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you:
If you have questions, or resources you’d like to share with us, we’d love to hear from you: bfod@mro.org
