BIPOC Buddhism

The excerpt this week is from an article entitled “Forum: BIPOC Buddhism” in the Lion’s Roar Buddhist on-line magazine. (BIPOC stands for Black, Indigenous, and People Of Color.) La Sarmiento, Loinaz, and Iwata discuss the experiences of BIPOC Buddhist practitioners—the obstacles they face, and the contributions they are making. Moderated and with an introduction by Mariana Restrepo.

“My family and I immigrated to the United States when I was in my early teens. As undocumented immigrants, we had to go unnoticed; … never talking about our situation because you never knew who could be trusted. It wasn’t until I attended my first meditation retreat that I was reminded of that feeling of being “other” once again…. It wasn’t until I listened to a talk by Rev. Lien that I realized what made me feel that way….”