What hurts? What heals? What liberates?

an invitation to BAIPOC* friends
to share personal testimony for learning purposes.

* BAIPOC stands for “Black, Asian, Indigenous and People of Color.” This does not imply in any way a uniformity of experience among individuals or among disparate communities. We acknowledge the limitations of this language. Some people prefer the language of “non-white”, while others argue that this continues to center whiteness. Some prefer “Global Majority”, or “Global South.” With the limitations of language in mind, we are provisionally using the term BAIPOC.

Dear friends,

The Awareness is Revolutionary Collective is currently running a 12 module Dharma-based program specifically for white people. It aims to unburden BAIPOC folks from carrying so much of the weight of educating and sensitizing white people about race, and encourages white people to get curious and take more responsibility for their racial conditioning, no matter where they live or how much contact they have with non-white people, and without the pressure of trying to perform and seek validation from BAIPOC folks. You can read more about the program here.

Stories are a powerful way to learn. While learning about history and reading more theoretical material illuminated by the Dharma can help, our experience is that learning from stories is particularly powerful. In our later modules we dive deep into accounts of racial insensitivity and harm that have occurred in our community and other Buddhist communities. We include materials that are in the public domain, or stories that have been shared with us with explicit consent to be used in this course. We draw heavily from the wonderful dissertation of Vijayatara in the early 2000s at the LBC, for example. We also use some testimony from the Courageous Conversations. These powerful testimonies are what we call “case studies” in the program.

How are these case studies used to facilitate learning? We study them carefully in our white affinity groups, and only after spending months of building trust together. This involves slow reading, meditation, contemplation, discussion, and sometimes role play if an incident described lends itself to that. We are trying to get closer to the lived experience of racialized harm and insensitivity, and our role in that, direct and indirect as bystanders. We explore different viewpoints, and try to imagine how, as white people, this harm could have been avoided, or how we could have intervened in an effective and skillful way for all parties to explore and address the harm? Many people report that these case studies are where the most intense learning happens. Unfrozen and freed up from trying to perform being “not racist”, many white folks dare ask all the awkward questions and can creatively engage in new ideas and behaviors in a less defensive mode. The cases we use are specific to day to day life in Buddhist Centers, retreat centers, study groups, etc.

We are seeking to increase our number and range of  “case studies.” We know that our collection of “case studies” is not representative or up to date of the diversity and complexity of real lived experience in Triratna. We don’t have a good balance between examples in city centers vs retreat centers, for example, or between geographic regions. We lack examples that illustrate intersectionalities of race and other domains of experience (class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.) It would be helpful to have more examples so that we can make sure the course is relevant and address issues that are very close to what is happening day to day in our community. 

What made a difference? What has been healing? Do you have a success story to share? It’s very helpful for white folks to carefully study examples of racialized harm, but often they are left with questions such as: What intervention /interruption would have made a difference? What was healing? What is an example of effective restorative justice? What does effective allyship/comradeship look like, concretely? What does toxic pseudo-allyship look like? … When we do role plays based on these case studies in our groups, we “try on” new ways of behaving or saying things. Together we build courage and practice new skills. We need space and time to be messy and find our voices, and knowing what has worked for others can spark courage and inspiration. Like it or not, many people need exemplification spelled out to know what wholesome behavior might look like. And we also know there is not a single “right answer,” as of course there is immense diversity of views and experiences among folks of color. But even that diversity of views is a leap forward from the frozen state that many white people find themselves in when some kind of racially charged situation unfolds.

Would you be interested in contributing a personal story to our project? 

Some final thoughts…

We are listening. Close to 200 people signed up for the course, and we have a wait list for when we run it again in 2025. People care. People are trying hard to listen. So we are putting a general call out to our BAIPOC friends in the community, trusting that those who might have energy and interest in this might come forth. Please only participate as you see fit! Many of you are overly taxed and solicited on the topic of race, sometimes in ways that take your intellectual, emotional and spiritual labor for granted. We don’t want to do that. Lastly, some of you have chosen to prioritize supporting other BAIPOC groups over helping white people wake up. We get that too! And if there are other ways you wish to get involved, please do reach out…

If you decide to share a story, we will work together on a format that you feel comfortable with, and take care with any specific ethical concerns. Typically these are written narratives that are anonymized, and no document would ever be shared as training material in the program without your explicit consent. Also, all our participants agree to practice confidentiality. They commit to not sharing materials outside of the training context. 

If you need support: Very importantly, please bear in mind that this is an educational project and that we are not a safeguarding team (though many of us have experience in this area). If you are dealing with a very live issue and need support and intervention around it, it is probably not the time to offer it as a “case study” in this training program. We would prioritize care and support for you in that case, and would try our best to connect you with resources to that end. We may not be the best people to get directly involved, but through our networks we will offer to put you in touch with people who can. 

How to make an offering: Please email us. You can share you story in writing if that is comfortable for you, or you can ask that someone be in touch with you to receive your story verbally instead. In any case, someone on the team will be in touch to dialogue with you about your offering and how to respect your needs (including privacy) in the context of this project.

From the bottom of our hearts, thank you!!