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Listening circles create openings for transformative love, wisdom, and healing. We are offering two listening circles to provide sangha members an opportunity to share the impact of the recent tragic events of racial oppression, and to tie these experiences into our spiritual practice.
Two listening circles will be offered, more information below:
- Listening circle for people of color (POC)
- Listening circle for white people/non-POC
Listening circle for people of color
Facilitated by Kan Yan, this group will gather to explore being People of Color (POC), and the different experiences each of us has within that umbrella term. It’s an opportunity to investigate together--as individuals and as members of a dharma community--our relationship to race in this particular American moment, connecting over shared experiences and learning from our differences.
Many of us have conversations about race and our experiences within our own racial group. This is a forum to come together with people who don’t all look like you, but also have to navigate this world based on their proximity to whiteness. It’s an opportunity to create and deepen connections with other POC and foster solidarity and community.
This event is open to anyone who sees themselves as a POC and/or people who are seen by others as a POC.
Maybe you have been doing your own work around our racial identity, or maybe you know you need to and don’t know where to start. You are welcome at any point in your journey. You don’t have to be perfectly politically correct, or up-to-date on all the latest race theory. This is a space for us to learn from each other’s stories. It’s ok to say things wrong, we just ask that you are respectful of all people and experiences in the room.
Zoom Link for FIMC Listening Circle – For People of Color
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81508846454?pwd=YzVDOWplRGdybUgya3Bkem0rUFpqZz09
Meeting ID: 815 0884 6454
Password: 329039
For More Information: contact@flagstaffinsight.org
Listening circle for white people/non-POC
Facilitated by Janine Schipper, this group is open to white people, or people who do not identify as people of color and often have the experience as being seen by others as white.
This gathering provides an opportunity to investigate together--as individuals and as members of a dharma community--our relationship to race in this particular American moment. The intention of this gathering is to create a safe container for connection and support for sharing how you have been impacted by the recent events of racial oppression and how to deepen our wisdom both personally and as a collective.
Maybe you have been doing your own work around whiteness or racialization, or maybe you know you need to and don’t know where to start. You are welcome at any point in your journey. You don’t have to be perfectly politically correct, or up-to-date on all the latest race theory. This is a space for us to learn from each other’s stories. It’s ok to say things wrong, we just ask that you are respectful of all people and experiences in the room.
Zoom Link for FIMC Listening Circle - White people/non-POC
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84702483080?pwd=NDBtUHpxbGg1eEF1L0lOZXZqSkg1dz09
Meeting ID: 847 0248 3080
Password: 006743
For More Information: contact@flagstaffinsight.org
Some questions you may have:
Why are there two separate listening circles based on racial identity? Doesn’t this foster separation, not inclusion?
Affinity groups allow support and exploration to happen within a group that shares a common identity. For people who are members of marginalized groups, these affinity groups can often create a space of deep support and safety that can allow for explorations which wouldn’t be possible in a larger community gathering.
These groups are part of the process of creating a socially just community where everyone and every part of us feels welcomed and respected. Taking time separately allows us to join together collectively with wisdom, and create connection rather than harm.
How are these listening groups related to Buddhism and the mission of FIMC?
The Buddha offers a clear and direct description of what freedom or awakening is, namely it is a heart free of greed, hatred, and delusion. Systemic racism is both an individual and collective manifestation of hatred, and in order to embody this aspiration of awakening for all, it is imperative that we address this form of hatred in our hearts and in our communities.
At FIMC, we are dedicated to fostering a welcoming refuge for all people to explore meditation, mindful living, and the teachings of the Buddha. We are committed to cultivating an appreciation of the value of diversity and to acknowledging the need to recognize and dissolve barriers that separate us from each other. We open our doors and hearts to all social identities including, but not limited to, all races, classes, sexual orientations, gender identities, ages, abilities, cultures, and ethnicities.
About the Teachers
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