The Dharma of Pose: June 11–12
"The category is… Freedom."
—Lama Rod Owens
Deepest gratitude to everyone who made The Dharma of Pose such a unique and beautiful gathering. Celebrating Pride month with you in wisdom, kindness, dancing, discussion, and self-compassion meditation practice is our idea of a good time!
And if you missed some or all … Fear Not!
Recordings & Transcripts comin atcha in 3–4 weeks, darlings.
"She doesn't get to dictate my reality. I do." —Candy
(Played by Ms. Angelica Ross)
Pose.
A ground-breaking, award-winning, luscious, lustrous, deep historical fiction TV series, starring BIPOC trans and queer leads (the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles — ever on network TV), exploring NYC's underground ball culture during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s and '90s.
Is there dharma here?
In spending time with this beautiful show, can we learn life lessons about sex, death, shame, forgiveness, love, liberation, struggle, and what is most important to us, in this brief and precious human birth?
"How lucky are we? We create ourselves." —Lulu
(Played by Ms. Hailie Sahar)
Fri. June 11 @ 5–7pm PT
Sat. June 12 @ 8am–4pm PT
Online — Schedule of Events
ACCESSIBILITY:
All sessions will have both ASL interpretation and simultaneous captioning.
Friday, June 11
5–7:00pm PT Welcome & Opening Dharma Talk Katie Loncke, Lama Rod Owens º º º º º º º º |
Saturday, June 12
8–8:45am PT Self-Compassion Meditation Fresh Lev White º º º º º º º º |
9–10:30am PT What Is Trans Freedom? Spirituality, Politics, & Lived Experience Drï Juarez, Fresh Lev White, La Sarmiento º º º º º º º º |
10:30–11am PT Music & Movement Adaku Utah º º º º º º º º |
11–12:30pm PT Buddhism & Belonging Among Asian Americans Chenxing Han, Kazi Adi Shakti, An Tran, Chika Okoye (Moderator) º º º º º º º º |
12:30–2pm PT Rest & Practice º º º º º º º º |
2–3:30pm PT Radical Conversation: Talking Queer Abolition, Love Solidarity, and Liberated Dreams Lama Rod Owens, Jasmine Syedullah º º º º º º º º |
3:30–4pm PT Closing & Dance It Out Katie Loncke º º º º º º º º |
Interwoven among the expansive guided meditations and deep panel discussions, we'll have time for viewer breakout conversations to connect with each other as active participants, and help reflect on what we're learning.
If you'd like to do some learning and reflection on your own beforehand, we recommend reading Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices; Trans Bodies, Trans Selves; and of course watching or re-watching Pose!
At Buddhist Peace Fellowship, we are interested in wisdom that helps our movements find both outer and inner freedom.
Outer freedom — safety, justice, an end to oppression, and the rise of societies in full, luscious bloom of care and wellness. Most activists and changemakers are already down for this! It's why we fell in love with movements, and why we stick around. It's protection for water, air, land, life, human beings and all our relatives, of every gender and none. It's an end to racism, ableism, capitalism, imperialism, fatphobia, fascism, environmental oppression, and the insidious ways that supremacy thinking, along with unhealed trauma, infect even our most private relationships. Outer freedom calls us to transform today's heartbreaking patterns of systemic harm, and move toward the gorgeously creative eco-social harmony that is our real human potential.
Inner freedom — the direct, inner knowing of our basic goodness that can hold us down even through the worst storms, the hardest circumstances. Inner freedom comes from sustained contact with sacred forms of love, peace, and contentment. Many activists and changemakers, if we're honest, are still seeking this missing piece (/peace) in our lives. The violence, loss, and patterning we face is so real. Buddhist wisdom — just one among many equally valid, beautiful wisdom paths — can help us learn how to cultivate compassionate inner freedom, no matter what comes our way.
We can't wait to explore The Dharma of Pose with you!
Here's to learning together about inner and outer freedom, through this incredible, historic text, during its third and final season. We bow to the buddhanature and inherent worth of all people, including and especially our trans, two-spirit, enby, agender, meta-gender, queer, and sex worker fam, at a time when BIPOC QT2s+ and sex worker communities continue to face violent attacks in many colonized parts of the world. Dear friends, we celebrate your shine, and thank you for the limitless blessing of your very being.
With love and solidarity,
Buddhist Peace Fellowship
Fri. June 11 @ 5–7pm PT
Sat. June 12 @ 8am–4pm PT