July Theme: Dharma of Food Justice

Secret-Buddhist food celebrities.* Activism, art, contemplation. Mindfulness and nutritional racism. Poetry that reconnects with roots.Welcome to a new month, friends! Here at Turning Wheel we are excited to embark on an experiment: throughout July we'll be highlighting issues of food justice from Buddhist and spiritual perspectives. Some days we'll feature new submissions; other days we'll blog about nourishing and kick-ass tidbits from around the interwebs.In our call for submissions we said:

Food and food justice help us reflect on the meaning of profound teachings: interdependence, impermanence, generosity, right action. Through a spiritual lens, we analyze and resist the institutional oppressions that perpetuate racist, classist, ableist, and sexist exploitation, pollution, food and water scarcity, malnutrition, and poisonous foods. In our explorations of the dharma, we honor nature as more than just a resource. We seek to (re)establish harmonious relations of healing and wellness among all beings and the land, skies, and waters. To do this, we know we must take action to transform the status quo at the systemic level.

And that's what's up.  We hope you enjoy, take inspiration, join the conversation, and end the month feeling well fed.With gratitude, toward the liberation of all beings,Turning Wheel Media*   *   ** We don't presume to assign identity labels to anyone, and folks appearing on this site may or may not identify as "Buddhist." In fact, the word "Buddhism" is a relatively recent (19th century) Western term that folks in Asia don't use — referring instead to the teachings of the Buddha, or the word of the Buddha.  So when we at TWM talk about "Secret Buddhists," all we're saying is that we were surprised to learn that these folks have been significantly influenced by traditions descending from the teachings of the Buddha — and may even practice some of these living traditions.  Make sense?  Cool.*   *   *[Top Photo: Mayumi Oda, "Wheel of Dharma (Peas)," 1982. Posted with permission.]