Upcoming Events for BPFers!
Want to practice at this intersection of Buddhism and direct action? Join BPF Co-Directors Katie Loncke and Dawn Haney at one of these upcoming events - New York, DC, Oakland, New Orleans, and online!
Mormons Do It. Why Not Buddhists?: Why LGBTQ-Supporting Buddhists Won’t Speak Up in the Marriage Equality Struggle
Sophia Newman on the intersections between Buddhism and the LGBTQ movement.
Intentional Compassion, the Other Piece of Racial Justice
Stefani Cox: At its heart, the problem with police violence goes down to the root of psychology and the base of our human compassion for one another. Nothing we do on the surface alone will end racism; we need to also get at those human roots. Practicing lovingkindness meditation is a good place to start.
Direct Action Dharma in the Wilderness: BPF at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center
There's only one road to Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Even in remote settings, how can we practice compassionate confrontation around issues of justice, no matter where we are? Can monastic communities be a place to practice prefigurative interventions, where we imagine and try out the kinds of worlds we want to live in?
The Rigors of Protest, Social Activism, and Bodhicitta
Anna Gibson on how and why it is important to persist with activism in spite of jeering and even outright disapproval.
I Arrived At The White House… And Didn’t Go Inside.
If you were invited into the White House, would you automatically say Yes?Why?
Can we critique US militarism when we benefit from it?
This is an open letter to Brad Warner of Hardcore Zen who critiqued BPF's banner action in front of the White House this week.
BPF Joins first-ever U.S. White House Buddhist Leaders Conference
BPF Co-Director Katie Loncke and Board member Sierra Pickett from Oakland, CA, have been asked to join the first-ever U.S. Buddhist White House Conference and give a presentation on the Buddhist Peace Fellowship.
Seeds of Mindful Resistance: BPF Joins "Occupy the Farm"
Life for an activist would be boring indeed if all we ever did was shout, protest, fume, and fulminate. At BPF we embrace anger, yes, but also agency. The power to build and cultivate the things we want to see in the world.
Dawn Haney featured on Women Hold Up Half the Sky with Della Duncan
On Dawn’s professional and personal journey to the Director role, BPF as an institution, and current issues and topics within mindfulness and Buddhism — including racism, community activism, and gendered violence from a Buddhist perspective.
The Dharma of Harm Reduction
"Our prime purpose in this life is to help others. And if you can't help them, at least don't hurt them."—His Holiness the Dalai Lama
How Does Practice Transform Us and Our World?
We are always practicing something, whether we are conscious of it or not. By becoming conscious of what we practice and intentionally choosing to practice something new, we can transform ourselves and our world.
BPF and the Angry Asian Buddhist
Do Asian-American Buddhists pray to shrines for good S.A.T. scores? Buddhist Peace Fellowship board member Funie Hsu talks with Arun — creator of Angry Asian Buddhist — about Orientalism, racism, and the causes and conditions for all this anger.
Wise Disruption: Help 5 Cities Train in Dharma & Direct Action!
Sometimes wise action means blocking the doors to a police weapons expo. Support Buddhists learning dharma wisdom and nonviolent action tools for social justice.
Dig for Wisdom, Not for Oil: Buddhists Join Eco-Blockade Against Fracking
Buddhists, Native Americans, and white environmentalists unite against fracking in California.
Big Oil is Even in Our Food - What Can We Do to Stop Them?
Personal behavior change is not enough to stop the colossal harms of Big Oil and Big Ag. So what can we do?
Shut It Down: Reclaiming the Radical Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
The real Martin Luther King Jr. was angry about injustice, radical in his politics and militant in his tactics. Kazu Haga, dharma practitioner and Kingian nonviolence teacher, explains.
Buddha + Black Lives Matter: A Racial Justice Reflection Toolkit
Tired of pseudo-spiritual derails from #BlackLivesMatter to #AllLivesMatter? Want concrete ideas for sparking racial justice conversation in your sangha? Want the best recent Buddhist writing on police violence and state racism? Check out BPF's new toolkit.
Buddhist Blockade Against Police Militarization [VIDEO]
Buddhist Peace Fellowship used the peacefulness of our sitting meditation posture to interrupt the flow of foot traffic at the downtown Oakland Marriott Hotel, which was hosting Urban Shield, a weapons expo and militarized training site for police. The Marriott was not happy with our peaceful protest, and immediately called the cops to remove us. Still, we continued sitting.