As we study institutionalized theft in this second theme of The System Stinks, what are some of the classic texts that you've found helpful in understanding systemic theft? We're especially interested in the three forms of theft we've chosen for study this month: theft of land, culture, and time. Theft of Land: Media on colonization, Manifest Destiny, indigenous organizing, sovereignty, expropriation Theft ...

Did you dig David Loy's recent article for Turning Wheel Media, "Can Mindfulness Change a Corporation?" If you are in Northern California, you have several opportunities to study with David in person - see below for details or check out his full schedule. For in-depth exploration, check out his weekend retreat: Money Sex Fame War Karma: Personal and Social Transformation Esalen Institute in Big Sur CA May 3 ...

I spent $5,000 a year on therapy while I worked at a rape crisis center. My therapist got well over 10% of my income each year; a tithe to her painstaking work re-teaching me that it was safe to be mindful of my body, even in the face of devastating trauma. While my therapy work addressed my own past trauma, this trauma was violently yanked forward to the front of my consciousness from facing day after day ...

If Thich Nhat Hanh is right that "The next Buddha, the Buddha of the West, will come as the sangha" - it is my belief that East Bay Meditation Center is leading the way to our personal and collective liberation. I invite you to support East Bay Meditation Center - by attending their star-studded upcoming event (see details below) or by making a direct donation to support EBMC's continued flourishing. Someti ...

BPFer Vincenzo Giorgino and his Department of Economic and Social Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics at the State University of Torino are meeting Wednesday, March 20th on the topic of happiness and the pursuit of a good life. Interesting talks happening like: Dharma and economics Happiness-Freedom: Who suffers? From dukkha to samadhi Contemplative knowledge and economy as relational work Wish we could ta ...

Since BPF's inception in 1978, the mandala of socially engaged Buddhism has blossomed. Today's landscape of political Buddhism is rich and varied: Buddhists are working on global warming, mindfulness in prisons, organizing for freedom against colonial powers, ending global hunger, building an inclusive, social justice-oriented sangha, and accompanying Peace Communities in war-torn Colombia, among so many ot ...

On this 10th anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, folks in my Facebook feed are reflecting on the inspiring actions they participated in to resist war. Former BPF staffer, Maia Duerr, participated in nonviolent civil disobedience to shut down Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, MA. She reflects on the liberation available in laying aside our ego in the service of a larger cause: By the time we got to the e ...

Where are Burma's reforms going? What can you do to help? Since last year, the U.S. has been warming up its relationship with Burma and lifting the sanctions in recognition of the ongoing reforms. President Obama paid a historic visit to the country last November. However, there are serious challenges and concerns as the military and their cronies are still firmly in control of the country's political and e ...

While we are pointing fingers at stinking systems here at BPF, it would be a lie to pretend that we don't have any stinky non-functional systems ourselves! When we closed our physical office in December 2011 there were a lot of changes in our infrastructure, some of which we are still sorting out! For instance, our phone number now goes straight to a Google inbox, and we do our best to pick up those message ...

Video Transcript Happy Valentine's Day BPFers! I'm heading out today to join up with One Billion Rising, a movement to recognize that over 1 billion women and girls will be sexually abused in their lifetimes, and it's going to take at least 1 billion of us to rise up together to make a revolution to end this violence. [Video clip of Dawn dancing to One Billion Rising's song, "Break the Chain" - if you aren' ...