Here it is: the second installment of our year-long curriculum for Buddhist activists. Take a look inside for: An exclusive practice offering video by Rev. Keiryu Lien Shutt Political cartoons, Cultural Appropriation Bingo, and other helpful supplementary texts Our favorite pieces from April's Turning Wheel Media, with discussion questions to help us dig in more deeply An introduction to the audio recording ...

A central question for me, as a Buddhist organizing for collective liberation from oppression, capitalism, and needless material suffering, is how to resist and reclaim in a spirit of love.  In a discussion here on Turning Wheel, seth nathanson raised an important point for discussion: I can understand the frustration. It seems like the rich are taking from everyone else, so in order to rectify the injustic ...

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 ...

It's here!  Volume 1 of The System Stinks curriculum.  Featuring discussion questions for selected media that we've featured here on Turning Wheel over the past month, plus two "classic texts" from Andrea Smith and Arundhati Roy, and practices you can do at home. After the richness of last night's phone call with Tendor and Joshua Eaton (recording and transcript forthcoming — thanks in advance to our awesom ...

My Lover, Monsanto   My lover, Monsanto, who owns the garden who does me well by choosing the seeds, is out in the fields, sweeping the dead away so that our love can grow some more. Who owns the garden? my lover, Monsanto, who is out in the fields poisoning the soil so the food will grow. Who does me well? my lover Monsanto of course, who is out in the fields as I lie here in waiting for the August wi ...

Are plants, foods, and seeds mainly commodities, to be bought, sold, and used without regard for their histories and contexts?  Can we talk about "diversity" while ignoring diaspora?   We're delighted to begin our month of The Lies That Build Empire with this letter, tender and astute, from engaged Buddhist Võ Hải to a beloved tree: the Jambolan, also known at the Jambul tree.  (Originally published on nước ...

We're so excited to talk about the Lies that Build Empire during February — starting on Monday with a loving and politicized letter to a beloved jambolan tree. For you media makers out there who feel inspired to write something for our next theme, here's the next call for submissions! In the second theme for The System Stinks, we’re taking a look at systemic theft. How do we live within the precept “I will ...

One of the fruitful ongoing conversations that seems to crop up often, when I plot and scheme with other spiritual activists, is the relationship between building alternatives to the current system, and confronting the system and its institutions head-on. It's a really rich topic not only for discussion and theorizing, but also for practice. In this vein, I found this summary of No Local, by Greg Sharzer, p ...

Thanks, Tom, for creating this wonderful piece out of the text from a recent letter to BPF members!  We love the creativity and talents of BPFers. For more of Tom's work, check out his site, Little Epiphanies. ...

Calling All Political Buddhist Visual Artists! We want to feature your breathtaking work on the five covers of our 2013 PDF series for The System Stinks. Illustrators, graf artists, graphic designers, doodlers, painters, wood block printers, calligraphers, photographers, collagists: all are welcome! We are able to offer a humble stipend of $25 per cover — though we know that artwork is in some ways priceles ...