My friend Umi, an anti-nuclear activist from Japan, alerted me to the situation unfolding right now in Tamil Nadu, southern India, where thousands of nonviolent protesters at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant are facing tear gas, baton beatings, arrests, and more from police. I haven't found too much mainstream media coverage on it yet (anyone else?), so that means it's up to all of us! Please share these ...

How do we get beyond nonviolence as a foregone moral conclusion, and investigate how people might choose to deploy nonviolence strategically in high-stakes situations? How do we get beyond individual solutions like using cloth bags at the grocery store, and address the roots of what destroys our earth, like greed enshrined in capitalism? How do we work collectively, when our Buddhist and activist communitie ...

Welcome to September: a month of focus on Health and Healing at Turning Wheel Media!   We're thrilled to begin this month with a weekday series of posts from body worker Vanissar Tarakali, Ph.D., who offers theoretical perspectives and practical tools for healing, influenced by Tibetan Buddhist wisdom.  We thank her so much for being with us, and thank you for reading and joining the conversation.  May you ...

© 2012 Toni Lester Thanissara and Toni Lester met while participating in a program held at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in California. From the start, it was clear they shared a deep desire to show how mindfulness and spirituality-based traditions have supported their social change activism. They invited their friend, Lisa Moore from the Boston University School of Social Work, to help keep them on track. ...

My friend and teacher Mushim Ikeda spoke this week at San Francisco Zen Center on “Daylighting the Hidden Streams: Why Our Stories Matter” (audio here). She discussed how sharing our stories – especially stories that highlight difference - can bring to light the hidden streams of our true nature. Mushim’s talk had been planned far in advance, but it was particularly timely this week as the SFZC community wa ...

Now up on the web site of Tricycle magazine, check out an interview with me (Katie), Jacks, and Everett about some of the aims and aspirations of Buddhist-based media work for collective liberation. Thanks to the folks at Tricycle for having us!  They asked us a ton of great questions: we were so excited that I think our responses were about 18 times what they could fit in the post! :) It was a pleasure and ...

Our friend David Nelson of the Bay Area BPF Sitting & Study group made this video of the sights & sounds during a 21 day retreat in June 2012, celebrating the 30th year of Plum Village. Most Venerable Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh offered wise guidance on applying mindfulness into daily life during this "The science of the Buddha" retreat. Enjoy! ~ dawn ...

Brilliant and historically grounded Afro-Diasporic recipes — like Sweet Coconut Ginger Creamed Corn, Jamaican Veggie Patties, and Collard Confetti — are reason enough to appreciate the work of eco-chef and cookbook author Bryant Terry. And there's also his fabulous food justice activism, including a web series that highlights urban farms in communities that need them most. But did you know that Terry also d ...

"We're very cold, and they took the stove away from us. It's way below zero and we're freezing. A lot of people have died." Letter from a Dakota prisoner of war, 1862-63 How do you destroy a community? Take away its stoves. Destroy the collective fires, the hearths, the places where people gather, cook, eat and dream together. Kill the leaders, and let the rest die off or suffer from contagious illnesses an ...

What if food was to daily practice what breath is to meditation?   Hello everyone — sorry today's post is so late! Been a busy day: Dawn just got back from two weeks on retreat at Spirit Rock, and we had a lot to catch up on, sitting in a backyard garden. :) To send you off to sleep dreaming of the earth and liberation (or welcome you awake, if you read this in the morning), I'm deeply glad to share po ...