So here's where I run into questions.  On the one hand, I find this direct action by unemployed fieldworkers in Spain very inspiring and wonderful! The Spanish field workers union the SAT has gone en masse to two supermarkets to take food by direct action. Unemployed fieldworkers and other members of the union went to two supermarkets, one in Ecija (Sevilla) and one in Arcos de la Frontera (Cadiz) and loade ...

Today in the Bay Area, we are still feeling the effects of the toxic fire at a Chevron refinery in Richmond, California. Hundreds of people from the surrounding area have sought medical care. It's hitting folks with chemical sensitivities and asthma especially hard - some friends who live 15 miles away in Oakland are reporting difficulty breathing the toxic air. The Asian Pacific Environmental Network is re ...

Thank you to everyone who shared, retweeted, and gave an insight and comment in connection with Bryant Terry's video post on dharma, the kitchen and his new cookbook, The Inspired Vegan. Bows of gratitude to the more than forty people who entered the contest to win a free copy of Bryant's book. From the random drawing on Sunday night, our winner is Noemi Martinez! Noemi is "a Chicana/Bori writer slash poet ...

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 ...

Whether explicitly designed to highlight spiritual perspectives, like last week's Stop the Frack Attack demonstration in Washington, DC, or simply exemplifying deep courage and compassion, like immigration rights activists who infiltrated detention centers and risked deportation to expose wrongdoing, the work of the bodhisattva always has heart. Later this year and next, we'll be offering some more structur ...

Organizations sign letter to Colombian Defense Minister demanding that conscientious objectors rights be respected Buddhist Peace Fellowship and 96 other organizations, churches and academics from Europe and the United States signed a letter to Colombian Defense Minister Juan Pinzón, expressing our deep concerns about the human rights of Colombian youth who not only are recruited by illegal armed groups but ...

Hey everyone! Many thanks to all who've already submitted media for the month-long theme on Health! We were going to feature the submissions in August, right on the heels of our Food Justice month, but decided we needed a month of breathing room to return to News, Action, and Practice — on all sorts of topics. Hope you enjoy this month of up-to-the-minute Buddhist engagement. And in a fortuitous coincidence ...

This weekend, actions are organized across the country to commemorate the 67th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Is there an action happening in your community? Leave a note in the comments, and let us know how Buddhist activists will be involved! Bay Area / Livermore Foreclose on the Bomb, Not the People HIROSHIMA ACTION TO FORECLOSE ON THE BOMB NOT THE PEOPLE SUNDAY, AUGUST 5, 2012 4:0 ...

On retreat, I appreciate the opportunity to slow down at meal time. During my recent retreat, I paused before my first bite of each one of the 47 meals, and said thank you to the many beings who made the meal possible. Thank you cooks. At the retreat center, all of the cooks work without pay to provide 100 retreatants 3 meals a day. They offer this work generously, an offering to support the teachings and o ...

Happiest of birthday wishes to our dear friend and teacher, Roshi Joan Halifax of Upaya Zen Center! Thank you for being a leader of socially engaged Buddhism for so many years! My very first Buddhist retreat was at Upaya in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Some friends of the nonprofit rape crisis center I directed offered to send me to Upaya to attend a Fundraising from the Heart workshop with Lynne Twist. While I le ...