Read on Twitter
A thread of resources on Buddhism and race for those looking for materials to teach during #scholarstrike. And remember to not just teach Black Buddhists, but teach the imperialist history of our field and how scholars have contributed to white supremacy. https://twitter.com/mclaughlin_levi/status/1303336123427688449
Apparently the resource thread isn't showing up for some people anymore, so here are some resources I would use in the classroom. Tagging @agleig who I KNOW will have some stellar things to add here
First: teach the imperialist history of our field! Tell your students about how Buddhism was created as a "world religion" (see Tomoko Masuzawa's "The Invention of World Religions"). Today I'll be connecting this history to race.
Specifically, I'll be telling students how the identification of certain aspects of Buddhism (doctrine! meditation!) became identified as "universal," and how those that didn't conform to how white Protestants understood religion were deemed "ethnic/local" derivations
I'll connect this to the distinction between "white/convert" Buddhism and "ethnic/Asian" Buddhism and talk about why certain practices in the US are deemed "universal" and others are marked as "ethnic/cultural baggage." I'll also talk about who gets left out (Black Buddhists)
If you want to teach about the surveillance and incarceration of brown bodies as it relates to Buddhism in the US, a good resource is @DRyukenWilliams's book "American Sutra" https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674986534
I would pair American Sutra with work on the surveillance of Black religions who did not conform to the religio-racial categories of the white nation-state. Great resources include @JLWeisenfeld's "New World A-Coming" and @syljohns's "African American Religions, 1500-2000."
If you want to discuss Buddhism and whiteness, check out "Buddhism and Whiteness: Critical Reflections" ed. by George Yancy and Emily McRae (ask your library to buy it!) https://rowman.com/ISBN/9781498581028/Buddhism-and-Whiteness-Critical-Reflections
See also Natalie Quli's review of the book on Lion's Roar, "When White Buddhists 'Don't See Race,'" from the original thread. https://www.lionsroar.com/when-white-buddhists-dont-see-race/
There are also a TON of great works out there by Black Buddhists who are engaging with racism in American sanghas, and thinking about the relationship between race, social justice, and Buddhist doctrine
Such as @ZenChangeAngel, @LamaRod1, and @JSyedullah's "Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation." https://radicaldharma.org/
Jan Willis, "Dharma Matters: Women, Race, and Tantra" https://wisdomexperience.org/product/dharma-matters/
@LamaRod1's "Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger," https://www.lamarod.com/band
Zenju Earthlyn Manuel's "The Way of Tenderness: Awakening Through Race, Sexuality, and Gender" http://zenju.org/the-way-of-tenderness/
