Welcome everyone

Thanks!

thank you!

Thanks!

hi from Ann Arbor, MI!

Glad to be here!

Hello from Hays, KS

Thanks for having me here in Chicago - how beautiful!

Welcome!

HI from Bloomington MN

Happy Hello! From Brooklyn!

Moving bodies :)

How does it feel to be FREE?

Hello everyone from Vancouver Island Canada. This is an amazing tune!!!

Hello from Pittsburgh PA!

word!

John Lewis

sam cooke

Frederick Douglass

Octavia Bulter

Ella Baker

Martin Luther King

Audre Lorde

Arede Lorde

Stokely Carmichael

Adrienne maree brown

Toni Morrison

Tina Campt - generative refusal

Nelson Mandala

Ta-nehisi Coates

Janaya Future Kahn

James Baldin

Gil Scott Heron

John Lewis

Fanny Lou Hammer

John lewis

Sonya Renee Taylor

Malcolm X

Miles Davis

yasmina porter

Rhonda Mc Gee

Ida B. Wells!

Jesse Jackson

Magik Sowers

Bayard Rustin

Crazy Horse

Rosa parks

Harriet Tubman

Ellen Pence

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Harriet Tubman

Ghandi

Steve Biko

Black Elk

Dolores Huerta

Peace Pilgrim

Ella Jenkins!! And Maya Angelou!!

Nikole Hannah-Jones

Soujourner Truth

Granny D

COmbahee River COllective

white, 1st generation American, cis-gendered woman, Spanish/Italian/English speaker, temporarily able-bodied

I identify as a White cisgender Mexican American woman, temporarily able-bodied, with citizenship, bilingual…

on mobile, seeing resources in the chat. am I missing it?

not seeing...

Latinx with citizenship and English as first language, white adjacent privilege, womxn, currently cis, queer, neurodiverse, temporarily able-bodied

white, cisgender, gay, male, 1st generation Turkish-US citizen, temp. able-bodied, neuro-typical, upper middle class, with significant education privilege

white heterosexual male Appalachian dad seeker

Dipped and buttered

thanks D for some call and response!!

What have y'all heard?

dear mama

I identify as Black/African-American, gay, cisgender male, US citizen from the Southeastern US, middle class, Masters level educated, currently able-bodied, supposedly neurotypical

I heard his mother had a vision of the Buddha's destiny

White, cisgender, woman, middle class, US citizenship, california born, lover of freedom and stories

He didn’t have to worry about the rent being too damn high

mm mm mm

why would he leave such a sweet set-up??

White, cisgender woman with heterosexual privilege, upper middle class, younger middle age, education privilege, temporarily able bodied/temporarily neurotypical without mental health challenges, and more..

mo money mo problems

LOVE it!!

preach! so much wisdom, so fun, so real

womyn, womyn loving dyke, feminist, mama, white, college grad, us citizen, minnesotan

Crossed them tracks...

AH HELLZ NO

He woke up

I gotta get up outta here- the buddha

DO IT, Sid!!

ya’ll lucky we can’t post gifs…

Lol!

You ever seen waiting to exhale…

Yaśodharā!

They did have a lot of nannies

“Find himself”

I got 5 on it

every high has a crash

what goes up...

that's why you gotta get to deep space

they needed to read pleasure activism

GIVING UP FOOD?

yes amb

doesn't sound like freedom to me

sounds like he needed a homecooked meal

She saved the kid… like always

Thanks mom!

RIGHT!!

Women's nourishment saving the world

YES

Lucky for us, she wandered by and gave some food to rejuvenate him

he loved them trees

LOL

The first sit in

lol

Did he bring a snack this time?

FUCK YOU MARA!!!

Oh crap

YEAH CARLA

Re-mix

nice

snap snap snap

Uh huh!

Carla, you're an amazing storyteller!

Loved it Carla!

Beautiful job, Carla! Loving Ramon’s view here too!

Candy paint on 22s

Oh yeah I miss cigarettes :(

meeee tooooo

I hear you

What do YOU want?

To hug my dad again :-(

to see my mother

Believe it or not, I was sitting in retreat at Naropa last year and saw Mara - a huge black entity with a the word Mara persistently repeating intuitively to me. The falcon god Horus came in and protected me <3

you don’t want to piss off the base

beautiful, Ramon!

Great reframe Ramon! Thanks!

snap snap snap

Oh, Karen...

ok karen

sheeeeee

MMMhmmm that's how they be

Do you live in this neighborhood?

YESSSSS

you don’t “belong” here

sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against Walgreens on The Hill.

OMG

silly rabbit…

smh

you aint built for this son

You’re not legible to me

we feel unsafe

"What do you mean you don't have an ID?"

“Watch me aggress"

Snap snap snap

Go Regina!

Break it down for poor Mara here...oh dear :-/

why can’t you just…

Bloop

Go on

Yes!

wut!

Amen!

YAS!

Get it!

Ba-bye Mara! Toodles!!!

beautiful

BOOM!

Beautiful story!

Snap snap snap

<3

🙏🏻

Hell ya!

That was awesome — would love to be able to hear that over and over!

So good!!

Great poem…and story telling!

Carla, Regina, Ramon I have to go support another friend’s dharma talk, but feeling much gratitude for you! <3

Identity: White, Female, 48, Middle Class, Hetrerosexual, Compromised physical ability (2 diagnosis), raised by a single mom, was a single mom, spiritual and truth seeker, grew up in the south and the northwest giving me wide perspective of political and racial landscapes, English, american, First born, Parent of 5, live in the country…Power Roles Up: White, Parent, Business Owner, primarily grew up in the Pacific Northwest (greater attitudes of equality and diversity) Strong boundaries…….. Power Roles Down: Woman, Mysogynist and abusive men in the family, single mother after first husband passed (missed job opportunities without support). Loss of power in family, growing up in the south for half of childhood, heavily “disciplined” for having black and minority friends.

How are we doing?

How ya feeling?

:-)!!!

My heart is open and tender! And joyful! Thank you.

awesome - from the heart

Thank you beloved Naropa family <3

Y'all are killing it! This is great so far!

I'm sorry, but at this point over 45 minutes of the 120 minutes available for this critically important subject matter has been used to rehash stories which most likely are already known by the participants joining this call to begin with. The discussion (I thought) is about Racism\Antiracism in the current manifest reality of suffering for so many in the current 3d time-space continuum based on ignorance\harmfulness caused by others who are not understanding.

The how is as important as the what

Black voices at the center

Centering black liberation

the phrase "concerned citizen" made me think of my granddad and his non-profit (with its newsletter that I was voluntold to assist with editing)

expect non-closure

^

Kari, I’m so sorry/sad you see the amazing story telling — centering Black voices — as separate from this work. It’s actually at the heart of this work, so much work to be done …

Who has the power to define importance

The focus SINCERELY needs to be focused on our current state of affairs fed by past ignorance and himsa--there is a chance to change this should humanity be allowed to continue existing on the planet!

And that’s right where the focus is!

Patience and humility Kari.

And openness and curiosity :-)

So important to listen to the very ground of the founding story of Buddhism—seeing it as a story of liberation. This is so valuable, the very work we need to do in our buddhist organizations! Thank you Carla, Regina, and Ramon! That sets a new paradigm!

Facing the band

Love it!

@regina yes!

Love the AfroCentric focus!

YES. “Shift the focus from combatting white supremacy to centering other ways of being” - PROFOUND

Kari, I'm curious to know what your expected agenda and run of show looked like

my confusion all confusion separates me and all beings from enlightenment. Let’s see the confusion and become together, recognize that we are each other, become the light wher there is no separation, no other

"both, and...!"

Especially the ways you are unfamiliar with

all black lives matter

Oppression of BIPOC occurred at same time white people began hurting mother earth through farming- monoculture, perfect rows, annihilating bugs, etc. , using toxins to kill

The Extractive Zone. - Macarena Gomez-Barris

I missed how those qualities (like perfectionism, urgency) are manifestations of white supremacy. Could you talk about that more?

There’s also a great piece on this on the SURJ web site (Characteristics of White Culture)

Thanks, Regina. Can you share that article? Perhaps you already have and I missed it.

https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/white-supremacy-culture-characteristics.html

Regina, or others, if you have links, to book titles, of the referred works, pls share

Thank you for the handout!

Isn't "white supremacy" a characteristic of all of us (our human conditioning and nature)? Don't we all practice "white supremacy" at some point in our lives, no matter what race we are? Of course, some do this power aberration more than others at times.

Isn't "white supremacy" a characteristic of all of us (our human conditioning and nature)? Don't we all practice "white supremacy" at some point in our lives, no matter what race we are? Of course, some do this power aberration more than others at times.

recently met and befriended someone who turns out to be antisemetic and white supremacist. there was an attempt to pill me in white supremacist neo-odinism+ I’m proceeding with compassion in an attempt to sit strongly in justice like the Buddha. I pray that I as a white man who he respects I can bring healing to this suffering misguided brother.

https://www.dismantlingracism.org/uploads/4/3/5/7/43579015/okun_-_white_sup_culture.pdf

(overtly racist)

Reclaiming his time

Perfectionism: Passively or abusively controlled within my immediate family on both sides you don’t challenge the Christian church, you don’t challenge the men in the family… love and loyalty equate masking the truth at all personal expense. if you do challenge these you are cut off finically, emotionally and literally. I chose to leave my familial circles and be a different example to my kids. They and we are all activists. Business wise we intentionally employ native american and black artists and participate and financially support their personal needs relative to their obstacles put in their path due to systemic racism. However, I don’t feel its enough and here to learn how to build better bridges

I just moved my chair into the sun. liberation.

Amen

Praises!!

Regina, Carla, and Ramon, this is quite honestly the most beautiful teaching I’ve ever experienced. So moved and grateful. It felt like a transmission of sorts that can’t be undone. Thank you.

yes. I felt this today on a walk, black af, black hoodie… reclaiming my body

That you live under a flag that represents your nonexistence

That flag wouldn't be possible without our Black, Brown, Indigenous and other ancestors of color

john akomfrah is a great artist to google

Digital download

bwahhh!

As a Trekkie, this idea of placing Black people and other people of color into future was the reason Martin Luther King asked Nichelle Nichols to not quit Star Trek

f*ck yo table

Set your own table and invite all to join the meal!

exactly

Thank you Carla, Regina and Ramon for your brilliance, creativity, clarity and leadership in this awesome presentation! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and internal tears of joy!

Beautifully expressed Regina, thank you for your voice - power to imagination for the higher good of all

fire

heard

right on

So brilliant and heartfelt..thnks

Break away from the woefully limited box of white supremacist/western mindset

Yes

bless these teachings.

thank you, Regina

Brilliant! Thanks Regina!

thank you!

For myself, as a white, western european descent, Canadian, it’s about getting honest with the past. Not just what i was told, also what was actually done, and why. Regardless of my “innocence” in those events, by default, i carry a karmic debt to no longer stay silent in the face of our collective responsibility.

We got you Ramon

“Watch me aggress”

Thank you for naming this Ramon.

Right on, Ramon! Thank you!

You didn’t perform blackness under the terms and conditions of belonging

thank you Ramon, with you

Thank you for naming this Ramon. I think it is a "teachable moment" indeed

Thank you, Ramon.

Yes, thanks Ramon!

Thank you, Ramon.

Thank you!!

Appreciating you, Ramon.

thank you so much I very much appreciate what you have offered us today

Thank you for that labor Ramon.

I’m so glad you addressed this, Ramon! This has been such a powerful time and I so cherish it.

Been there done that

Thank you for your words Ramon and all that is offered today

We are all subject to the culture of what “Should Be”. We all need to be open and be able to listen especially to what does not resonate with us and our way of thinking/being/doing. Learning how not to judge and open mind/heart to hear what is being said or done. Ask yourself why you react the way you act. Ask “Is it true?’ Does it matter if it is not my way? What can I learn from it? About myself? About others? This has been deep.

yes!

thank you. thank you. thank you.

“We could have geared this presentation to educating White people about Whiteness.

I'm so happy you did not choose to educate white people about whiteness. This has been so beautiful, and authentic, and real!

THANK YOU< THANK YOU< THANK YOU!!!!

I felt joy in the storytelling about the Buddha.

❤️

yes!!! thank you thank you thank you 🙏

liberate upon being

Amen!

YES!!!

Svaha!

And that is black excellence is practice

empowering

Love what you have offered and how you have offered it! It breaks through in a whole different way.

The new book, Black and Buddhist, shares this kind of personal experience. Here it is, live! We are so lucky.

Great program and many may be wondering how they might go deeper with some post webinar teaching.

It is important to also open knowledge up... I've read historical accounts of Siddharta Gautama... the Black, "urban", "hood", whatever one wants to call this rendition was far more engaging than most of the academic books I've read

he touched the earth, and the earth shook in witness

at this moment

I love my colleagues

You are guys are deinitely gutsy and intense and speaking your truth, which is good to see. Sometimes people feel they are being talked down to, by no matter who is presening, and so there is a balance there somewhere for each of us, I feel.

Powerful, authentic, and oh so refreshing!

how do we move into love and compassion

Homeland for the aboriginal person is your being – where you have been for thousands of years.Dispossess the person from that and they become nothing - Rosalie Kunoth-Monks, Aboriginal Elder

We move into love and compassion by entering in with love and compassion.

I went outside and touched a tree

Thank you so much! This was so powerful!!

Carla, Regina, Ramon, thank you for your love and generosity.

Thank you <3

was this meeting recorded? if testando we have access to watch it?

I'm not sure anyone can speak to the "Black experience". The Black experience is as varied as the number of Black people here.

Thank you all so much. Carla, Regina, Ramon, this is another moment of courage and generosity that people of colour continue to offer us in the hope that we will grow into wisdom.Thank you, go along gently, and have grand and loving life.

Since I don’t think Jason Appt is teaching anymore, will this be continued here as a psych class (or is there) based on what was brought in here, and systemic racist culture

Carla Mueller!!!

Good looking out, Nic.

Thank you all so much!

thank you Carla, Ramon, Regina! so grateful to see/here/feel a piece of your journey and your teachings

YES

EVERYBODY!

You are embodying the message you are delivering. In real time. Thank you, Regina, Carla, and Ramon.

Thank you Ramon, Carla and Regina for this lovely and challenging teaching.

Beautiful teaching! Thanks!

curiosity!

YESSS

Inviting us to think and to stretch out minds. Yes!

I learned so much from you today. Thank you!

“The true focus of revolutionary change is never merely the oppressive situations which we seek to escape, but that piece of the oppressor which is planted deep within each of us, and which knows only the oppressors' tactics, the oppressors' relationships.” - Audre Lorde

stop and feel

Oh yes.

Embodiment. Embodiment. Embodiment

Bowing dear, beautiful, brave, brilliant colleagues Regina, Ramon and Carla

Cecilia!!!

Right on Cecilia, thank you! Cheers to openness <3

Loving the rambling, Cecilia!

Go Cecilia thank you!

yay Cecilia!

Thanks Cecilia!

Thank you Regina, Carla and Ramon.

THANKS FOR YOUR BRAVERY

Thank you so much for sharing. Thank you for your bravery

not Latina enough, not white enough. I wrestle with this all the time.

thank you!!!

Thank you for your heart and transparency.

We do not represent black people under the terms of white recognition, our representation is a fact of our being.

Another opportunity for black-centric teachings for liberation: https://sway.office.com/WMZFE4ZWymvkEGze?ref=Link

Thank you…

Thank you so much for an amazing and heart opening session!!!

thank you. great presentation and experience.

Thanks Regina, Carla and Ramon for a wonderful program and afternoon.

Incredible experience…deep bow of gratitude to all of you

Thank you.

Thank you Regina, Carla, and Ramon. This was amazing and thoughtful and touching.

Thank you for opening us to the unscripted experience of being.

thank you Carla, Ramon, and Regina! 🙏🏼

Brilliant. Thank you!

Deep bows of gratitude Carla, Ramon, Regina, awesome!

Thank you everyone for being here and staying to listen, learn and share! Thank you to the organizers, our presenters Ramon, Regina and Carla and Naropa for this blessing of experience!

thank you for your incredible presence.

May we ALL awaken to Buddhahood as one!

DEEP BOW TO RAMON, CARLA AND REGINA!!

Once Trumpa Rinpoche held up a picture and asked what is this? Everyone said "a bird". He said "no, it is a sky".Then everyone saw the sky. The bird soaring in the sky momentarily obscured the bigger picture of what was there. The Dharma can inform us in this way as we address the vicissitudes of life so we have a direction

Much gratitude, Regina, Carla and Ramon, for sharing your wisdom, your embodied experience, your pain and your hearts. Your narrative of liberation is illuminating and encouraging. Deep bows. May all beings be free, awake, and live in love.

DEEP bows to all of you. Deep gratitude. Palms together. Thank you.

Big gratitude Carla, Regina, Ramon.

thank you so much!

Heartfelt thank you to Ramon, Carla and Regina

My thanks also for Naropa offering this to those who are not members and gratitude to Darra for my invitation.

Thank you Carla, Regina and Ramon for authentically planting precious seeds! You give me hope for the future! Much love and appreciation! Patti

Thanks to everyone who invested their time and energy toward collective liberation

Thank you Regina, Carla, and Ramon. Deep gratitude for each of you. Tremendous and beautiful. It was an honor to participate.

Thanks to all of our Naropa Community who came to hold us

Thank you for bringing us into black consciousness in a way that was inclusive of all of us. A big bow. I’ve been hungry for this without even knowing it.

brilliant. so much gratitude. thank you for bringing it today Regina, Carla, and Ramon. Thank you for continuously showing up. 🙏 real, big, deep bows

Thank you to Ramon, Carla and Regina for sharing today and leading such a wonderful program: insightful, authentic and emotional.

Thank you all for being with us!!

Thank you, Carla, Regina, Ramon. Deep bow of gratitude. My mind and heart are bigger than when we began. May you and all beings be safe and free.

Grazie Regina, Carla and Ramon!

Bowing to you, Regina, Carla, Ramon.

rsmith@naropa.edu- Regina Smith

Thank you!

Last thing I wanted to do was spend more time on zoom this weekend, but now know there is no better place I could have been for the past two hours. Thank you for taking YOUR time and heart to share with us!

Carla mueller cmueller@naropa.edu

Big hug

Transform yourself. Transform the world.

❤️

Thank you so much!

thank you so much, this was powerful and energizing!

Deeply appreciative of your work and courage in being who you are and creating this beautiful space today, Regina, Carla, and Ramon.

is there a replay for this? thanks much

Thank you!!

Thank you for bringing us to the black buddha!

thank you so much for warming a snowy Michigan day! ❤️

Thank y’all. Amazing job!

Thank you Carla, Regina, and Ramon - many blessings!

Is that zap mama?

Marie Daulne is a personal hero

badu

Very liberating time! I feel lighter even in facing the heavy issues raised!

That whole session was enlightening. eye opening. Thank you!

Thank you from South Carolina. This was wonderful!

On and on Badu

Rip dilla

The Healer. Beautiful.