Statement by SnowFlower Sangha on Racial Injustice
As a sangha practicing in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh, SnowFlower Sangha mourns the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and countless other victims of the confluence of racism and violence. We stand with millions of others to say Black Lives Matter. We are sharing this gatha (mindfulness verse) from the ARISE Sangha (Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity), a sangha which follows the guidance of Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh and Martin Luther King, Jr. We encourage our members to practice with it individually and as a sangha.
Gatha for Healing Racial, Systemic and Social Inequity
Aware of the suffering caused by racial, systemic, and social inequities, we commit ourselves, individually and as a community, to understanding the roots of these inequities, and to transforming this suffering into compassion, understanding, and love in action. As a global community of practitioners, we are aware of the disproportionate racial violence and oppression committed by institutions and by individuals, whether consciously or unconsciously, against African Americans, Indigenous peoples and people of color across the United States and beyond. We know that by looking deeply as individuals and as a community, we can engage the collective wisdom and energy of the Sangha to be our foundation for Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Mindfulness, and Right Insight. These are the practices leading to nondiscrimination, non-harming, and non-self, which heal ourselves and the world.
