Who needs the Negro? What does the Negro want? I grew up hearing these types of questions. I don’t recall my parents losing sleep over them; they were busy placing food on the table so that I could eat.  Black intellectuals have always wrestled with the riddle of how...

The paramis or paramitas are qualities that help us develop and reach true happiness, our highest potential. They are often translated as “perfections,” as they are the perfections of character necessary for enlightenment.  Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh called them...

Pamela Ayo Yetunde: How do you understand the particularities of Black people’s suffering in the United States?  Jean Marie Robbins: I understand them as an intentional device to maintain an enslavement mentality, in order for the people on top and in power to do as...

Lion’s Roar: What drew you to Buddhist practice? Bryant Terry: Daily sitting practice helped me feel more connected to something greater than myself.  In 2005, I spent a week at Deer Park, Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery in Escondido, California. The woman who is now my...

I’ve had many experiences that have left me wanting to create meditation spaces for myself and others. I recall, as a child, seeing my grandmother sit in a chair next to a small table with pictures of my dad, aunts, and uncle, along with a bible. In that space, she’d...

Intersectional Black activists have been part of and at the forefront of many liberation movements. From Black Lives Matter to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Black activism has addressed issues such as Black mental health, trans...