BIPOC Sanghas
We know it’s important to have affinity spaces that help sustain our mindfulness practice, while also valuing and validating the impacts that white supremacy and other intersecting forms of systemic oppression have on BIPOC folks.
In addition to BIPOC retreats, there are committed BIPOC practitioners in the Plum Village Tradition who are cultivating BIPOC Sanghas and affinity spaces outside the monastery.
— Ven. Thich Nhat Hanh in The Raft Is Not the Other Shore (129)“Communities of resistance should be places where people can return to themselves more easily, where the conditions are such that they can heal themselves and recover their wholeness.”
Deepening Our Roots
The first BIPOC retreat in the Plum Village Tradition, fully supported and participated in by Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh, occurred in 2004 at Deer Park Monastery. The organizers expected around 70 participants for the “Colors of Compassion” retreat, but it drew an attendance of 400 people. For more information on this retreat, refer to the interview with Kaira Jewel Lingo here. Additionally, you can access the Dharma talks from 2004 & 2007 here.
Since then, Deer Park Monastery and Blue Cliff Monastery have hosted BIPOC retreats in 2007, 2012, 2016, 2017, and 2024. Magnolia Grove Monastery in Mississippi organized a BIPOC Retreat in 2022. Each BIPOC retreat has been an opportunity for learning, growth, and collective healing.
BIPOC Retreats at Deer Park
The “Nourishing Our Roots” BIPOC Retreat at Deer Park Monastery was a special retreat designed for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color to engage in mindfulness and healing. Held in May 2024, this retreat was a celebration of the 20th anniversary since Thich Nhat Hanh (Thầy) hosted the first POC retreat in 2004.
Participants experienced a blend of meditation, Dharma talks, and mindful living, all aimed at fostering a deep sense of community and personal transformation. The retreat featured various activities, including guided meditations, group discussions, and opportunities for personal reflection in a serene, supportive environment hosted by monastics of Deer Park Monastery as well as Dharma Teachers in the Plum Village tradition.
-- Participant of "Nourishing Our Roots" BIPOC Retreat, 2024“I was especially thankful to a monastic sister who took time out of her day from enjoying the beautiful flowers to sit and listen to my pain. Her acknowledgement of my pain helped me commit to a better path in life. She taught me to look inward. To be my own soulmate. It brought such joy to my heart.”
Looking Ahead
As we continue to “deepen our roots,” nurture the spirit of courage and liberation, and co-create, in the words of Dr. Martin Luther King and Thay, “Beloved Community”, we know it’s so very important to have affinity spaces that help sustain our practice, while also valuing and validating the impacts that white supremacy and other intersecting forms of systemic oppression have on BIPOC folks.
Fortunately, there are committed BIPOC practitioners in the Plum Village Tradition who are cultivating BIPOC Sanghas and affinity spaces outside the monastery. If you want to connect, please see the listings below. We hope they will help you generate wellness, joy, and love all year-round.
And remember, you are always welcome here.
List of BIPOC Sanghas
BIPOC-Only Sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition
Sweet Blossoming Sangha – Online
Meets: every Friday, 8-9am PT / 11-12am ET
Contact pocsanghaonline@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.
Garrison Institute BIPOC Sangha – Online
Meets: every Thursday, 9-10am PT / 12-1pm ET
See: www.garrisoninstitute.org/virtual-offerings/bipoc-meditation-sangha/ for more information.
hellajust and compassionate sangha - East Bay Area, CA
Meets: monthly on a Sunday from 10:30am - 12 noon PT
Contact hellajustsangha@gmail.com for more information.
True Home Sangha – Online
Meets: every Monday, 4:30-6pm PT / 7:30-9pm ET
Contact pollyc.email@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list.
Colours of Compassion – Online (UK/Europe)
Meets: every Tuesday, 7-8:30pm UK time
Contact: Coloursofcompassion@gmail.com or see www.hols.org.uk/colours-of-compassion
True Inclusivity Sangha – Hybrid (in person & online) Southern California
Meets: 4th Sundays, 3-4:30pm PT / 12-1:30pm ET
Contact Judy Nakatomi at nakatomijudy@gmail.com.
BIPOC-Only Sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition for Order of Interbeing Members and Aspirants
MettaMorphosis Sangha – Online
Meets: 2nd & 4th Saturdays, 8:30-10am PT / 11:30am-1pm ET
For OI Aspirants (including curious and pre-aspirants) and OI Members
Contact Victoria Mausisa at vic822@yahoo.com to be added to the mailing list
Lotus in the Sea of Fire – Online
Meets: 1st & 3rd Saturdays, 11am-1pm PT / 2pm-4pm ET
For OI Aspirants and OI Members
Contact Juliet Hwang at juliethwang@gmail.com to be added to the mailing list
BIPOC-Centered Sanghas in the Plum Village Tradition
Tranquil Lotus Sangha – Hybrid (in-person & online) Los Angeles Area
Meets: every Tuesday 7:30-9pm PT / 10:30pm-12am ET
Note: This sangha is BIPOC-centered but not BIPOC-only.
See: www.tranquillotussangha.org for more information.
Earthlodge QTBIPOC-centered Sangha – Alternating (in-person & online) Los Angeles Area
Meets: Once per month in person and once per month online, Sundays at 9-10:30am PT
Note: This sangha is QTBPOC-centered but not BIPOC-only.
Contact Maylei Blackwell at mblackwell699@gmail.com.
Baltimore and Beyond Mindfulness Community – Hybrid (in person and online) Baltimore
First Sunday, 3-5pm ET / Third Wednesday, 7-8:30pm ET of each month for BIPOC
Contact bbmcspace@gmail.com or see https://www.baltimoremindfulnesscommunity.space/
This information was sourced from ARISE Sangha (Awakening through Race, Intersectionality, and Social Equity) which is a community of mindfulness practitioners and monastics who come together to heal the wounds of racial injustice and social inequity, beginning with looking deeply within ourselves and using the energy of compassion, understanding, and love in action.
Visit ARISEsangha.org for more resources and up to date information on BIPOC affinity groups.
BIPOC Scholarships at Deer Park
For those who identify as Black, Indigenous, and/or as a Person of Color, a limited number of scholarships are available for special retreats, such as the Wake Up Retreat. To extend the opportunity for many people to experience the Dharma, these scholarships are mainly for new practitioners. To apply, please write an e-mail to the registration office using our contact form describing your financial situation; how much of a scholarship you are requesting on registration; and your aspiration to attend the retreat.
If you would like to donate to our BIPOC scholarship fund, visit our donation page.
Additional Resources
- Healing Our Way Home – Black Buddhist Teachings on Ancestors, Joy, and Liberation by Kaira Jewel Lingo, Marisela Gomez, Valerie Brown
- America’s Racial Karma – An Invitation to Heal by Dr. Larry Ward
- Gatha for Healing Racial, Systemic and Social Inequity formulated by the ARISE Sangha
- The Five Mindfulness Trainings of Plum Village, and the contemplations associated with them/ The “Contemplations on the Five Mindfulness Trainings: A New Paradigm for Racial Justice and the Global Pandemic” authored by Valerie Brown and Marisela Gomez, June 12, 2020
- “Building a Community of Love: bell hooks and Thich Nhat Hanh,” Lion’s Roar (2017)
- “Skillful Action for a Path Forward,” Interview with Valerie Brown, Racial Justice Series, Plum Village Website, June 8, 2020
- “Engaging Together for Change: An Invitation,” Thay Phap Dung, Racial Justice Series, Plum Village Website, June 19, 2020
- “Uncomfortable Spaces: Cultivating Love & Peace for Racial Healing,” Dharma Talk by Sr. Peace, Order of Interbeing Virtual Retreat, Blue Cliff Monastery, July 26, 2020
- Thich Nhat Hanh, Together We Are One: Honoring our Diversity, Celebrating Our Connection (Parallax Press, 2006)
- “Waking Up to Whiteness,” https://wkup.org/waking-up-to-whiteness/
Explore Online Courses
From time to time we offer multi-week courses related to mindfulness, the teachings and life of Thich Nhat Hanh, and a variety of similar subjects. Please see our schedule of upcoming courses.
Plum Village App
Take the Deer Park Monastery and Plum Village community with you wherever you go. The Plum Village app is designed to cultivate mindfulness, compassion, and joy through guided meditations, deep relaxations, practice poems, bells of mindfulness, and other practices — all through a mobile device.
