Comments on: Do Contemplative Communities have Room for Social Issues?: Toby’s Conference Hopping Extravaganza

By: Will Wright

Will Wright — Tue, 30 Jun 2015 13:32:17 +0000

Hi Toby,

I ran into your Dad at the N. Pomfret PO. Hadn’t seen him in a long time and we had a good hug. We caught up a bit and he mentioned your involvement with CML, which I think is wonderful. Looks like a very loving community, and, based on your blog post and bio, it sounds like you are doing some great work in the world.
I had the opportunity to be part of a group in Woodstock that formed the first non-sectarian Mindfulness Practice Center based on Thich Nhat Hanh’s teaching (I think it was around 2000). I continue to write about non-duality in my blog, Centerless Center. I hope you check it out.
I’m looking forward to your next blog post and hopefully meeting up with you some day soon so we can talk about this stuff. If you ever get down to Pomfret, give me a call (457-4843). Oh, I spent quite a bit of time with Evan while he was here. He was, is, working hard to discover his centerless center and doing a great job of it.

Take care and much love (to your mom, as well),
Will

By: Toby Sola

Toby Sola — Fri, 20 Mar 2015 16:01:34 +0000

You’re welcome, Ann! And thanks for telling us about the other prominent figures in this important work. As angel says, “America’s unique stamp on and responsibility to Buddhism lies in this culture’s capacity to formulate a practice of Dharma that transcends boundaries of race, class, gender, and sexuality.”

By: Ann Gleig

Ann Gleig — Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:41:00 +0000

Hi Toby, Thanks for the shout out. And also for bringing attention to centers like the Brooklyn Zen Center which are bringing a much needed social justice component to contemplative life. I’d also like to mention the great work on diversity and social justice being done by the East Bay Meditation Center in Oakland, CA and the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, in Berkeley, CA as well as individual figures such as the Rev. Angel Kyodo Williams and Lama Rod Owen. Work by these institutions, sanghas and individuals has the potential to make a big difference in diversifying the historically predominantly white, m/c, demographics of American convert Buddhism and bringing social justice concerns as compassion-in-action to the forefront of contemplative work.