Opening Dharma Access: Listening to BIPOC Teachers & Practitioners

Los Angeles Sanathavihari Bhikkhu is a Mexican-American Theravāda monk at the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center in North Hollywood, a Sri Lankan center. He is a student of the late Dr.  Bhante Punnaji, and the director of Casa De Bhavana – an outreach project to bring the Dhamma to the Spanish-speaking world. He is also the co-author of Buddhism in Ten Steps. Bhante is a U.S. Air Force veteran, has a...

A short, guided meditation on breath with Rev. Dana Takagi Dana is a retired professor of Sociology and also a zen priest.  She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian Am history at UC Santa Cruz, she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies.  Zen practice since 1998. 2022: Sutra and Bible: an Interview with Duncan Ryūken Williams 2020: Most Intimate, Ordinary Way, Rec...

Check out this in-depth interview with Rev. Dana Takagi on being Japanese American practicing convert Soto Zen. Dana is a retired professor of Sociology and also a zen priest.  She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian Am history at UC Santa Cruz, she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies.  Zen practice since 1998. 2022: Sutra and Bible: an Interview with Duncan R...

A meditation offering from  Margarita Loinaz She has trained in the Tibetan and Theravada traditions.  She met her root teacher Kalu Rimpoche in 1977 and is a Dzogchen student of Lama Drimed Norbu.  She is a graduate of the first Community Dharma Leader’s Program at SRMC and began teaching in l997 leading the Women of Color Sitting Group in Marin City with Marlene Jones and co-organizing the first...

Margarita Loinaz and Rev. Liên talks about how practice and teachings to & from BIPOCs was challenging, shifted and transformed in the SF Bay Area since they first met at the Women of Color group in 1996.  Margarita Loinaz, MD has trained in the Tibetan and Theravada traditions.  She met her root teacher Kalu Rimpoche in 1977 and is a Dzogchen student of Lama Drimed Norbu.  She is a graduate o...

Stay tuned after the meditation for Comfortable with the Fluidity of East-West, Tradition-Modernity ,  Dungse-la’s interview with ODA co-host Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön . DUNGSE JAMPAL NORBU is son and Dharma Heir of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche in the Mangala Shri Bhuti community. His mother is Dharma teacher Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel. Dungse la has lived and traveled extensively in Asia, but spent much...

DUNGSE JAMPAL NORBU is son and Dharma Heir of Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche in the Mangala Shri Bhuti community . His mother is Dharma teacher Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel. Dungse la has lived and traveled extensively in Asia, but spent much of his youth in Colorado. If you were to ask Dungse la how long he has been studying the Buddhist path, he would say, “Since I was born.” When Dungse la was still an i...

La Sarmiento shares a meditation.

So many of us struggle to truly accept and understand ourselves, to find our own place of belonging and feeling at home in ourselves. In this intimate conversation between friends, La shares their powerful journey to fully loving and honoring themselves as a trans, immigrant, Filipinx, ukelele-playing dharma teacher and how they practice to transmit this dharma of radical self-acceptance, and resi...

Venerable Thuần Tuệ, Abbess of Diệu Nhân Zen Monastery, shares a short meditation from a visit at Folsom Prison. For more info go to dieunhan.net

Venerable Thuần Tuệ, Abbess of Diệu Nhân Zen Monastery in Rescue, CA, is interviewed by Rev. Liên Shutt. They first met when Rev. Liên practiced at Trúc Lâm Zen Monastery in Đà Lạt, Vietnam in 2006-2007. We discussed happiness, Buddha Nature and relaxing into Tranquil Mind to connect to self,  others and all beings. Born in Vietnam, Venerable Thuần Tuệ was ordained in 1981 by Venerable Zen Master...

A guided meditation for practicing tong len, openhanded welcome, towards ourselves. Led by Lama Yeshe. HOST LAMA KARMA YESHE CHÖDRÖN is a scholar, teacher, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism at Rigpe Dorje Institute at Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal and co-founder of Prajna Fire . Hear more about Lama Yeshe as ODA co-hosts Rev. Liên Shutt and Kaira Jewel Lingo interview her about her Dhar...

Kaira Jewel Lingo offers a guided practice.  You can use this 15 minute guided meditation to help you come back to the present moment, to centre and ground yourself whenever you are feeling anxious, fearful or lost, distracted and confused.

LAMA KARMA YESHE CHÖDRÖN   is interviewed by the other two hosts, Rev. Liên Shutt & Kaira Jewel Lingo.  Find out how Tibetan Buddhism gave her a sense of belonging right from the start & how that's brought into her teachings. LAMA YESHE is a scholar, teacher, and translator of Tibetan Buddhism at Rigpe Dorje Institute at Pullahari Monastery in Kathmandu, Nepal and co-founder of Prajna...

Kaira Jewel Lingo is interviewed by the other two hosts, Rev. Liên Shutt & Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön.  Find out how Plum Village Zen & North American Insight practices inform how she teaches. Find out more about Kaira Jewel at kairajewel.com

Rev. Liên Shutt  is interviewed by the other two hosts, Kaira Jewel Lingo & Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön.  Find out how opening our awareness to differences is what transforms us. Lessons from her Soto Zen & North American Insight experiences guide her to make accessible & inclusive practices for all. Her latest offering for BIPOCs:   A Lotus Rising from Mud Connect with Rev. Liên at Acces...

The three hosts of Opening Dharma Access (ODA), Rev. Liên Shutt, Kaira Jewel Lingo & Lama Karma Yeshe Chodron, meet and share their visions, intentions & hopes for this project. March 1st we launch the podcast with interviews of each of us so come get to know who we are. Join us on this exciting project to bring you more voices of BIPOC teachers! Thank you to the Kataly Foundation for thei...

Opening offering from Rev. Liên Shutt of Access to Zen. Come back for our official LAUNCH on March 1st when all three hosts' interviews will be shared!