I finally meditated at Against the Stream tonight. In spite of all obstacles, I made it there, I’m glad I went, and I plan on going again. It’s taken me well over two years to finally get myself over there. For all my writing about increasing diversity in the Buddhist community, I was feeling a bit hypocritical without actually trying to spend time with the whiter groups that I routinely hold in my crosshairs.

Now, I have to admit that I very likely would never have gone if it hadn’t been for one of the readers of my blogs, who happened to notice that I live in Southern California and invited me to the People of Color Night at Against the Stream. I was subsequently invited to attend the Wednesday meditation group. And I went! Simply because the person who invited me was a Person of Color, someone who shares the same concerns and many of the same experiences that I do.

That’s effective outreach right there!

Thank you, Against the Stream, for hosting a People of Color Night, and showing that you care. Thank you, Erica, for kickstarting Urban Refuge where I found out about all this. You all made a difference for at least this Buddhist here.