Episode 29: Racial Equity Training in the Vipassana organization of S.N. Goenka
The year 2020 has challenged us individually and collectively, bringing unprecedented and wholesale changes to our lives. One of the most important reckonings was the shock that White America experienced facing the prevalence of racism in American society, precipitated by the tragic murder of George Floyd and other disturbing events. Protests erupted around the country, prompting individuals and institutions to engage in an examination of racism and inequity in society, and in themselves. Spiritually speaking, a number of more progressive American monasteries and meditation centers followed suit by willingly engaging in this process, looking at their own organizations as well as determining their role in helping shaping a more equitable society.
The vipassana tradition of S.N. Goenka has traditionally not involved itself in activities beyond formal sitting meditation. However, some teachers and students have recently begun to address this issue. But because of the tradition’s historical reticence to engage in this way, many vipassana yogis in the Goenka tradition may not be aware that these conversations are starting to take place within their organization. This is the story we tell on “Detached Engagement: Racial Equity Training in the Vipassana organization of S.N. Goenka,” the fourth show in our ongoing series, “The Intersection of Dhamma and Race.”
In this episode, we bring in Clyde Ford, a corporate trainer on racial justice, as well as a vipassana meditator in the Goenka tradition. He collaborated with the Washington state-based center, Dhamma Kunja, to deliver a remote anti-racism training to the staff there. In addition to his current role as a trainer, Clyde is also a software engineer, a chiropractor, a psychotherapist, an environmentalist, a 12-time, award-winning author, currently a National Endowment for the Arts Fellow, and has appeared on Oprah and NPR among other shows.
Clyde begins by sharing how much he has personally benefited from his vipassana practice, and the role it has played in his own life when responding to incidents of racism and prejudice. We then get into the specifics of Clyde’s Dhamma Kunja training session, examining his methodology and the activities through which he led the participants.
We go on to explore the balance between spiritual aspirations and worldly responsibilities vis-à-vis social justice, an issue that spiritual traditions have wrestled with across time and culture. For Clyde, the answer is straight-forward: he explains how, in his opinion, a meditator’s involvement in social justice issues—at whatever level of engagement they are comfortable with—is a valuable extension of their formal sitting practice. He provides an outline for how meditators can ground themselves in their practice when confronting these issues in the world. To support this growth, Clyde designed experiential activities in the training to bring this home to the participants.
In discussing the dynamics involved when a white meditator chooses not to engage, Clyde says this is frequently an example of “spiritual bypass,” which he defines as: “Using spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues, psychological wounds, or social injustices.” We then turn to some of Goenka’s specific teachings and instructions and examine their relevancy to the issues of racial inequity. And we look at the generational differences within the Goenka organization regarding engagement in social justice issues.
Finally, we discuss an anecdote from an earlier one of Insight Myanmar’s own podcast episodes, the inaugural show in this same series. In it, former Senior Teacher Victoria Robertson, who is also Black, told of how her attempts to structure a course for African-Americans and other people of color was blocked by senior White teachers in America. At the same time, Victoria was also dismayed that the main form of outreach to the African American community came in the form of a documentary, The Dhamma Brothers, which depicts white teachers instructing mainly black prisoners. Clyde played part of her interview in his training, and led the group in looking at ways they could ensure that the organization reached minority communities in more sensitive and proactive ways.
Clyde’s reflections are invigorating and inspiring, and provide valuable insight for meditators as to the symbiotic relationship between sitting practice and engagement in social and racial issues. We thank Clyde for carving so much the time out of his very busy schedule to speak with us… and by the way, we very much look forward to a broader conversation with Clyde later this year!