The Future of American Buddhism Conference Livestream Access Package

Join the Conversation:

Tradition & Innovation • Leadership, Power, & Empowerment • Dharma for the Environmental Crisis
Engaged Buddhism • BIPOC Wisdom & Skillful Means • Digital Dharma & Virtual Sangha

To guide the direction of this conference, we asked our community, “What are the most important and pressing topics to address?” Here’s what we found:

1: Tradition & Innovation
2: Leadership, Power, & Empowerment
3: Dharma for the Environmental Crisis
4: Engaged Buddhism
5: BIPOC Wisdom & Skillful Means
6: Digital Dharma & Virtual Sangha

The Conference Planning Committee is: Carla Burns, Rev. Blayne Higa, Larry Ward, Rev. Michael Lewis, Judith Simmer-Brown, Susan Skjei

Dear Buddhist Practitioners, Teachers and Leaders,

American Buddhism is in a time of major transition.

This moment of rapid social change is influencing the development of American Buddhism, even as American Buddhism is having an outsized influence on our culture.

Our communities have provided a refuge for personal spiritual growth, but many have been sidetracked by privilege, cultural insularity, and spiritual materialism.

How can we open to the wealth of diversity and potential for spiritual depth dedicated to the welfare of the world?

We need to break free from the isolation of our individual communities, caused in part by the pandemic, and come together. We need to identify lessons learned from the past and explore how to move into a collective future informed by our younger generation and the many voices that represent American Buddhism today.

We invite you to engage in an inclusive, interactive, dynamic conversation that will bring diverse practitioners from various lineages, generations and social locations into deeper connection. Together we can shape a vision to foster wise and compassionate action in the future.

Let us gather to reflect on this moment and actively shape our future through community vision, conversation, and collaboration.

Please join us!

Judith Simmer-Brown, Ph.D., Naropa University, Program Director

Susan Skjei, Ph.D., Naropa University, Conference Director

Norman Oberstein, CEO, The Frederick P. Lenz Foundation for American Buddhism

Guiding Principles

COMMUNITY, NOT EXPERTS

Emphasis on Buddhist communities, engagement with traditions plus innovations

Diverse DEMOGRAPHICS

Representation across generations, lineages, gender/ethnicity/race, and other social locations

TOPICS THAT MATTER

Emphasis on dialogues, panels, on important issues

Smiling women looking at paperwork in community center

GRANT-MAKING

IRS Tax Exempt 501(c)(3) organizations can apply for a grant related to a conference theme

Self-Healing Heart Chakra Meditation. Woman sitting in a lotus position with right hand on heart chakra and left palm open in a receiving gesture. Self-Care Practice at Home

Scholarship Opportunities

To ensure participation from historically marginalized identities

Focus on American Buddhism

The paths of American Buddhism are diverse, balancing tradition and innovation

What’s included in

The Future of American Buddhism
Live Conference

Livestream Access Package

6 LIVE PANEL DISCUSSIONS:

Friday, June 3

1. Tradition & Innovation

2. Leadership, Power, & Empowerment

3. Dharma for the Environmental Crisis

Saturday, June 4

4. Engaged Buddhism

5. BIPOC Wisdom & Skillful Means

Sunday, June 5

6. Digital Dharma & Virtual Sangha

7. Grant Funding Panel and Open Space Conversations

Twice-daily workshop sessions

Each workshop has been prepared especially for livestream participants. Details are below!

Recordings of All Sessions

Each session will be recorded in high definition and available to download in video and audio format.

Dedicated Livestream Host: Dr. Amelia Hall

Your livestream host for this conference, Dr. Amelia Hall, gained her doctorate in Tibetan and Himalayan Studies from the University of Oxford in 2012. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Buddhism and Department Chair in the Wisdom Traditions department at Naropa University. She teaches across several different degree programs at Naropa: BA Religious Studies, MA Yoga Studies, MA Contemplative Religions, and Master of Divinity.

Plus Get Access to These Bonuses:

The Future of American Buddhism Conference Community - An Online Gathering Place

For three months following the conference, we invite you to join our private attendee-only community to keep the energy of the conference conversations moving forward

Online video discussion with many people together. Young woman sits in front of laptop with many icons, photo profiles of people on screen. App for video meeting with diverse team

Primer materials on each of the 6 topics, delivered before the conference

Before the conference begins, you will get a carefully curated set of materials that give you an introduction to each topic so we all enter with a common language for talking about these issues

Embracing the Future through Authentic Leadership with Susan Skjei

The Feminine Principle in the Future of American Buddhism - Teaching by Judith Simmer-Brown

America's Racial Karma: Video with Dr. Larry Ward

Conference Panel Discussions and Panelists

Session 1: Tradition & Innovation

How is Buddhism innovating in an American context without losing connection with its Asian roots?

Rev. Myokei Caine-Barrett, Bishop, Nichiren Shu

Myokei Caine-Barrett currently holds the position of Bishop of the Nichiren Shu Buddhist Order of North America. She is the first woman and first American to hold this position. She is also the guiding teacher and priest of Myoken-ji Temple in Houston, which is home to the Nichiren Buddhist Sangha of Texas. Myokei Shonin is the first American woman and first person of African American-Japanese descent to have been ordained in the Nichiren Shu Order. Myokei Shonin currently volunteers with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as clergy to two prison sanghas. She has been engaged in this work as a full expression of the Lotus Sutra as the teaching of equality. She maintains a focus on anti-racism as well as healing of trauma through the dharma.

Dr. Alejandro Chaoul, Mind, Body, Spirit Institute

Alejandro Chaoul-Reich, Ph.D. has studied in the Tibetan traditions since 1989, and for nearly 30 years in the Bön Tradition with Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche, His Holiness Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. He holds a Ph.D. in Tibetan religions from Rice University and is the director of the Mind Body Spirit Institute at the Jung Center of Houston. He is senior teacher for Ligmincha International and for The 3 Doors: transforming lives through meditation. For the last 20 years he has been teaching and researching the benefits of Tibetan mind-body practices for people touched by cancer. Alejandro is a Contemplative Fellow at the Mind & Life Institute, and is the author of Chöd Practice in the Bön Tradition (Snow Lion, 2009), Tibetan Yoga for Health & Well-Being (Hay House, 2018), and Tibetan Yoga: Magical Movements of Body, Breath, and Mind (Wisdom Publications, 2021).

Rev. Cristina Moon, Daihonzan Chozen-ji

Cristina Moon is a writer, strategist, and Zen priest. After a career in human rights and social change, and graduating from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, she embarked on three years of monastic training at Daihonzan Chozen-ji, a Rinzai Zen temple in Honolulu. While still in residence at Chozen-ji, Cristina continues to train in zazen, Kendo, Chado, and ceramics—and works with individuals and organizations to develop a fighting spirit and the ability to stay calm in the midst of chaos.

Session 2: Leadership, Power, & Empowerment

How are leaders and teachers across genders and diverse identities being empowered?

Dr. Larry Ward, The Lotus Institute

Dr. Larry Ward is a senior teacher in Buddhist Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh's Plum Village tradition, author of the book America's Racial Karma, and co-author with his wife Peggy of Love's Garden, A Guide To Mindful Relationships. Dr. Ward brings twenty five years of international experience in organizational change and local community renewal to his work as director of the Lotus Institute and as an advisor to the Executive Mind Leadership Institute at the Drucker School of Management. He holds a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation. Larry is a knowledgeable, charismatic and inspirational teacher, offering insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that express his dharma name, “True Great Sound.”

Dr. Ann Gleig, University of Central Florida

Ann Gleig is an Associate Professor of Religion and Cultural Studies at the University of Central Florida. She is the author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity (Yale University Press, 2019). She is currently working on a collaborative book with Amy Langenberg on sexual misconduct and abuse in contemporary Buddhism, which is under advance contract with Yale University Press.

Dr. Susan Skjei, Naropa University and Right Use of Power Institute

SUSAN SKJEI, PH.D. Over the last 25 years Susan has worked with thousands of leaders in the US, Canada and Europe to cultivate mindfulness and authenticity, strengthen relational and strategic skills, and effectively lead the changes they want to see in their organizations and in the world. Formerly Susan was a Vice President and Chief Learning Officer in the technology sector, an international consultant and the founding director of the Authentic Leadership Center at Naropa University. She is a senior teacher in the Shambhala community and currently provides leadership coaching and organizational consulting through her company Sane Systems.

Session 3: Dharma for the Environmental Crisis

How is American Buddhism contributing to solving the critical environmental issues of our time?

Kristin Barker, One Earth Sangha

Kristin Barker is co-founder and director of One Earth Sangha whose mission is to cultivate a Buddhist response to ecological crises. She is a graduate of Spirit Rock’s Community Dharma Leader program and now teaches with the Insight Meditation Community of Washington (DC). As a co-founder of White Awake, Kristin has been supporting white people since 2011 with a Dharma approach to uprooting racism in ourselves and in our world. With a background in technology and environmental management, she has worked at several international environmental organizations. She is a GreenFaith Fellow and serves on the advisory boards of Project Inside Out and the Buddhist-Catholic Dialogue on Climate Change. Kristin was born and raised in northern New Mexico and currently lives in Washington DC, traditional lands of the Piscataway peoples.

Dr. Stephanie Kaza, University of Vermont Emerita

Stephanie Kaza is professor emerita of environmental studies, University of Vermont, and Soto Zen practitioner. Her books include Green Buddhism: Practice and Compassionate Action in Uncertain Times; Hooked! Buddhist Writings on Greed, Desire, and the Urge to Consume; and Conversations with Trees: An Intimate Ecology. She has written numerous articles and book chapters on Buddhist environmental thought; her most recent book is the tribute volume: A Wild Love for the World: Joanna Macy and the Work of Our Time. She currently works on climate issues in Portland, Oregon, where she pursues her love of trees, tides, and deep time.

Dr. Adam Lobel, GreenFaith, One Earth Sangha

Adam Lobel, PhD, Harvard University, M.Div. Harvard Divinity School, is a Buddhist minister and a scholar of philosophy and religion and served as an acharya in Shambhala from 2005-2019. His research focuses on Great Perfection (Dzogchen) Tibetan Buddhism, phenomenology, and inoperative studies. He has a longstanding interest in contemplative education, philosophy as a way of life, and transformative pedagogy. He is a GreenFaith fellow, a Guiding teacher for One Earth Sangha, has taught alongside Joanna Macy and others in the Ecosattva Training, and is active in ecological and social justice movements. He lives and teaches in Pittsburgh, PA with his wife and two sons.

Session 4: Engaged Buddhism

What new examples of engaged initiatives in America bring contemplative methods to social, educational, and political issues?

Ven. Pannavati, Embracing Simplicity Hermitage and Heartwood Refuge

Ven. Dr. Pannavati Theri, is a Theravada and Mahayana female monk with vajrayana empowerments. Abbot of Embracing Simplicity Hermitage and Co-founder of Heartwood Refuge, she is authorized to share the teachings of her Master, H.H. Dorje Chang Buddha III, overseeing a vajrayana academy and 5 vidyas school under the tutelage of Zhaxi Zhouma Rinpoche. She is known for her straightforward teaching style, humanitarian service worldwide and music that brightens the heart.

Dr. Fleet Maull, Engaged Mindfulness Institute

Fleet Maull, PhD, CMT-P is an author, meditation teacher, social entrepreneur, consultant and trainer. He is an Acharya (senior Dharma teacher) in the global Shambhala Meditation Community and a Roshi (senior Zen teacher) in the international Zen Peacemaker Order. Dr. Maull founded Prison Mindfulness Institute and National Prison Hospice Association and co-founded the Rwanda Bearing Witness Retreat, the Center of Mindfulness in Public Safety, and the Engaged Mindfulness Institute. He trains prisoners, business leaders, correctional officers, clinicians, chaplains and public safety professionals and other first responders in mindfulness-based approaches to wellness & resiliency. He is the author of Radical Responsibility: How to Move Beyond Blame, Fearlessly Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good and Dharma in Hell: The Prison Writings of Fleet Maull. He leads meditation retreats throughout the world and recently organized and hosted both the Global Resilience Summit and the Global First Responder Resilience Summit

Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams, University of Southern California

Duncan Ryuken Williams was ordained as a Soto Zen Buddhist priest at Kotakuji Temple (Nagano, Japan) in 1993 and then served as a Buddhist chaplain at Harvard University, where he received his Ph.D. Currently, he is the Chair of the University of Southern California's School of Religion and Director of the USC Shinso Ito Center for Japanese Religions and Culture. Williams is the author of the LA Times bestseller American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War (Harvard University Press, 2019) about Buddhism and the WWII Japanese American internment; The Other Side of Zen (Princeton University Press, 2005), and editor of 7 other books centered on Buddhism as well as race, religion, and American belonging. He is a co-organizer of the “May We Gather” national Buddhist ceremony for Asian American ancestors and is currently writing a book about a Buddhist approach to racial reparations.

Session 5: BIPOC Wisdom & Skillful Means

How are BIPOC, Asian-American and other communities bringing new structures and modalities to American Buddhism?

Dawa Tarchin Phillips, International Mindfulness Teachers Association

Dawa Tarchin Phillips is dharma teacher, author, speaker, researcher and polymath. He is Founder/CEO of Empowerment Holdings and President of the International Mindfulness Teachers Association, a professional organization for Mindfulness teachers from over 30 countries. Dawa completed two 3-year meditation retreats and teaches mindfulness and meditation, awakened leadership and conscious business around the world. He is a classically trained Buddhist lama, a member of the prestigious Transformational Leadership Council and the Association of Transformational Leaders, a passionate social venture entrepreneur and an award-winning contributing author for Shambhala Publications, Mindful magazine, Tricycle magazine, and Lion’s Roar; his work has been featured in the New York Times, Huffington Post, Men’s Fitness, Forbes and Fast Company

Dr. Pamela Ayo Yetunde, Lion’s Roar Magazine

Pamela Ayo Yetunde, J.D., Th.D., is a Community Dharma Leader trained at Spirit Rock Meditation Center. She is a pastoral counselor in private practice and the co-founder of Center of the Heart, a wellness practice. Ayo is the co-editor of Black and Buddhist and the author of Object Relations, Buddhism, and Relationality in Womanist Practical Theology and Buddhist-Christian Dialogue, U.S. Law, and Womanist Theology for Transgender Spiritual Care. Her next book, provisionally titled Casting Indra’s Net: Wisdom for Fostering Spiritual Kinship, Respecting Difference, and Moving toward Wholeness Together, will be published by Shambhala in 2023. Ayo co-founded "Buddhist Justice Reporter" and is an associate editor for Lion's Roar.

Chenxing Han, May We Gather and author

Chenxing Han is the author of Be the Refuge: Raising the Voices of Asian American Buddhists (North Atlantic Books, 2021). She holds a BA from Stanford University, an MA in Buddhist Studies from the Graduate Theological Union, and a certificate in Buddhist chaplaincy from the Institute of Buddhist Studies in Berkeley, California. She co-organized May We Gather: A National Buddhist Memorial for Asian American Ancestors, and lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Session 6: Digital Dharma & Virtual Sangha

What new platforms and venues are propagating dharma in America, and how has this changed the face of American Buddhism?

Devon Matsumoto, Co-Founder of Young Buddhist Editorial

Devon Matsumoto grew up on the land of the Muwekma-Ohlone peoples which is also known as the Bay Area, California. Matsumoto received his Masters of Social Work from Seattle University and currently works as a program coordinator at an organization dedicated to dismantling the school to prison pipeline. In his free time Matsumoto is a community organizer in the Japanese American community and helped to found The Young Buddhist Editorial, an organization dedicated to sharing the experiences of young Asian American Buddhists while preserving the history of those who came before us. He is also a student at the Institute of Buddhist Studies pursuing a Certificate of Shin Buddhist Studies.

Dr. Nikki Mirghafori, Spirit Rock and Artificial Intelligence Scientist

Nikki Mirghafori, PhD, is a Buddhist teacher and Artificial Intelligence scientist. She is a lineage holder in the Theravada tradition. She serves on the Teachers Council and Board of Directors at the Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, CA, and also as a Teacher at the Insight Meditation Center in Redwood City, CA. She's also a Stanford-trained compassion cultivation instructor, a Berkeley ex-academic, and author. Nikki is of Persian heritage, and aspires to serve as a doula for wisdom and compassion.

Jeff Richardson, Rama Meditation Society and Technologist

Jeff Richardson is an American Buddhist, technologist and composer. Jeff is a direct student of the Buddhist teacher Rama -- Dr. Frederick Lenz. As Technical Director of Rama Meditation Society, Jeff published the catalog of audio and video teachings of Dr. Lenz online, and fostered a digital community for Dr Lenz's students. Jeff co-produced the short film “Signs of a Rebel Buddha”, which explores Dr. Lenz's approach to Buddhist teaching. The film has won numerous awards, including the Outstanding Achievement Award at the Druk International Film Festival in Bhutan. As a lifelong learner, Jeff is engaged in online education aligned with his personal and professional interests. He also enjoys sharing Buddhist practice online.

Vince Fakhoury Horn, Founder, Buddhist Geeks

Vince Fakhoury Horn is part of a new generation of teachers, facilitators, & translators bringing dharma to life. A computer engineering dropout turned full-time contemplative, Vince spent his 20s co-founding the ground-breaking Buddhist Geeks podcast, while simultaneously doing a full year, in total, of silent retreat practice. Vince began teaching in 2010 and has since been authorized in both the Pragmatic Dharma lineage of Kenneth Folk, and by Trudy Goodman, guiding teacher of InsightLA. Vince has been called a “power player of the mindfulness movement” by Wired magazine and was featured in Wired UK’s “Smart List: 50 people who will change the world.” He currently lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina with his partner Emily Horn and their son Zander.

Session 7: Grant Funding Panel and Open Space Conversations

After the conference ends, the Lenz Foundation will give out grants based on the six themes of the conference. Preference will be given to groups with one or more representatives at the in-person conference or livestream. Lenz Foundation grants (currently with a 2022 grant pool of $250,000) follow its Grant Policy. During this unique funding panel, supporting sponsors—other foundation representatives—will discuss their successful grant programs and criteria for Buddhist and/or Buddhist-aligned initiatives.

During this time, we will also be offering Open Space Conversations. These provide an opportunity for conference participants to host conversations on the topics that matter to them.

Livestream Workshop Sessions

Session 1

Friday, 10:45am -12:15pm

Finding Dharma in the Digital Jungle: Buddhist Digital Resource Center and The Treasury of Lives

with Jann Ronis, Buddhist Digital Resource Center
and Alex Gardner, Treasury of Lives

Wherever Buddhism has taken root it has always relied on two authentic keystones--the scriptures and the lineage of the teachers. But that issue of authenticity is at the forefront of information in the digital age requiring websites that employ proven methods of ensuring credibility such as fact checking, cross referencing, source citation, peer review, and bylines. This workshop will introduce two digital Dharma projects that strive to support practitioners in the modern world. The workshop will begin with digital tours with attention on their shared missions of accessibility and authenticity. We will discuss how digital Dharma projects informs and supports their practice.

Session 2

Friday, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

The Continuing Education of the Buddhist Teacher—Blinded by the Light

with Joseph Bobrow, Roshi, Deep Streams Zen Institute

The ongoing boundary violations and abuses of sex and power in Buddhist communities may be a symptom of a wider problem. Ethics statements, grievance procedures, education around boundaries may not address what operates on an unconscious level. This workshop will examine what we are actually conveying to others, beyond what we say, think or know from our “psychic fuels”. How do we make an ally of the unconscious, invite discrepant feedback, and learn to track the traces of the impacts of our actions? How can this help us create safe spaces where we can open our hearts and get to the deeper levels of what's going on?

Session 3

Saturday, 10:45am -12:15pm

Lessons from the Virtual Monastery: Frontiers and Limitations of Digital Dharma

with Catherine Pawasarat, Co-founder/Teacher of Clear Sky Retreat Center and Planet Dharma virtual monastery

The virtual world brings incredible possibilities for accessibility, international connections and shared teachings. It also brings major challenges and questions around how authentic Dharma teaching, practice and Sangha can flourish virtually. The workshop is based on 10 years of experience developing a thriving virtual monastery. We will explore the following questions:

How do we develop a healthy and engaged Sangha virtually? Can Dharma and awakening be transmitted effectively with a virtual teacher-student relationship and virtual Sangha? Can an authentic teaching lineage flourish virtually? How can we best take advantage of digital Dharma?

Session 4

Saturday, 4:00pm - 5:30pm

Ecodharma and Embodiment: A Workshop to Process Grief, Build Resilience and Vision Future

with Willa Blythe Baker, PhD, Natural Dharma Fellowship and Wonderwell Mountain Refuge

Now more than ever, this earth needs human beings whose spiritual calling is entwined with an ethics of care for the planet. Do you yearn to be on the right side of history? What would it mean to begin to live for the world we wish to see? In this workshop, we will begin to inquire into the truth of our inner response to climate change, explore our deepest aspirations and consider what work is needed to contribute to a sustainable future. Our workshop will focus on process, how to metabolize the truths we know and the grief we feel, how to commune with sources of support and healing, and how to embody change.

The Future of American Buddhism
Conference

LIVESTREAM ACCESS PACKAGE

Your Livestream Access Package Includes:

1. 6 LIVE Panel Discussions

2. Twice-daily workshop sessions

3. Recordings of All Sessions

4. Dedicated Livestream Host: Dr. Amelia Hall

5. Grant Funding Panel

6. The Future of American Buddhism Conference Community Online

Plus Get These Livestream Access Package Bonuses:

1. Primer materials on each of the 6 topics

2. Audio downloads of all the recorded sessions

3. Embracing the Future through Authentic Leadership with Susan Skjei

4. The Feminine Principle in the Future of American Buddhism - Teaching by Judith Simmer-Brown

5. America's Racial Karma: Video with Dr. Larry Ward

ENROLL NOW

Livestream access package

$297

Add to Cart

About the Conference Hosts

Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, liberal arts university offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, education, environmental studies, peace studies, psychology, and religious studies. Buddhist-inspired and nonsectarian, Naropa University is rooted in contemplative education, a teaching and learning approach that integrates Eastern wisdom studies and the arts with traditional Western scholarship. Naropa was the birthplace of the modern mindfulness movement.

The Foundation’s long-range aim is to foster the growth and development of an authentic American Buddhism that takes its inspiration from the wisdom traditions of the East but adopts new forms, approaches, and applications that are uniquely suited to contemporary American society and culture. By developing and strengthening the emerging community of American Buddhist organizations, we seek to give birth to an American society that reflects the universal Buddhist values of wisdom, compassion, mindfulness, and meditation practice in pursuit of these values.

Thank You to Our Media Partners:

Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What is the Conference Schedule?

The Future of American Buddhism Conference Livestream Schedule (all times in U.S. Eastern Time):

THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2022

6:30 pm-7:00 pm Livestreamer Welcome and Hangout

7:30 pm-9:00 pm Welcome keynote and community circles

FRIDAY, JUNE 3 & SATURDAY JUNE 4, 2022

8:45 am-9:00 am Livestream Welcome and Hangout

9:00 am-10:30 am Panel Discussion

10:30 am-10:45 am Break

10:45 am-12:15 Livestream Workshop

12:30 pm-1:30 pm Lunch Break

2:00 pm-3:30 pm Panel Discussion

3:30 pm-4:00 pm Tea Break

4:00 pm-5:30 pm Livestream Workshop

6:00 pm-7:00 pm Dinner Break

7:30 pm-9:00 pm Panel Discussion (Friday) / Performance

(Saturday)

SUNDAY, JUNE 5, 2022