Buddhist Coalition for Democracy

The Three Tenets with Sensei Jim Daikan Bastien
2025-09-17 19:00 - 20:00 (America/New_York)
Bernie Glassman articulated the Three Tenets of the Zen Peacemakers early in the evolution of the organization. But these three, simple, profound, vows or commitments can also be taken as a complete practice for our life:
I will embody Not Knowing, thereby giving up fixed ideas.
I will Bear Witness, opening my heart to the joy and suffering of life.
I will take Loving Action arising out of not-knowing and bearing witness.
We can practice and manifest our true selves in every situation and with everything that arises, using the Three Tenets. This is a lifelong practice, one we never complete on our hourlong session we will present and describe the Three Tenets and have time to take your questions.
Duration: 60 minutes – Format: Presentation
To register:
https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/events/188997

No Kings October Mobilization Kick Off Call
2025-09-18 20:00 - 21:00
The No Kings Coalition is proud to announce the kick-off to our October 18th national protest!
Join us to learn more about the vision, urgency, and strategy behind this national day of action. Whether you’re brand new or a seasoned organizer, the time to act is now!
Sign up at
https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/event/839315/

Sun Day
2025-09-21
Sun Day is a day of action on September 21, 2025, celebrating solar and wind power, and the movement to leave fossil fuels behind. Solar energy is now the cheapest source of power on the planet – and gives us a chance to actually do something about the climate crisis. But fossil fuel billionaires are doing everything they can to shut it down. We will build, rally, sing, and come together in the communities that we need to get laws changed and work done.
Event website
Sun Day

BCD New Horizons in Engaged Buddhism Live Telecast: Julia Sagebien interviews Rev. Seth Zuihō Segall
2025-09-25 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Event
In the first of a series of monthly live interviews with engaged Buddhist thought leaders, host Julia Sagebien interviews Rev. Seth Zuihō Segall about his understanding of engaged Buddhism. The interview will last 30 minutes and will be followed by an opportunity for questions and answers by viewers. In later months, the series will include live interviews with the Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi from Chuang Yen Monastery, Tara Brach of the Insight Meditaiton Community of Washington, D.C., Mushim Patricia Ikeda from the East Bay Meditation Center, Sinclair Shinryu Thomson Roshi, abbot of the Village Zendo, Daiken Nelson Roshi, from Pamsula Zen Center, the Rev. angel Kyodo williams from the Center for Transformative Change, Ellen Korman Mains, author and long-term student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, and others. These live broadcasts will be recorded and later available as YouTube videos and Substack podcasts.
Rev. Segall is a Zen priest and psychologist who has written many books, chapters, and articles on the intersection of Buddhism and psychology. He is a former clinical faculty member of the Yale School of Medicine and a current contributing editor to Tricycle: The Buddhist Review. He is a cofounder and Coordinating Committee member of the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy. Rev. Segall views Buddhism from a naturalistic, pragmatic, cosmopolitan, and eudaimonic perspective. His experience as a citizen-activist began with the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movments.

To Join, click: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8246019794?pwd=[REDACTED]

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – DISCERNMENT with Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi
2025-09-28 13:00 - 14:30
Join us in the continued commitment to social and environmental engagement and justice in this very complex time, to exploring the roots of structural violence in our social systems, and to engage in the world in a courageous way based on contemplative practice and views that actualize non-separateness, interbeing, equity, compassion, justice, integrity, courage, dignity, and unshakable awareness.
This monthly series is stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Noah Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Noah Kodo Roen and Wendy Dainin Lau.
The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing.
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi is an American Buddhist monk, born in 1944 in Brooklyn, New York. He obtained a BA in philosophy from Brooklyn College and a PhD in philosophy from Claremont Graduate School before traveling to Sri Lanka to pursue his interest in Buddhism. He received novice ordination in 1972 and full ordination in 1973, both under Ven. Balangoda Ananda Maitreya (1896-1998), the leading Sri Lankan scholar-monk of the time.
Registration link:
https://www.upaya.org/program/engaged-buddhism-online-bhikkhu-bodhi-2025/

BCD Weekly Meditation Group
2025-10-01 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-08 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-15 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-10-29 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-05 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-11-19 12:00 - 13:00 | Zoom Event
​​This is a weekly meditation group facilitated by Linda Modaro. It is a welcoming drop-in group—join when you can.

Meeting ID: Meeting ID: 893 5609 8014
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89356098014?pwd=[REDACTED]

What to Expect
Each session begins with an invitation to bring your thoughts, feelings, and experiences with activism into your meditation; holding them in the conditions of Kindness and Curiosity. This is a silent, self-guided meditation practice. You may discern if this feels right for you in the moment; if not, you are welcome to do the practice of your choice.
● During meditation, cameras are generally off so you can focus on your practice. If keeping your camera on helps you feel more connected, you are welcome to do so.
● After meditation, we encourage you to write down and reflect on your experience.
● A few participants will have the opportunity for a short conversation with Linda Modaro about their meditation while others listen and observe.
● Each session closes with a group discussion on topics that naturally emerged from meditation and reflection.
Session Flow
● 9:00–9:05 am PT – Invitation: for meditation and activism
● 9:05–9:25 am PT – Meditation: 20 minute silent meditation (cameras on or off)
● 9:25–9:35 am PT – Reflection: remembering and recollecting your experience
● 9:35–9:45 am PT – Sharing: short conversations about meditation experience between a meditator and Linda Modaro while others listen
● 9:45-10:00 am PT – Group discussion: on themes arising from practice and reflection
About the Facilitator
Linda Modaro is the founder and lead teacher at Sati Sangha, a vibrant online meditation community offering daily Reflective Meditation sessions and online retreats throughout the year. She is co-author (with Nelly Kaufer of Pine Street Sangha) of Reflective Meditation: Cultivating Kindness and Curiosity in the Buddha’s Company.
Linda Modaro

BCD Coordinating Committee Meeting
2025-10-03 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom Event
This meeting is for Coordinating Committee Members only

No Kings: Protest Safety, Know Your Rights & De-Escalation Training
2025-10-06 20:00
Before you hit the streets- join our know your rights, protest safety, and de-escalation training on 10/6/25 at 8 PM ET.
This October, communities across the country will mobilize en masse for the second No Kings national day of action- a mass mobilization against President Trump’s abuses of power and federal crackdown on our freedoms. Together, we’ll send a clear message: the people will not be silenced.
To prepare, join the ACLU’s Protest Safety, Know Your Rights and De-Escalation Training on October 6 at 8 PM ET. This training will give you the tools to take action safely, confidently, and with key de-escalation strategies in hand. Whether you’re marching, rallying, or supporting from the sidelines, you’ll learn how to protect yourself, your community, and stand up for your rights.
WHAT: ACLU’s Protest Safety, Know Your Rights and De-Escalation Training
WHEN: Monday, October 6th at 8 PM ET
WHERE: On Zoom- RSVP for the link!
What we’ll cover:
– Know your rights during protests and law enforcement encounters
– Practical tools for safety and de-escalation in tense moments
– Get prepared to take nonviolent action safely, powerfully and together
– Build the knowledge and strength to support others in the streets and beyond
Because when we know our rights, we can defend them. Let’s get ready. RSVP NOW.
https://act.aclu.org/a/no-kings-kyr-eng1

BCD Action Committee Meeting
2025-10-07 18:00 - 19:00 | Zoom Event
This meeting is for members of the BCD Action Committee only.
For more information, contact Karsten Struhl at kastruhl@tiac.net or Kathryn Koehl at kathrynkoehl@hotmail.com

BCD Communications Committee
2025-10-08 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-11-12 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Event
This is a members-only meeting for Communications Commitee members to dicuss communications strategy regarding the BCD website, press releases, social media, telecasts and podcasts, Substack publications, and newsletter.
If you are interested in joining the committee, please contact Amaury Cruz at <amaurycruz@yahoo.com>.

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – EMBODIMENT with Guo Gu
2025-10-12 13:00 - 14:30
Upaya Zen Center presents a monthly series stewarded by Roshi Joan Halifax, Sensei Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau. The focus is on recognizing and ending violence in relation to addressing the roots of war/genocide, racism, climate suffering, economics of exploitation and extraction, othering, and our own delusion that we are separate from any being or thing. The faculty for this series includes: Jon Kabat-Zinn, Christiana Figueres, Ruth King, Valerie Brown, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Father Greg Boyle, Terry Tempest Williams, Konda Mason, Rebecca Solnit, Father John Dear, Guo Gu, Tara Brach, Frank Ostaseski, Sharon Salzberg, Roshi Joan, and Senseis Kodo Roen and Dainin Lau.
Guo Gu (Dr. Jimmy Yu) is the founder of the Tallahassee Chan Center, the founder of the socially engaged intra-denominational Buddhist organization, Dharma Relief, and a professor of Buddhism and East Asian religions at Florida State University. He studied under the late Master Sheng Yen for over 30 years, nine of which as his attendant monk and most senior and closest disciple. He is the author of The Essence of Chan (2012), Passing Through the Gateless Barrier (2016), and Silent Illumination (2021).
Registration link:
https://www.upaya.org/program/engaged-buddhism-online-october-2025/

No Kings Nationwide Day of Defiance
2025-10-18
No Thrones. No Crowns. No Kings.
On October 18, millions of us are rising again to show the world: America has no kings, and the power belongs to the people.
See map of locations at:
https://www.mobilize.us/nokings/map/

BCD Coordinating Committee
2025-10-24 17:00 - 18:30 | Zoom Event
This is a meeting for BCD Coordinating Committee members only.

BCD Live Interview: New Horizons in Engaged Buddhism: Julia Sagebien interviews Daiken Nelson Roshi
2025-10-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Event
In the second of a series of monthly live interviews with engaged Buddhist thought leaders, host Julia Sagebien interviews Daiken Nelson Roshi about the foundations of and his vision for engaged Buddhism. The interview will last 30 minutes and be followed by an opportunity for question and answers by viewers. Daiken is the guiding teacher of the Pamsula Zen Center in NYC and the Iowa City Zen Center. Before receiving Dharma transmisison, Daiken practiced for over three decades with teacher in the White Plum and Zen Peacemaker lineages. He founded the Mandala Cafe, a nonprofit that offers free culinary training to people having trouble finding and keeping employment as well as offering free weekly meals in central Harlem.

In later months, the series includes live interviews with the Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi from Chuang Yen Monastery, Tara Brach from the Insight Meditation Community of Washington, Mushim Patricia Ikeda from the East Bay Meditation Center, Joshin Byrnes from the Breadloaf Mountain Zen Community, Sinclair Shinryu Thomson Roshi, abbot of the Village Zendo, the Rev. angel Kyodo williams from the Center for Transformative Change, and Ellen Korman Mains, author and long-term student of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche. These broadcasts will be recorded and later available as YouTube videos and as podcasts on Subtack, Apple podcasts, Spotify, and other podcast venues.
To Join, click: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/8246019794?pwd=[REDACTED]
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Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – BRIDGING with Tara Brach
2025-11-09 13:00 - 14:30
Disarming the Heart—Practices for Bridging Divides
Do you sometimes demonize those whose views and actions feel threatening or harmful? In these times of deep polarization, the suffering of our world arises from a trance of forgotten belonging—and the hope for healing lies in remembering, together. This session offers experiential practices to help us soften the heart and begin bridging the divides within and around us.
Tara Brach is a meditation teacher, psychologist and author of several books including international bestselling Radical Acceptance, Radical Compassion and Trusting the Gold.
Registration link:
https://www.upaya.org/program/engaged-buddhism-online-november-2025/

BCD Action Committee Meeting
2025-11-11 18:00 - 19:00

AWAKENED ACTION: Making the Future in the Present
2025-11-14 - 2025-11-16
This special gathering is a time to explore how in this very moment, we make the future in the present. Today, we find ourselves moving against attempts to step backward into greater and greater harm. In this important time together we will explore through teachings, story, practice, meeting each other warm hand to warm hand, the treasures of imagination and revolutionary joy, the gift of moral beauty as resistance against moral injury, the liberating power of wise hope, the brave stepping toward the good, and the special skill of discovering the way forward in a pace that is sane, but with the commitment to go!
Five remarkable women will guide us in this time together… renowned writers Terry Tempest William and Rebecca Solnit, lawyer and Buddhist teacher Valerie Brown, beloved Zen teacher and social activist Roshi Joan Halifax, and on Saturday evening, climate diplomat Christiana Figueres who hopes to join us from Brazil, where she will be part of the COP30 in Belem.
Detailed schedule and registration at:
https://www.upaya.org/program/awakened-action-making-the-future-in-the-present-online-2025/

BCD Coordinating Committee Meeting
2025-11-14 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom Event

Mindful Converations: Inner Connection and Interconnection
2025-11-19 19:00 - 20:30 | Zoom Event
For members who want to engage in a process of mindful reflection together, BCD now offers a monthly Mindful Town Hall on the third Wednesday of every month, from 7 to 8:30 pm New York time.

This gathering differs from a traditional town hall. It is not a forum for debate or opinion-sharing. Instead, it is an opportunity to reflect on our internal responses, how events are landing within us, and to discover meaning through shared presence. It includes a 15-minute meditation, breakout rooms (usually in pairs), and group dialogue.

Together, we co-create a respectful, supportive space that honors both our common ground and our diverse experiences. The blend of meditation, small-group sharing, and collective dialogue is designed to foster connection—within and between us, enriched by our differences.

Serge Prengel will facilitate these sessions.

There is a 4-minute video describing this event on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qju2WyneiUs

To register for please visit: https://lu.ma/bknnqyan

Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings
2025-11-20 12:00 - 13:30
Join Shodo Spring as she discusses her new book: OPEN REALITY Meeting the Polycrisis Together With All Beings
Open Reality speaks to the world behind and beneath our daily collective trauma. It opens practical possibilities for creating a shared, flexible culture that knows the natural world both as family and as a working partner. It invites the reader to a world of possibility. What if industrial civilization isn’t the best that humans can do? What if we weren’t alone in the world, but embedded in a universe of conscious, intentional, powerful beings?
Registration at:
https://hive.zenpeacemakers.org/events/193616

Buddhist Voices for Immigration Justice: Compassion in Action
2025-11-20 18:00 - 19:30 | Zoom Event
BCD, in partnership with the Insight Meditation Center of Washington will be holding a virtual Town Hall on Immigration. “Buddhist Voices for Immigration Justice: Compassion in Action” will be held on Thursday, November 20, 2025, 6:00-7:30pm EST. Our panelists: Tara Brach, whose teachings include a full, compassionate engagement with our world; Lama Rod Owens, an international influencer with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity and spiritual practice; Dr. Marisela Gomez, grassroots activist and advocate for spiritual practice with community organizing; Lenni B. Benson, Professor of Immigration and Human Rights Law at New York Law School. The Town Hall will feature an audience Q&A as well as a Call to Action with practical next steps for advocacy and opportunities to stay connected. Register for this event: https://imcw.org/event/?eventId=1665

BCD Coordinating Committee Meeting
2025-11-21 17:00 - 17:45 | Zoom Event
Meeting of BCD Coordinating Commitee
