Buddhist Coalition for Democracy

Mindful Conversations on Politics and Society
2026-01-21 19:00 - 20:30 (America/New_York) | Zoom Event
BCD offers a monthly gathering for those who wish to engage in a process of mindful reflection together and find meaning through shared presence.

Mindful Conversations meets the third Wednesday of every month, from 7 to 8:30 pm New York time.

Serge Prengel is the group facilitator.

o register and receive monthly reminders of meetings, click here: https://tinyurl.com/bcdmindfulconversations

BCD Weekly Meditation Group
2026-01-21 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2026-01-07 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: 818 7605 9491
Passcode: 100
Zoom Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81876059491?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 Engaged Buddhist Book Club
2026-01-20 19:15 - 20:30, 2026-01-13 19:15 - 20:30, 2026-01-06 19:15 - 20:30, 2025-12-30 18:15 - 18:30, 2025-12-23 18:15 - 18:30, 2025-12-16 18:15 - 18:30, 2025-12-09 18:15 - 18:30, 2025-12-03 18:15 - 18:30 and 1 more date | Zoom Event
This weekly book club is hosted by Kat Symington Muendell. Each week, members will discuss a book or article related to engaged Buddhism.
Email Kat at bcdbookclub@gmail.com for the weekly reading assignment.
To join, click on: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/85776917873?pwd=[REDACTED]
Meeting ID: 857 7691 7873
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Free America Walkout
2026-01-20 02:00 - 16:00
The Free America Walkout is sponsored by Women’s March and endorsed by Indivisible, 50501, and the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy. People are encouraged to walk out of their jobs or classes at 2:00 p.m. local time on January 20th. There will also be local demonstrations at 2:00 pm. To find demonstrations in your area, click here.

BCD Communications Committee
2026-01-14 19:00 - 20:00, 2025-12-10 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>.

ICE Out For Good
2026-01-10 - 2026-01-11
A broad national coalition, including Indivisible, MoveOn Civic Action, the American Civil Liberties Union, Voto Latino, United We Dream, 50501, the Disappeared in America Campaign of the Not Above the Law coalition, and partner organizations across the country, is calling for a coordinated ICE Out For Good Weekend of Action on Saturday, January 10, and Sunday, January 11. In less than 24 hours after the announcement, there are already 1,000 events anticipated nationwide.
The mobilization comes in response to the escalation of ICE violence in our communities, the killing of Renee Nicole Good, a 37-year-old wife and mother of three, and the months-long pattern of unchecked violence and abuse in marginalized communities across America. Across the country, communities will gather in nonviolent, lawful, and community-led actions to honor the life lost, demand accountability, and make visible the human cost of ICE’s actions.
Good and the Portland victims are part of a broader and deeply alarming pattern of unchecked violence and abuse by federal immigration enforcement agencies. In September, ICE reportedly shot and killed Silverio Villegas González, a father and cook from Mexico living in Chicago. In 2025 alone, more than 30 people have reportedly died in ICE detention.
All actions under the ICE Out For Good banner are grounded in moral witness, public accountability, and collective care. We remain committed to nonviolent organizing. You can find the growing list of events here.
https://www.mobilize.us/?tag_ids=29132&tag_ids=29133&tag_ids=29130&tag_ids=29124

BCD Coordinating Committee Meeting
2026-01-09 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom Event
Meeting for members of the BCD Coordinating Commitee

BCD Weekly Meditation Group
2025-12-31 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-24 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-17 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-10 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-12-03 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 Live Interview: New Horizons in Engaged Buddhism: Host Julia Sagebien interviews Dr. Sharon Suh
2025-12-18 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Event
In this fourth in a series of live interviews with engaged Buddhist thought leaders, host Julia Sagebien interviews Dr. Sharon Suh. The interview will last 30 minutes and be followed by an opportunity for question and answers by viewers. Dr. Sharon A. Suh is professor and scholar of Buddhism at Seattle University. She received her BA from Trinity College in Asian Studies, M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School, and Ph.D. from Harvard University. She specializes in Buddhism, race, and gender and the intersections of trauma and mindfulness. Sharon is President of Sakyadhita International Association of Buddhist Women, serves on the board of directors of The Center for Mindful Eating, and served on the board of directors of Yoga Behind Bars. Dr. Suh’s remarkable book, Emerging Dharma: Asian American Feminist Buddhists on Practice, Identity and Resistance, has just been published.
To join via Zoom, click here.

Mindful Conversations: Inner Connection and Interconnection
2025-12-17 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 please visit: https://lu.ma/eou0h1i1

Actualizing Unfaltering Engaged Practice In Our Time – LOVE with Frank Ostaseski and Sharon Salzberg
2025-12-14 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 engaging 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 Kodo Roen, and Sensei Wendy Dainin Lau.
We are so grateful that Frank Ostaseski and Sharon Salzberg are enthusiastic to do this program online.
Frank Ostaseski (Ko-i Jido) is an internationally respected Buddhist teacher, visionary cofounder of the Zen Hospice Project, and founder of the Metta Institute. Frank was empowered as a Dharma Holder (Hoshi) by Upaya’s Abbot Roshi Joan Halifax.
Sharon Salzberg is a pioneer in the field of meditation, a world-renowned teacher and NY Times bestselling author. She has played a crucial role in bringing meditation and mindfulness to the West and into mainstream culture since 1974, when she first began teaching.
Register at
https://www.upaya.org/programs/register.php?id=2835

SDGs (the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals) & Buddhism: What can we do now for our future?
2025-12-13 17:00 - 19:00
We, the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha, Higashi Honganji, Nichiren Shu, and Soto Zen International Centers in the Bay Area, have come together to form the Bay Area Buddhist Association (BBA).Together, we are organizing an interdenominational Buddhist event to explore how Buddhism relates to the United Nations SDGs.
Join us for the next event in our ongoing series exploring the deep connection between Buddhist principles and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDGs are 17 global goals adopted by 193 countries of the United Nations to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure peace and prosperity for all by 2030. They call for inclusive, sustainable action that leaves no one behind.
Speakers:
Rev. Kiyonobu Kuwahara, Jodo Shinshu
Rev. Myokei Caine-Barrett, Shonin, Nichiren Shu
Rev. Konjin Godwin, Soto Zen
Register at
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeDmhavOhCIX7GQu5b58wmZYrQkVuHxS4WRKNm1B3r4QomwLA/viewform

BCD Coordinating Committee Meeting
2025-12-12 17:00 - 18:00 | Zoom Event
Meeting of the BCD Coordinating Committee

BCD Live Interview: New Horizons in Engaged Buddhism host Julia Sagebien interviews Francisco "Paco" Lugoviña Roshi
2025-12-04 19:00 - 20:00 | Zoom Event
In this third of a series of monthly live interviews with engaged Buddhist thought leaders, host Julia Sagebien interviews Francisco “Paco” Lugoviña Roshi about his vision for engaged Buddhism. The interview will last 30 minutes and be followed by an opportunity for question and answers by viewers. Roshi Paco is a Dharma heir to Bernie Glassman Roshi and a board member of the Zen Peacemakers organization. He co-founded the Hudson River Peacemaker Center: House of One People, in Yonkers, New York. He has worked with gang members and youth and participated in Bearing Witness Retreats and pilgrimages to Tibet, Auschwitz-Birkenau, India, Sri Lanka, Rwanda, as well as on the streets of New York and other US cities.
You can join via Zoom here

Religious Resistance to Authoritarianism: Conference for Faith Leaders and Concerned New Yorkers
2025-12-04 09:00 - 17:00 | Interfaith Center, 475 Riverside Drive, New York, NY, United States
Organized by the Interfaith Center of New York, the keynote address will be given by Dr. Ruth Ben-Ghiat, author of Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present. Other speakers include Dr. David Greenberg, author of John Lewis: A Life, Dr. Michael E. Lee, author of Revolutionary Saint: The Theological Legacy of Óscar Romero, Dr. Kim Shively, author of Islam in Modern Turkey, Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams, author of American Sutra: A Story of Faith and Freedom in the Second World War. To register, click here. There is a $20 registration fee for this conference.
