On this episode of Overthink, Dr. Ellie Anderson (Pomona College) and Dr. David Peña-Guzmán (San Francisco State University) sit down with Dr. Jessica Locke, an expert in Buddhist philosophy, to discuss mindfulness as a tool for anti-racist education and social justice work. After investigating the ways that Western science and capitalism have watered down Buddhist mindfulness, they explore with Dr. Locke how Buddhist practices can be an important part of a social justice toolbox. Together, they explore how mindfulness practice changes one’s relationship to suffering, alters our view of the world, and can be especially important for white people unlearning habits of white privilege.
Works Discussed:
- Jessica Locke, “Living Our Histories, Shaping Our Futures: Buddhist Practice and Anti-Racist Education for White People“
- Joseph Goldstein, Mindfulness
- Ronald Purser, McMindfulness
- Bessel van der Kolk, The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
- Essential Mind Training, ed. Thupten Jinpa
- Orgyen Trinley Dorje Karmapa, Interconnected: Embracing Life in Our Global Society