Colours of Compassion

We are Black, Indigenous, People of Colour (Global Majority) International online community practising in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.

The Colours of Compassion Sangha practise mindfulness in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh and Plum Village.

With walking, silent and guided meditations, reading, sharing and singing, we hope to practise in a way that builds peace and joy, and heals suffering.

Our practice

Our sangha creates a healing refuge where we as *People of Colour (PoC) can bring ourselves fully into safe practice environments, to touch our wholeness and heal the traumas of being marginalised.

We come together to celebrate our heritage, our ancestors and shared humanity.

These spaces allow for us to truly come home to ourselves as we dig deeper into our roots, to look deeply into, heal and understand different aspects of ourselves and our identities that we may not have opportunities to connect with in general dharma spaces, or that may have been cut off and neglected in social environments where we have been taught to assimilate.

To be able to go home to ourselves and touch interbeing, we have to understand who we are and where we come from, and to honor all our ancestors who have contributed to where we stand today.

By having safe spaces to tell our stories and deeply listen, we learn to celebrate our diverse experiences and shared humanity, we touch a deeper sense of belonging, helping us to heal the wounds of racism and deepen our understanding of our suffering.

Our practice is social justice from a heart of love and compassion. We draw support from our collective practice of sitting, walking and breathing to embrace the anger and pain within us, and to heal our experiences of racism and alienation, so we can engage with the world in more open hearted, inclusive and forgiving ways.

We practice to deepen our spiritual roots in the Plum Village / Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh tradition and to find an authentic expression for our practice that can take root in our own cultural identity that includes our own experiences in the world.

Along with the teachings of Thay, we also connect with and listen to PoC teachers from many other traditions around the world who teach the dharma of social justice and healing racism.

Colours of Compassion  is a sister community of the White Awareness sangha, which was formed by close friends and allies to support white-identified practitioners to explore their culture, identities and actions in a racialised society.  Learn more about their

Meeting Online

The first and third Tuesday every month, 20:00 – 21:30 UK Time, with arrival at 19:55.
Please use the link below to register and recieve a link that you can reuse to join every time.

Register Tuesdays 20:00 UK Time

Meeting In Person

The second Friday every month 18:45 – 21:00

It will be a prompt 7pm start, in the Fry Room, at
8 Hop Gardens, London WC2N 4EH

Entrance is off St. Martin’s Lane between Côte Brasserie and Gymbox [what3words: ///slice.intervals.goad]

Please bring vegan snacks to share.

Please email
coloursofcompassion@gmail.com
for further information and if any questions.

Dana

If you would like to make a donation towards Colours of Compassion please use our
Paypal link

A visual history

The Colours of Compassion sangha was established at our first UK residential retreat in the spring of  2015, as the fruit of our friendship, aspiration, and many conversations between Renuka Bhakta, Dene Donalds, Kaira Jewel Lingo, Sita Brand and Jassy Denison. The name Colours of Compassion comes from the title of the historic first retreat for PoC held at Deer Park monastery in 2004 in US, over 500 people attended led by Thay and monastics.

Dharma teachers Kaira Jewel Lingo and Dene Donalds have been the main guiding retreat teachers, mentor and supporters of our sangha, helping it to bloom and continue through the years. Our community is also supported by the energy and many loving efforts of many PoC practitioners, Order members and allies.

Colours of Compassion sangha formed at the first retreat in 2015 at Mickelpage, Sussex, UK: Honouring Our Ancestors, Building the Beloved Community

2nd retreat in 2017 at Mickelpage Sussex, UK: The Path of Compassion & Wisdom: celebrating our fullness in uncertain times

Our 3rd retreat in 2018 at Mickelpage, Sussex, UK: Healing Ourselves, Healing the World – A path of self care and engagement

Weekly and Monthly Sangha meetings in Hops Garden, London from 2018 onwards

Gatherings included evenings of practice, be-ins to celebrate our cultures and ancestors, tea ceremonies, ancestral ceremonies and touching the earth. CoC sangha have also hosted evening gatherings for Lama Rod Dharna teacher for mixed practicing communities.

We continue to grow, uniting together as one.