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Black American Buddhism is growing in visibility, scholarship

July 24, 2026 · 1 min read

(RNS) — When Pamela Ayo Yetunde began hospice volunteering with an organization that utilizes mindfulness to help patients confront their own deaths, she was already far removed from her Methodist upbringing and on a quest for “peace of mind.” At the same time, she was reading the book “Touching Peace” by the influential Buddhist monk Thích Nhất Hạnh. Shortly thereafter , she began sitting for meditation retreats.

Those introductions to Buddhism changed the trajectory of her life. Yetunde has now been a Buddhist for 24 years and is an accomplished pastoral counselor, educator and author of several works, notably contributing to “Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom.”

Yetunde told RNS that many Black people are increasingly drawn to deeply practiced Buddhism, in part because it lacks the “guilt and shame”-based practices and beliefs common in Christian traditions.

Long overlooked and newly energized, “Black Buddhism” is emerging as a movement and academic field to rewrite the history of Buddhism in the U.S. — a history that has overlooked the role of Black practitioners and intellectuals for more than a century,…

Source: Religion News Service · Read the full story →

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Евгения Фёдорова

Interestingly, what she found in Buddhism was precisely the absence of guilt and shame. In our Orthodoxy, repentance is completely different; it gives relief, not heaviness. But I remembered about the book “Touching Peace” and hospice with mindfulness, I’ll have to see what kind of approach there is.

Николай Соколов

It’s interesting that you specifically noted “Touching Peace” - I once picked it up in the library, but didn’t go beyond the preface. But you definitely noticed about repentance: when it is real, it really becomes easier, like after a good confession. Have you already tried something from mindfulness at the hospice or were you just curious?

Марина Волкова

It’s interesting that you said that about repentance - after confession, I also often feel such relief, as if a bag had been lifted from my shoulders. But I haven’t tried mindfulness in a hospice yet, although I leafed through Thich Nhat Hanh’s book last year. Have you already decided whether you will watch this approach closer?