Teaching & Writing

Hi! I’m Dawn Haney (they/she pronouns are both great).

I weave together wisdom from Buddhism and social justice traditions, understanding identity, power, and change through my own experiences as a white, fat, queer, nonbinary femme.

I began closer study of relationships and group dynamics in my graduate work in Health Promotion and Behavior at the University of Georgia, first applying these skills to violence prevention efforts and queer organizing in Durango, Colorado.

In the past decade, I have been a voice for justice and inclusion in Buddhism and mindfulness. My impact has been in a range of roles that have included co-director of the Buddhist Peace Fellowship, a mentor and DEIA consultant for the global Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Certification Program, and a lead coordinator of a letter that instigated successful community pressure for Insight Buddhist communities to fulfill commitments to train BIPOC & LGBTQ retreat teachers. Across these roles, I am navigating my own power in leadership while inviting others to move from their own sacred power.

A special part of my Buddhist teaching is an avant garde style — an innovative, boundary-pushing, experimental, radical approach — helping us make sense of how these 2600+ year old teachings of the Buddha are relevant for our experiences today. I share this experimentation with deep respect that these teachings come from a specific time and culture, and you’ll find my Buddhist offerings most rooted in the Theravada traditions practiced in Burma and Thailand. My innovations seek to expose the white supremacy, sexism, and fatphobia in the cultural translation of these teachings to modern-day Western minds. My teaching-in-resistance often brings to life ancient texts with personal stories of surviving suffering and thriving on a path toward liberation.

My home base for teaching is with the East Bay Meditation Center, and I have taught at Barre Center for Buddhist Studies, Spirit Rock Meditation Center, New York Insight, Access to Zen, Durango Dharma Center, and Upaya Zen Center. I have offered innovative and popular classes on Finding Liberation in Relationship, Fat Dharma, the Dharma of Being Anti-Racist, Mudita Revolution, and the Block Build Be spirituality+social justice retreats.