"There were a disproportionate number of Jews in the Peace Corps," she said. "Many of my friends who ended up Buddhist teachers were in the Peace Corps and went to Asia. It was a phenomenon of the '60s and the '70s"



"There were a disproportionate number of Jews in the Peace Corps," she said. "Many of my friends who ended up Buddhist teachers were in the Peace Corps and went to Asia. It was a phenomenon of the '60s and the '70s"

Spirit Rock reaches out with emphasis on diversity

Meditation center sets new goal

Dawn Yun, Special to The Chronicle
Friday, September 10, 2004
San Francisco Chronicle
Chronicle Sections

Spirit Rock Meditation Center in Woodacre, founded 30 years ago by a small group of friends, offers more than 48 retreats and some 340 classes attended by more than 35,000 people annually in a bucolic setting of redwoods, mountains and wildlife.

But a recent Monday night meditation class reveals that those who teach there, as well as those who attend, are primarily of the same demographic: mostly white, middle- to upper-middle class and middle-aged.

The board of directors of Spirit Rock, which includes some of the members of the original Spirit Rock gathering, is trying to change that by forming a diversity council, hiring a diversity coordinator and by offering a wider variety of classes and retreats.

Diversity outreach is one of the center's main goals, said Evan Kavanagh, 43, of San Francisco, executive director of Spirit Rock.

"I think you'll see changes in the faces of the teachers in the next five years," he said. "It's important in any venue to have the people who are coming to learn something to see themselves represented among the people who are purported to be the experts. Otherwise, people feel excluded. I happen to be a gay man. I understand that concept. Our intention has always been to be more diverse."

Excerpt]

Sylvia Boorstein, 68, a Sonoma County resident, is a Spirit Rock founder, and like Kornfield and many other founders of Spirit Rock, is Jewish and a psychologist. She said she is aware of the perception that Buddhism tends to attract Jews and said it was a sign of her times.

"There were a disproportionate number of Jews in the Peace Corps," she said. "Many of my friends who ended up Buddhist teachers were in the Peace Corps and went to Asia. It was a phenomenon of the '60s and the '70s. Many Buddhist teachers of my generation were Jews. It won't be the same in the next generation: It will be more diverse, with people of different religions and ethnicities teaching."

When this story was posted in October 2004, this was on the front page of PCOL:

Director Gaddi Vasquez: The PCOL Interview PCOL sits down for an extended interview with Peace Corps Director Gaddi Vasquez. Read the entire interview from start to finish and we promise you will learn something about the Peace Corps you didn't know before. Plus the debate continues over Safety and Security.

Schwarzenegger praises PC at Convention Governor Schwarzenegger praised the Peace Corps at the Republican National Convention: "We're the America that sends out Peace Corps volunteers to teach village children." Schwarzenegger has previously acknowledged his debt to his father-in-law, Peace Corps Founding Director Sargent Shriver, for teaching him "the joy of public service" and Arnold is encouraging volunteerism by creating California Service Corps and tapping his wife, Maria Shriver, to lead it. Leave your comments and who can come up with the best Current Events Funny?

Peace Corps: One of the Best Faces of America Teresa Heinz Kerry celebrates the Peace Corps Volunteer as one of the best faces America has ever projected in a speech to the Democratic Convention. The National Review disagreed and said that Heinz's celebration of the PCV was "truly offensive." What's your opinion and can you come up with a Political Funny?

Read the stories and leave your comments.