Burning Refuge Conference Organizing Team

We are a Buddhist-, BIPOC-, and queer*-centered team of Harvard Divinity School graduate students committed to radical social-spiritual justice and liberation in, around, and through Buddhism.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.

Matta Zheng

Conference Refounding Director

  • Matthew “Matta” Zheng (any pronouns) is 2nd year Masters of Divinity student at Harvard Divinity School, where he studies Buddhist ministry as it intersects with racial capitalism and end-of-life medicine. Matta also has strong interests in pan-sectarian Buddhist practice, Asian-American Buddhadharma futurities, and all subfields of social theory. Matta graduated from Stanford University in 2022 with Distinction in dual Bachelors’ in Human Biology and Political Science and Interdisciplinary Honors in LGBTQ+ Studies.

    Previously Matta has been a research assistant at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences and the PRIDE Study, Congressional Intern for Rep. Adam Schiff, Field Organizer for the Nevada State Democratic Party, Steering Committee Counselor at the Cardinal Free Clinics, and was the founder-director of Refuge, Stanford’s first-ever LGBTQ+ spiritual community program. In the future, Matta hopes to further complete an MD/PhD in medical anthropology.