Description:

The New Saint is a contemporary expression of an ancient Buddhist tradition, which understands the saint as a Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva is roughly translated as a “spiritual warrior” and is motivated by the energy of Bodhicitta or a profound altruistic wish to free all beings from suffering. The New Saint tradition is a reframing of the bodhisattva tradition that is contemporary and justice oriented, centering the experiences of communities involved directly in liberation struggle. New Saint embodies spiritual abolition which is the work of abolishing any system and institution that prevents people from experiencing full agency to determine the quality of their lives and restricting resources needed to experience happiness, safety, and care.    

Lama Rod Owens is a Black queer Buddhist minister and authorized lama in the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He is the author of Love and Rage: the Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author (together with angel Kyodo williams and Jasmine Syedullah) of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Dharma, and Liberation. His talk is based on his forthcoming book The New Saint Tradition.

If you live outside of the Chicago area and would still like to hear Lama Rod's talk, you can register for the webinar here.