Black Buddhists & the Black Radical Tradition

I love podcasting because it gives me an excuse to reach out to interesting Buddhist practitioners and scholars whom I’ve never met. I get to hear their stories and learn how Buddhism has transformed their lives. Everyone has a captivating story to tell! Recently I had the good fortune to podcast with Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., a visiting professor at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.

We delve into her most recent book, Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation. Rima’s book explores healing intergenerational trauma through Buddhist practice; honoring ancestors and the land; dharma teachings such as the Four Noble Truths, the Five Aggregates, and relative and ultimate reality; and working with the body—particularly gender and sexuality in the path of liberation; and the importance of community and love in dharma practice.

Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad is a Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary.  She is the author of Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation (NYU Press, 2022) and Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice (Fortress Press, 2017).  She leads retreats and classes for dharma centers throughout the U.S.

---