Podcasts about rage the path

Can we metabolize our pain to create an entry point into liberation? How can spirituality support us in this process? This week, Thomas sits down with Buddhist minister, author, and activist Lama Rod Owens to share visions for collective liberation, the importance of reconnecting with Indigenous worldviews, sacred ecology, and unseen worlds, and strategies to overcome hopelessness and despair as we work to dismantle harmful systems. They explore the intersection of individual and collective trauma, the connection between spiritual awakening and social justice, and the importance of meeting suffering and discomfort with kindness and presence instead of bypassing it for short-term relief. It's a wide-ranging and inspiring conversation that bridges the mystical and the practical, and we hope you'll tune in. Click here to watch the video version of this episode on YouTube:

Jamie Moore shares about embracing anger to find joyful agency on episode 565 of the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Quotes from the episode I was told that that if I showed emotion I would be seen as vulnerable, and my students would be ready to pounce on that vulnerability. -Jamie Moore Invisible agreements shadow our classroom interactions and curriculum, capping the potential for connection, feeling, and joy in community with each other. -Jamie Moore My favorite thing is learning with my students and humanizing myself. -Jamie Moore Are you a living realization of your values and beliefs? -Jamie Moore Resources Joy-Centered Pedagogy in Higher Education: Uplifting Teaching & Learning for All, edited by Eileen Camfield Sentipensante (Sensing / Thinking) Pedagogy: Educating for Wholeness, Social Justice, and Liberation, by Laura I. Rendón Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger, by Lama Rod Owens Emergent Strategy, by adrienne maree brown Ross Gay Caretakers need to care for themselves Imagination: A Manifesto, by Ruha Benjamin Imagination Playbook

Episode 261 - "Book Review: Love and Rage with guest Jonathan Merker"In this deep and thought-provoking episode, Michelle and Scott sit down with therapist and educator Jonathan Merker to explore the powerful themes of Lama Rod Owens' book Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger. Together, they dive into how anger—often misunderstood or suppressed—can become a profound source of healing, truth, and personal liberation. Jonathan returns to the show and brings his expertise in trauma-informed care and emotional resilience to the conversation as they reflect on how to work with, not against, our rage in a world that often demands our silence. This episode is a must-listen for anyone navigating complex emotions, seeking spiritual growth, or simply wanting to turn pain into purposeful action.Keeping Your Sh*t Together in a Stressed World is a podcast hosted by Michelle Post, MA, LMFT and Scott Grossberg, JD, CLC, CCH, NLP, and is 30 minutes of raw, irreverent, and results-oriented discussion with one purpose in mind . . . to help you cope, thrive, and survive the craziness that's going on in the world.As a reminder, our “Get Your Sh*t Together” Home Retreat can be found here:http://thinkingmagically.com/retreatReplays of prior episodes can be found at:https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-grossbergYou can also join our Facebook group:https://www.facebook.com/groups/keepingystMichelle Post can be reached at michelle@postinternationalinc.com http://postinternationalinc.com
Scott Grossberg can be reached at sgrossberg@hotmail.com https://www.thinkingmagically.com© ℗ 2025 Scott Grossberg & Michelle Post. All rights reserved."Easy Lemon (60 second)" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0DISCLAIMER: MICHELLE IS A THERAPIST, BUT SHE IS NOT YOUR THERAPIST. SCOTT IS A RETIRED ATTORNEY, DOES NOT PRACTICE LAW, AND DOES NOT GIVE LEGAL ADVICE. AS SUCH, SCOTT IS NOT YOUR ATTORNEY. THE INFORMATION AND DISCUSSION THAT TAKES PLACE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT LEGAL, MEDICAL, NOR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE. LISTENING TO THIS PODCAST DOES NOT CREATE AN ATTORNEY-CLIENT NOR THERAPIST-PATIENT RELATIONSHIP. MICHELLE AND SCOTT ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY LOSSES OR DAMAGES RELATED TO ACTIONS OR FAILURES TO ACT RELATED TO ANY OF THEIR PROGRAMS OR TRAINING. IF YOU NEED SPECIFIC LEGAL, MEDICAL, OR MENTAL HEALTH ADVICE OR HELP, CONSULT WITH A PROFESSIONAL WHO SPECIALIZES IN YOUR SUBJECT MATTER AND JURISDICTION. NEVER DISREGARD THE MEDICAL ADVICE OF A PSYCHOLOGIST, PHYSICIAN OR OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONAL, OR DELAY IN SEEKING SUCH ADVICE, BECAUSE OF THE INFORMATION OFFERED OR PROVIDED WITHIN OR RELATED TO ANY OF MICHELLE'S OR SCOTT'S PROGRAMS OR TRAININGS. THE VIEWS EXPRESSED BY EITHER MICHELLE OR SCOTT OR BOTH OF THEM ARE OFFERED IN THEIR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITIES, OFFERED "AS-IS" AND NO REPRESENTATIONS ARE MADE THAT THE CONTENT OF ANY VIEWS ARE ERROR-FREE.MICHELLE'S AND SCOTT'S PROGRAMS AND TRAINING ARE NOT SUITED FOR EVERYONE. THEY DO NOT ASSUME, AND SHALL NOT HAVE, ANY LIABILITY TO USERS FOR INJURY OR LOSS IN CONNECTION THEREWITH. THEY MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL LIABILITY CONCERNING ANY TREATMENT OR ANY ACTION FOLLOWING THE INFORMATION OFFERED OR PROVIDED WITHIN OR THROUGH ANY PROGRAM, COACHING, CONSULTING OR STRATEGIC WORK SESSION.

Redefining sainthood as a deep care for ourselves and others, Lama Rod Owens and Raghu discuss reclaiming our sacredness and our identity.Check out Lama Rod's book, The New Saints, to learn more about becoming a spiritual warrior.Within this episode, Raghu and Lama Rod discuss:Healing through music and other mystical experiencesLama Rod Owens' college experience and getting into activismRe-framing our relationship to religionThe freedom to be our most authentic selvesOwning our own identity and sacrednessCommunity and collective as the hero we all needThe apocalypse as an unveiling of the truthCreating a culture of care and prioritizing well-beingDisrupting habitual reactivity and transforming our responsivenessLoneliness on the spiritual pathAbout Lama Rod Owens:Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive. Check out Lama Rod's most recent publication, The New Saints and his podcast on the Be Here Now Network, The Spirit Underground.For current offerings and programs, click here. “I think that the most important spiritual practice is care, compassion love; I think that's the common expression across many paths. A saint is defined by the depth of their care for others.” – Lama Rod OwensSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Facing the obstacles on a spiritual path, Lama Rod Owens, David Nichtern, and Michael Kammers, discuss the seven sorrows of the new saint.Grab Lama Rod's new book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual WarriorsIn this episode, David, Michael and Lama Rod chat about:Realizing that liberation is driven by uncomfortable contradictionsThe seven great sorrows of the new saintLeaving people behind on a spiritual journeyOffering space to paradoxes in order to find claritySupport on the Boddhisatva pathFocusing our energy on ourselvesPrayer as an imperative part of spiritual workBeing relevant and speaking the language of the timesTeachers who inspired and helped Lama RodBeing yourself and using your own qualities to help othersCommitment to a reduction of violenceGetting active in getting freeAbout Lama Rod Owens:Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive.For current offerings and programs, click here. “The whole project of The New Saints was to delve into the frustrations of paradox, of contradictions. One of the things that deepens our suffering is our attempt to make everything make sense. That's how we get trapped in delusion, trying to make it make sense when instead we are trying to transcend it.” – Lama Rod OwensSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this episode, Spring and Lama Rod have a conversation about:Choosing liberation versus comfort and stability Getting to the root of suffering and the root of who we are Moving deeper into our current predicaments instead of bypassing The intense labor of liberation and choosing freedom in an unfree worldTransforming suffering into wisdom and clarityPain as our guide and teacher Building communities that can hold the nuances of justice and freedomFinding a teacher with experience in all paths The tension between enlightenment and humanityBridging conventional reality with the ultimate“I'm not interested in your comfort, I'm interested in your freedom. Because if you're always trying to prioritize comfort in this work then you're going to be really disappointed. You won't grow.” – Lama Rod OwensAbout Lama Rod Owens:Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive.About Spring Washam:Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. She is a member of the teacher's council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California where she was trained for over a decade.In addition to being a teacher, she is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. Her writings and dharma teachings have appeared in many online journals and publications. She currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

it's ADVICE DOM time, crybabies. to the dungeon we go! this listener's SUBMISSION is a juicy one because it's about a reoccurring theme in season 2 + a reoccurring theme in HUMANING and just being alive on the planet right now in our "apocalypse era"—how do we live with all the anger!?how do we understand and tend to what's beneath it?is there a way to be with it and not be wholly consumed?can it be a beacon for personal growth?what does a healthy relationship with anger look like?our caller shares his courageous exploration, guiding us to lift the cultural and personal veils and explore new ways to be in a relationship with anger.ADVICE DOM's got some thoughts (and thots), as always.c'mon down to the cave for some spanky, slappy, advice-giving. BECAUSE SOMETIMES PEOPLE JUST LIKE TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO.™️call in and SUBMIT (your own question) --> 760-820-9070~show notes~ lama rod owens, "Love & Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger"how does our anger serve us? sarah peyton (youtube) list of needs nvc (also meenadchi's work, decolonizing non-violence + her group practice offerings 10/10 recommend)enter to win a free coaching session ~ when you leave a 5-star rating (only) and a written review, you'll be entered into a monthly drawing for a free 90-min coaching session with dana (value of $388). DM (@danablix instagram) or email a screenshot of your submission—take it right before you hit submit—along with the review name/title. winner announcements will be made across platforms!/// sound-editing/design ~ rose blakelock, theme song ~ kat ottosen, cover art ~ natalee miller ///Support the Show.

Saints, spiritual warriors, bodhisattvas, zaddikim—no matter how they are named in a given tradition, all share a profound altruistic wish to free others from suffering. Saints are not beings of stained glass or carved stone. “Each of us can be a new saint,” says Lama Rod Owens. “In our pain, our trauma, and all our complexity, we all can—and must—awaken the virtue of our compassion for the benefit of our communities, our planet, and our own souls.” Watch Lama Rod as he shares personal stories, spiritual teachings, and instructions for contemplative and somatic practices from his newest book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors. This work reinforces the truth of our interdependency—allowing us to be of service to the collective well-being, and to call on the support and strength of the countless beings who share our struggles and hopes. Bio Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Author of The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors and Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive. Applauded for his mastery in balancing weighty topics with a sense of lightness, the Queen has been featured by various national and international news outlets. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is to show you how to heal and free yourself. This event took place on March 19, 2024. For more information: https://hds.harvard.edu A full transcript is forthcoming.

Welcome to our first episode of Taking Up Space! Today we have Reena, Rehana and Crystal at BIPOC Healing and Wellness Centre introducing themselves and their lived experiences, discussing why we decided to start this podcast about taking up space, in addition to how the centre started, unpacking using BIPOC in our centre's name, and reviewing our centre's values. Join us every other Thursday as we practice taking up space authentically and freely, discussing topics related to BIPOC mental health, anti-racism, systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma. This is a love letter to all and an ode to love and rage. Recommended Resources: Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger by Lama Rod Owens Decolonizing Therapy: Oppression, Historical Trauma, and Politicizing Your Practice by Jennifer Mullan Music Credits: Song: Shahed - Indian Fusion License: Creative Commons (CC BY 3.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0 Music powered by BreakingCopyright: https://breakingcopyright.com

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors and Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. Topics: 0:00 – Introduction 2:34 – Global Wars 6:29 – Self-Care at the End of the World 8:57 – Fierce Compassion 14:45 – Ma Tara 20:59 – New Saints 28:03 – Evangelism and Bodhisattva 41:05 – Do We Need Modern-Day Saints? 45:05 – Inclusivity 48:49 – Secular Buddhism and Liberation 55:29 – Prayer

My guest procurement process is pretty standard: a social follow or professional acquaintance morphs into an invite and eventual recording session. For this episode, however, I gotta thank the gods of analog alignment. They placed me in my favorite wellness collective at a personal low point. Here, I encountered a flier announcing a special event featuring Lama Rod Owens. The topic? Tantric Buddhism. Lama Rod is a Black Buddhist Southern queen, international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist studies from Harvard Divinity School, and author. And if your only reference point for Tantric anything is based on the mid-90s sexploits of a certain English musician and his wife, this ain't that. Instead, Lama Rod is distilling liberation to its most profound, heartbreaking, and, yes, pleasurable essence. GUEST BIO Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive. His new book, The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors is available for pre-order now! SUPPORT FOR THERAPISTS Know the Numbers/Navigate the Feelings: A Financial Literacy Workshop for Therapists Tuesday, October 17, 6-8pm CST on Zoom Does the word ‘finance' make you want to run and hide? We get it! As therapists, we didn't learn this stuff in school!  Join Aggie Chydzinski and Sarah Buino for a live, interactive online workshop designed specifically for therapist business owners. Don't miss this opportunity to enhance your financial knowledge and improve your practice. 100% of ticket price donations go to Sista Afya Community Care. Reserve your spot: https://tinyurl.com/therapistfinance   Be Your Own Boss Private Practice Workshop Thursday, November 9, 2023 9:00am - 4:00pm, and Friday, November 10, 2023, from 9:00am to 4:00pm DePaul University Loop Campus - DePaul Center 1 E. Jackson Blvd, Chicago, IL 60604 So you want to be your own boss? Many therapists feel pulled by the allure of private practice but have no idea where to begin. Some hang their shingle and wait for the phone to ring only to sit twiddling their thumbs, asking, “Where are the clients?” Facilitated by Sarah Buino, you'll learn the business 101s including insurance, business structure, and basic financials. You'll also have the opportunity to create your brand and begin a marketing plan. Cost: 12 CEUs / $199 Nonmember / $159 NASW Member.  Register now: https://tinyurl.com/naswprivatepractice

This time on The Spirit Underground, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens begin a gentle exploration of the intersection of gender identity, sexuality and spirituality.This podcast is sponsored by BetterHelp. Click to receive 10% off your first month with your own licensed professional therapist: betterhelp.com/beherenowIn this exploratory discussion, Spring Washam and Lama Rod Owens gently surface their thoughts on:The binary between sacred and secular sexualityWhy we repress sexuality as a cultureTending to the needs and suffering of the bodyMoving through the ways we've been conditioned to think about bodies, attraction, desire, sexuality, gender, etc.Discussing sexuality in spiritual leadershipHolding space for sexual energy on a community level“If we're talking about an enlightened society, that is also enlightened sexuality.” – Lama Rod Owens About Lama Rod Owens:Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. Author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care. Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod is highly respected among his peers and the communities that he serves. From these intersections, he creates a platform that's very natural, engaging, and inclusive.For current offerings and programs, click here. “I want us to reach a place of liberation where we love our bodies, where we are fluid, and relating to space and energy.” – Spring Washam About Spring Washam:Spring Washam is a well-known teacher, author, and visionary leader based in Oakland, California. She is the author of A Fierce Heart: Finding Strength, Courage and Wisdom in Any Moment and her newest book, The Spirit of Harriet Tubman: Awakening from the Underground. Spring is considered a pioneer in bringing mindfulness-based meditation practices to diverse communities. She is one of the founding teachers at the East Bay Meditation Center, located in downtown Oakland, CA. She has practiced and studied Buddhist philosophy in both the Theravada and Tibetan schools of Buddhism since 1999. She is a member of the teacher's council at Spirit Rock Meditation Center in northern California where she was trained for over a decade.In addition to being a teacher, she is also a shamanic practitioner and has studied indigenous healing practices since 2008. She is the founder of Lotus Vine Journeys, a one-of-a-kind organization that blends indigenous healing practices with Buddhist wisdom in South America. Her writings and dharma teachings have appeared in many online journals and publications. She currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide.Spring currently teaches meditation retreats and leads workshops, and classes worldwide: springwasham.comSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Embodied Astrology explores astrology through a queer, somatic lens. In this episode, Renee offers an Aries Season overview with an emphasis on the significations and possibilities of the asteroid Ceres in its opposition to the Aries New Moon and placement on the cardinal cross as Aries Season begins.  References cited include: The Flowering Wand: Rewilding the Sacred Masculine by Sophie Strand Love & Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens Joyful Militancy: Building Thriving Resistance in Toxic Times by carla bergman and Nick Montgomery   FIND YOUR ARIES SEASON-AHEAD READINGS FOR SUN/MOON/RISING SIGNS HERE JOIN ASTROLOGY & ACTIVISM with Karlyn Bradley & Renee Sills: In this 5-week series, we'll work with our natal charts and the offerings, potentials, and cautions of current transits and the upcoming eclipses. Join us live or follow along with the recordings at your own pace  https://community.embodiedastrology.com/c/astrology-and-activism-info/ *** If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with your friends and networks  You can also make a 1-time or recurring donation to support our future production Find more guest episodes here Stay tuned in with the earth, skies and planets by becoming a member of Embodied Astrology. Membership tiers include monthly readings for your sun and rising sign, weekly embodied astrology somatic space movement classes, and access to a virtual community space where you're encouraged to explore your chart through the lens of your own embodied experience.  --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/embodied-astrology/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/embodied-astrology/support

This week, on the Be More Connected podcast, I interviewed Ryel Kestano. Ryel is the Co-Founder, CEO, and Senior Course Leader at ART International - Authentic Relating Training.    Authentic Relating is the practice of freely expressing your true experience in the company of others. Expressing in this way enables you to create connections in the world based on who you really are! By learning authentic relating skills, you can begin to drop your conditioned relational habits and learn to to relate more with yourself and others from a deeper, more authentic expression of your truth. Tune into this week's episode for an introduction to the art of Authentic Relating! WE DISCUSS:  An introduction to the Five Practices of Authentic Relating How your relationships can become deeper, more nourishing and intimate through the incorporation of Authentic Relating practices How intimacy is actually available everywhere if we are open and attuned They why behind Ryel's new book: Authentic Relating BLACK HISTORY MONTH HIGHLIGHT: LAMA ROD OWENS Instagram: @lamarodoffical Website: https://www.lamarod.com/ Book: Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger Free Radicals Monthly Gathering  CONNECT WITH RYEL: Instagram: @ryelkestano Website: https://ryelkestano.com/ Book: Authentic Relating: A Guide to Rich, Meaningful, Nourishing Relationships Private Coaching and Trainings CONNECT WITH ELYSE: Instagram: @iamelysepreston Website: www.elysepreston.com Subscribe, rate and review the podcast on Apple Podcasts Follow the podcast on Spotify Join the Community Facebook Group GIVEAWAY & OFFERINGS: Submit a rating and review to receive a FREE gift. Email a screenshot of your review to hello@bemoreconnected.net 1:1 Mentorship: Spots are open for 2023!

My guest this episode is Jacquie Compton, an art and somatic-based therapist. Jacquie is a Registered Psychotherapist, a Registered Art Therapist and a Certified Advanced Practitioner in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy. Jacquie is an instructor and clinical supervisor at the Toronto Art Therapy Institute where she facilitates a course on cultural humility and trauma-informed art therapy. In addition, she is a published poet, mother, consultant, and speaker. Over the past 15 years, Jacquie has been developing a trauma-focused practice that uniquely incorporates art-based, body-based and talk-based therapy. Her approach is deeply rooted in art and creative psychotherapy, somatic therapies and neuroscience. In this episode, Jacquie and I discuss the wisdom of intuition; why becoming ourselves takes courage; how she sees grief as the most powerful emotion; the relationship between transformation and grief; and why trying to protect ourselves from it actually keeps us stuck.And of course, we talk about her newly released book of poetry called a Body of Wisdom which I have linked in the show notes for purchase.LinksJacquie's Book of Poetry: A Body of Wisdom Learn more about Jacquie and her offerings at her website: https://www.thegroundedheart.com/Connect with her on Instagram: @jacquiecompton Mentioned in this episode: Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, by Lama Rod Owens

Denise Casey works with people of all ages as a storyteller, performing artist, voice movement therapy practitioner, group facilitator, and mindfulness coach. She and Eric talk about the value in learning to tell our stories, liberating ourselves from stories that are not working, seeing the ways we lie to ourselves, and healing the pain that our bodies carry, among other things.Outline00:00 - 02:11 — Episode introduction02:11 - 09:33 — The value in learning to tell our stories09:33 - 17:50 — Liberating ourselves from stories that are not working17:50 - 27:39 — Seeing the ways we lie to ourselves27:39 - 34:45 — Healing the pain that our bodies carry34:45 - 41:34 — Struggling with the energy of people pleasing41:34 - 46:34 — Fear as a barrier to telling our story46:34 - 48:09 — Episode wrap-upLinks and ResourcesGotThisVoice.comQuillwood AcademyTelling Tales of ChangeInside Out Writing: I Got a Story to Tell (Denise's workshop)The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, by Bessel van der KolkWhen the Body Says No: The Hidden Cost of Stress, by Gabor MatéLove and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, by Lama Rod OwensLama Rod OwensLama John MckranskyPlaying the GameQP #2: Dancing with the Cannibal Giant, with Sherri MitchellSupport the show

In this deep episode with Lama Rod Owens, we discuss the what it means to face the reality of life and do the hard work of coming to know and love ourselves. We discuss the difference between practicing for comfort verses freedom, the wise message in anger, and how becoming more expansive actually leads to better boundaries. Plus, the roles of the teacher, the student and the teachings along this path. Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized Lama (Buddhist Teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Rod is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School where he focused on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. He is the author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, and a co-author of Radical Dharma, Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, which explores race in the context of American Buddhist communities. Lama Rod has been a teacher with the Daishin Zen Buddhist Temple, the Urban Yoga Foundation, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a visiting teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. He has been a faculty member for the Harvard Graduate School of Education's professional education program in mindfulness for educators and has served as a guest faculty member for the school's course Mindfulness for Educators. Lama Rod has been published and featured in several publications including Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spirit Magazine. He has offered talks, retreats, and workshops for many organizations and universities including New York University, Yale University, Harvard University, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, Tufts University, University of Vermont, and Boston College. Website | Instagram ----------------------------------------- Your support is deeply appreciated! Find me, Lara, on my Website / Instagram You can support this podcast with any level of donation here. Opening and Closing music: Other People's Photographs courtesy of Daniel Zaitchik. Follow Daniel on Spotify.

On today's episode of Mother Daughter Connections™, I'm joined by CEO & Founder of The Mindfulness Mindset, TedEx speaker, & coach, Aiko Smith.   Aiko and I discuss  . . . The impact that being raised by a single mom had on her sense of self-worth The 2 Greatest culprits that hurt every woman…and Mom. What mindfulness is…and is not. (& Aiko does a demonstration, too!) The challenges and joys of raising a teenage daughter…   …and a WHOLE LOT MORE! __________________________________ To Connect With Aiko:   Social Media Food Body Self Services: https://ritualco.co/team Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/resilienceroundtable Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/aiko.means.love/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aiko-mindfulsmith/   Aiko's Contact Email: Aiko@TheMindfulnessMindset.com   Aiko's Favorite Books: Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger by Lama Rod Owens __________________________________ NEED HELP with your Mother-Daughter Relationship? Click ↓ http://bit.ly/noguiltconsult ...and experience the healing today!   Let's Stay Connected :)   Dr. Michelle Deering   ©Dr. Michelle Deering | All rights reserved.

Lama Rod Owens joins David Nichtern to discuss making dharma accessible for all on this episode of Creativity, Spirituality & Making a Buck.Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, yoga instructor, queen, and author. His book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, is an LA Times Best Seller. Lama Rod Owens is considered to be one of the leaders of the next generation of Dharma teachers. He has a blend of formal Buddhist training and life experience that gives him a unique ability to understand, relate and engage with those around him in a way that's spacious and sincere. He invites us all into the cross sections of his life as a black, queer male, born and raised in the South, and heavily influenced by the church and its community. Keep up to date with Lama Rod Owens on his Instagram or sign up for the email list on his website."I show up in multiple spaces. I think that comes from this belief, or rather a commitment, to this idea that I just want people to be happy and resourced. That doesn't mean I want people to be Buddhist, it doesn't necessarily mean I want people to be meditators. I want people to have access to the resources they need to be well." – Lama Rod Owens See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In this final episode of the current season of the podcast, Bodhilila, Chair of the West London Buddhist Centre, is in conversation with Lama Rod Owens, bestselling author of ‘Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger'.  Their exchange weaves across a number key Dharma threads, beginning with a sense of how being in the body can be a way to step out of systems that stop us reaching our full potential as human beings; a way to reclaim agency and autonomy; and a place for the aspiration to grow beyond our own sufferings and limited self-views. Diversity in its fullest, most positively abundant sense, is never far away; nor is a sharp awareness of the need to turn aside from hatred towards empathy and compassion, always from a place of being well resourced. “It's a hard thing to hear,” says Lama Rod. “When you think you're normal but your normality comes at the expense of large groups of people, to the detriment of other people. But that's not the same thing as hate.” We hear how vital it remains to continue to see that everyone deserves to be happy. All this is particularly relevant to conversations about race, power and injustice, of course, but this episode keeps us clearly in the realm of Buddhist practice and the perspectives it has to offer a world both deeply familiar with suffering and simultaneously longing to escape it. Empathy is the key to humanizing people, and here two friends and respected Dharma teachers from different traditions open up the deepest possibilities of that empathy for all of us: liberation of the body, mind and heart. Show Notes Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger by Lama Rod Owens   Watch the full event on YouTube–and subscribe! West London Buddhist Centre   Lama Rod Owens also featured on 'The Gen-X 2019 Podcast' (Episode 362)   Conversations About Race - A series from The Buddhist Center Online, curated by Vimalasara Visit Lama Rod Owens' personal website Get the Buddhist Voices podcast Follow the Free Buddhist Audio podcast Follow the Dharmabytes podcast *** Visit The Buddhist Centre Live (events year-round on Buddhism, mindfulness, meditation, and culture) Come meditate with us online six days a week! Theme music by Ackport! Used with kind permission. #Buddhism #Buddhist #Buddha #Dharma #Triratna #community #sangha #meditation #Dhamma #Triratna #mindfulness #kindness #pain #stress #grief #suffering #race #racism #diversity #power #anger #rage #peace #empathy #body

Lama Rod Owens, brilliant Buddhist teacher, author, and yoga instructor, joins the DTFH! You can learn more about Lama Rod on his website, LamaRod.com. Check out his new book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger, wherever you buy your books. Lama Rod is a teacher at Tara Mandala, check their site for more info! You can also follow him on twitter, instagram, and facebook. Original music by Aaron Michael Goldberg. This episode is brought to you by: Squarespace - Use offer code: DUNCAN to save 10% on your first site. Athletic Greens - Visit AthleticGreens.com/Duncan for a FREE 1-year supply of vitamin D and 5 FREE travel packs with your first purchase! Babbel - Sign up for a 3-month subscription with promo code DUNCAN to get an extra 3 months FREE!

We're now entering year three of the pandemic, and even though we're in a very different stage of the game, there are still so many questions: Is it safe or ethical to return to “normal”? How do you deal with people who have different views on safety and vaccines? What do you do if you're just bone tired of this whole mess?Today's guest is Lama Rod Owens, who was trained in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School, and is the author of the book Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger. Lama Rod has been kind enough to come on to the show during moments of crisis. I spoke with him shortly after the murder of George Floyd and also during the 2020 elections. As you're about to hear, one of the core arguments he will make is that apocalypse (and he has a broad understanding of what that word means) can present an opportunity. This episode explores:The benefits of having an existing practice in times of heightened anxiety and uncertainty.Developing a direct, open relationship with fear.Working with regret.Why taking care of yourself is not selfish.Lama Rod's take on social media and watching TV as a way to reset. The obstacles to empathy. A more expansive definition of the word violence. A jarring New York Times article that posits that the recent rise in pedestrian deaths could be in part due to social erosion created by the pandemic.Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lama-rod-owens-427See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Today's episode we're joined by Buddhist minister and social activist Lama Rod Owens, author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger. Our subject is anger, something Lama Rod once had to suppress in order to survive as “a Black queer body in America.” He writes: “My fear of death and policing has translated into a self-policing of my anger, to such an extent that if it weren't for my meditation practice, I wouldn't know how to find my anger.”How do we work with the energies of anger in this intense cultural moment? Do we need our anger to keep us motivated in the face of injustice and oppression? For Lama Rod, anger can start us off, but only love will sustain the work. This is the basis of his guided meditation – we connect to love and care as a way to hold both our anger and the “broken-heartedness” that's often found underneath. A deep practice and a very raw conversation with one of the leaders of the next generation of dharma teachers.Lama Rod's 15 minute guided practice on care and anger starts at 11:50 and ends at 27:26.Links• Lama Rod's website: https://www.lamarod.com Support the show (https://www.patreon.com/explorerspod)

This week, Sah welcomes Lama Rod Owens. Lama Rod is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, yoga instructor and authorized Lama, or Buddhist teacher, in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism and is considered one of the leaders of his generation of Buddhist teachers.He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School and is a co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation. Owens is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community.Has been published in Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Tricycle and The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, and offers talks, retreats and workshops in more than seven countries. A book for these times, Love & Rage: The Path to Liberation Through Anger was published in June 2020, to critical acclaim for it's prophetic truth, timing and honesty and wisdom, in dealing with the multiplicity of challenges this generation is waking up to.Social Media: IG @lamarodowens, Twitter @LamaRod1Website: www.lamarod.comIn this episode, Sah and Lama Rod discuss...Liberation theologySolidarity with the oppressedDifferent meanings of prayer and ways to prayThe cosmic consciousness of the MotherForgiveness and letting go of the people we used to be The responsibility that comes with mystical experiencesRadical Dharma, the wisdom that disrupts violenceReclaiming the narrative of anger and how to get through a spiraland more....✨✨✨Thank you to our partner The Institute of Integrative Nutrition. Become a certified health coach to transform your relationship with food and health, live your dreams, earn while you learn, and embark on a new future.Receive $2,000 off when you pay in full (or $1,500 off payment plans) by following Sah's referral link here, or mention Sah's name when you sign up.✨✨✨Get more Sah in your life:

Lama Rod Owens is an author, activist, and authorized Lama (Buddhist Teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Lama Rod is the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. Lama Rod is visiting teacher with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme), a visiting teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. Lama Rod has been a faculty member for the Harvard Graduate School of Education's professional education program in mindfulness for educators and has served as a guest faculty member for the school's course Mindfulness for Educators.He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School where he focused on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. He is a co-author of Radical Dharma, Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, which explores race in the context of American Buddhist communities. Lama Rod is a founding teacher for the Awaken meditation app that offers meditations and contemplations focused on social change. He has been published and featured in several publications including Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, Spirit Magazine. He has offered talks, retreats, and workshops in over 7 countries for many organizations including Gaia House Retreat Center, Goldsmiths University, London Insight, and Tibet House Barcelona. He has offered talks at several major universities including Yale University, Harvard University, Brown University, Harvard Law School, Columbia Law School, New York University, Tufts University, University of Vermont, and Boston College. He has presented at several important conferences including the American Academy of Religion, Summitt, the Harvard Divinity School Black Religions Conference, the Harvard Divinity School Buddhism and Race Conference, and Netroots. Lama Rod facilitates undoing patriarchy workshops for male-identified practitioners in Brooklyn and Boston. Lama Rod's book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger, was released in 2020, and he is currently working on his next book.In this powerful episode we discussed:BoundariesSelf-CareMartyrdomBecoming an ElderChangeGod is ChangeLoveAnger as RevolutionaryRageMovement BuildingHow we Cannot Drag People Toward Freedom Agency and FreedomHow we are Always Held AncestorsThe AfterlifeConnect with Lama Rod Owens on his website or on Instagram @lamarodofficialPodcast music by Charles Kurtz+ Read transcript

What is the ego, and what role might it play in the process of awakening? In this episode we ponder these questions with best-selling author, activist, and Buddhist teacher Lama Rod Owens, who shares his story of working through trauma, embracing pleasure, and both accepting and letting go of his ego. Before we dive in, Lama Rod responds to a ritual object called the flaying knife-chopper. In Tibetan Buddhist art, this weapon is typically wielded by a fierce guardian deity who uses the tool to destroy not us but our egos. Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, best-selling author, activist, yoga instructor, and authorized Lama, or Buddhist teacher, in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. He is considered one of the leaders of his generation of Buddhist teachers. Lama Rod holds a master of divinity degree in Buddhist studies from Harvard Divinity School and was included in the 2021 Gomes STB '68 Distinguished Alumni Honorees List. He is the author of Love and Rage: The Path to Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation. He is also the co-founder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist tantric practice and study community. He has published in Buddhadharma, Lion's Roar, Tricycle, and The Harvard Divinity Bulletin and offered talks, retreats, and workshops in more than seven countries. Lama Rod's article "Are You Woke?" is featured in the 2021 issue of the Rubin's Spiral magazine. https://rubinmuseum.org/spiral/are-you-woke About the podcast: AWAKEN is a 10-episode series from the Rubin Museum of Art hosted by acclaimed musician and performance artist Laurie Anderson that explores the dynamic path to enlightenment and what it means to “wake up.” Each episode dives into the personal stories of guests who share how they've experienced a shift in their awareness, and as a result, their perspective on life. From deep introspection to curious life-changing moments, awakening can take many forms, from the mundane to the sacred. Taking inspiration from the exhibition “Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment,” each story uses artworks as a jumping off point as we hear from authors, artists, wisdom bearers, and Buddhist teachers, because every journey is different.

Losar Tashi Delek and Happy Lunar New Year!In this episode, a Good Refugee Podcast speaks with Buddhist teacher, activist and writer Lama Rod Owens on a wide spectrum of topics covering spirituality, silence and power (06:55); how class, race, wealth and justice intersect with Buddhism today (12:35); sexual abuse in dharma spaces (26:56); drawing boundaries between the teacher, student, sangha and social life (29:38); and mental health (40:00).This is part one of the conversation. Listen/read part two here.The full transcript of this interview is posted below, lightly edited for clarity and flow.BioLama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, author, activist, yoga instructor and authorized Lama, or Buddhist teacher, in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism and is considered one of the leaders of his generation of Buddhist teachers. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School and is a co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, and Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger.Lama Rod will be hosting a seven-week online course and practice group based on his book “Love and Rage.” It starts on February 15. Sign up here. lamarod.comInstagramTwitterEpisode notesMaking sense of these times. [02:30]How “Love and Rage” fits in this moment. [04:20]Meditations on silence and power. [06:55]The evolution of activism and dharma from when Lama Rod first began. [11:18]How class, race, wealth and justice intersect with Buddhism today. [12:35]Sexual abuse in dharma spaces. [26:56]Drawing boundaries between the teacher, student, dharma and social life. [29:38]Seeing the teacher as a mirror to your own wisdom. [32:58]Understanding mental health from Buddhist, western and Indigenous perspectives. [40:00]Interview transcriptLama Rod thank you so much for joining us. Welcome. Tashi Delek!Thank you so much.Where are you speaking from?I am speaking from Atlanta, where I just relocated to. This is traditionally, historically the land of the Muskogee people and the Cherokee people. But I am originally from Rome, Georgia, so this is like returning home.And how are you doing at this moment?I'm ok. I'm a little tired, but for the most part, mentally I'm feeling clear, open and fluid which is really wonderful.Has it felt like lately there has been a much more ramped up conversation or discourse about existing and how to make sense of these times?Yes, oh absolutely. I think last year the beginning of quarantine and the pandemic really forced people to do intense discernment about exactly what they were doing in their lives. The beginning of the quarantine reminded me of my years in my three-year retreat where everything just kind of shut down and I was just really holding space in one place for an extended period of time. That kind of holding space for me always triggers this deep kind of contemplation and discernment about what my work is. Last year, I think a lot of folks just started waking up and realizing that they had to start making different decisions and choices about how they were living their lives. And of course, on top of that, the world continues. We continue to live within systems and institutions that are creating violence for a lot of different people. So we were having to negotiate racial injustice, economic injustice, climate instability [while] at the same time negotiating a pandemic. A lot of folks started waking up to the reality of these harmful systems.When you first started [Love and Rage], you wrote that there was this moment where you were giving a talk with your co-author of Radical Dharma [Rev. angel Kyodo williams], and there was this Black gentleman who spoke about anger, and that was kind of the genesis which started your writing of Love and Rage. When was this around?2017. Before that I was really avoiding writing a book on anger. I wasn't really interested. But at that event, where this young Black man was just like, “What do I do with anger? How do I choose happiness?” I really realized that this would be an important teaching to offer. When you locate yourself back to that time in 2017 and how things just unfolded from that point on—understanding of course that so many of the injustices and violent things that we've witnessed and experienced have already been happening for many decades—and then this year has been such a collision of all those injustices. And then of course we have the pandemic. As I was reading through the book now, so many of those things were almost prophetic in some ways. Was that a realization that you had to also reckon with?I will say this: my experience as I was writing that book was an experience of feeling as if I—it's hard to articulate. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I felt like I wasn't talking about what was happening in the moment of writing the book. And this is why I didn't really think the book was that interesting. When I wrote it, I was like who's gonna actually resonate with this because I don't think it's actually talking about anything that's happening now. On top of that, the book was supposed to be out much earlier than last summer [2020]. It was supposed to be out the fall of 2019 and I couldn't meet the deadlines for getting the drafts in. I kept missing all these deadlines. Classic writer's dilemma.Exactly. Finally, my publisher was like, you have to get it in at this date or we have to push it back like a year. And so I made that deadline and when the book finally was published a year later, then it kind of landed within this current… well, apocalypse.June 2020.Yeah, I had no idea. Absolutely no idea that 2020 was gonna be the way that it was.Silence, which I know has been an important piece in your practice, is a recurring theme in the book. It also coheres with how many of us have lived in isolation throughout this pandemic. Is that something you've meditated on length and spoken to others about?Yeah absolutely. For me, quarantine was something that I knew how to do because of retreat. And quarantine was something the majority of folks didn't know anything about so I just felt like I was coming home to an old practice. For me, silence is also about stillness. A lot of folks didn't have the privilege of being in the space that felt still and quiet. Many folks were kind of bound together in family units and other roommates and other kinds of living arrangements where it felt very crowded and intense and stressful. But even in that kind of stress and crowdedness there's still this incredible way we can touch into this stillness within all that movement and constriction. So I've spent a lot of time meditating on silence itself and trying to understand what silence is. I'm really influenced by the work of Audre Lorde; she talks about silence and the transformation of language. For me what I began to understand is that silence helps me to understand language and all the different ways we communicate.If I may quote a passage from [Love and Rage], you say, “The transformation of silence into language is the migration from captivity into freedom or even the migration from invisibility into visibility. However, freedom and visibility come with the burden of confronting all those who don't want you to be free or seen.”What I read from that, and understand from you, is you also wrestling with the complexity of silence and how that can also be weaponized on those who are oppressed into being silenced. Can you please expand on that?I think about another quote from Zora Neale Hurston who, among many things, also wrote “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and she has this quote where she says, and I paraphrase, if you don't speak, they'll kill you and say you enjoyed it. So that weaponization of silence is really about how silence is used to erase people and then to replace that erasure with a narrative that's much more comfortable than the true reality of things. And so, I was doing two things: I was trying to figure out how to move into language as an act of liberation. And secondly, I was trying to figure out in my practice how to use silence to communicate as well. That's where we talk about the weaponizing of silence. It's like, yeah we silence people but in my practice I wanted to be empowered in both silence and language. I wanted agency to choose the best way to be in the moment. I think silence, when we're conscious, intelligent and aware about it, can speak even louder than words or language.I think that's a very keen insight, especially when you pair silence with power and the notion of agency as well. You cite specific examples in your book of how silence can just be another form of abuse. You also make it a point to mention your root guru Norlha Rinpoche and how all that episode played out. How even in those instances silence is another one of the ways that people not only perpetuate violence but also delusion. Was that a piece that was intentional for you when you speak of silence? Yeah absolutely. I think that also silence is something that when we get to a certain agency, we choose because that silence—in a really complicated, complex situation, particularly in the case with my teacher—was the best choice to make for me personally.Have you noticed changes both in the spaces of activism and the dharma communities from when you were first starting out? Have you noticed any tangible differences, just even in terms of discourse?I think one of the shifts that I've noticed is that there are more resources that tend to expand the discourse. More of us are writing and speaking out, which is actually deepening the subject matter of what we're talking about. So I think this idea of justice and the practice of justice has expanded quite a bit for a lot of sanghas, particularly around inclusivity and sexual misconduct. I think there have been, over the past five years, such intense—I hate to use the word scandal but—real situations in sanghas that have created a lot of harm. From Shambhala to Rigpa to Against the Stream (these are the major ones), my monastery, Palpung Thubten Choling, people are aware of the potentiality of certain kinds of violence and injustices happening in their communities.I grew up in a Buddhist surrounding; both of my parents are very devout Buddhists. It's a tradition that is deeply instilled in me and I feel like it's almost part of my being. I can't quite extricate myself from it even though lately I've grown quite disillusioned with it. Disillusioned in the sense that I feel Buddhism is kind of devolving into this very individualistic pursuit of just finding a way to be a little bit more at ease with your existence and minimizing suffering—which is completely valid. But I find that people get too engaged in that and they lose the larger justice based framework of Buddha dharma, which I find to be much more compelling and also authentic. You speak on that quite often in your book. Is there an evolution in that discourse that you've witnessed?Absolutely. I think what's happening is that there are teachers like me who have decided to step outside of lineages and institutions to create the communities and sanghas that we most want to see. I'm no longer a reformist. I used to be a reformist.Can you explain what that is?I believed at one point in my teaching life, practice life, I can just change the sangha that I was in. That I could bring these issues of justice, inclusivity, ethics and so forth and try to transform the community to be based on these values. Over time I realized how difficult that was. And so I kind of transitioned into this space of being much more of a visionary and innovator. I just really started practising creating the communities that I want to see instead of super investing in communities to transform them. This is a better use of my time and energy.I had to make some really hard decisions about leaving a lot of sanghas to do this work of creating communities that are justice informed and ethically based. A lot of our communities, specifically here in the west and United States for instance... the convert, white western communities weren't really thinking about justice and ethics. They were just thinking about practising and feeling better and I think that has created a foundational sangha culture [in the west] which people are really attached to; [people] who will fight really hard to keep a foundational culture which is just really a culture of comfort and avoiding conflict. A culture that lacks transparency. And so when we bring up the idea of justice—it's not that people are opposed to justice; they're opposed to being uncomfortable. People can get with justice, people want accountability, people want to be safe, people don't want to be victims of violence. I think that's a universal desire. But when we talk about disrupting comfort in a culture people specifically created to be comfortable in, that's the issue. That's when justice becomes a problem. Whenever Buddhist teachers say stuff like in western societies, there's an excess of materialism… and I'm like, you can be more specific and say rich white people. That kind of specificity I think has been lacking, and for me, my contention is that it continues to lack. There is this invisibilizing of people, even in western spaces, who don't conform to that identity. There's obviously a breadth of people from different backgrounds and ethnicities, but also in terms of class, ability, sexuality...we're losing that granular aspect of it and I think that speaks to a great loss of how Buddha's teachings are then transmitted.The idea of a practitioner early on, particularly in the west, was of a white, educated, resourced person. That's still the stereotype of a practitioner now. Even a Buddhist is like a white person, not an Asian person, or anyone of any other racial background even though we have like the Dalai Lama, who's like an icon—everyone knows who the Dalai Lama is. Many people have never met an Asian Buddhist practitioner, quite honestly, but a lot of folks know white folks [laughs] who walk around chanting with dharma names and wearing whatever. So when I came along, it was obvious that to be a practitioner was to somehow assimilate into a culture that actually erased much of my identity: my queerness, my Blackness. Back then, my economic class was erased. Class was actually one of the harder things for me to deal with. I just didn't have endless resources to do retreats, to do teachings and to always offer money for everything. I felt super alienated and resentful to be in a path where money was always the thing that people operated from. And of course I heard all kinds of excuses and reasons why we have to charge [people] and to an extent I get that. But it's still really restrictive for many of us. So now as a teacher I've made a commitment to try to make everything as accessible as possible. Economically, ability-wise… just trying to invite as many people as possible into the work that I'm doing and then challenging myself to make it even more accessible. But basically, I make it accessible by just being visible. People look at me and say, oh you're a Buddhist. Not only are you a Buddhist, you're a lama. Which I don't even [understand]—how did I make it through this system to get this title? And knowing that there have been many lamas before me, even a couple of Black lamas, who haven't had the level of visibility that I've had. I am a majority of people's first Black lama that they've ever met. I'm the first one to have pushed through in this kind of public space and I mostly did that by stepping around lineage because quite frankly a lot of teachers are encapsulated within the lineage. The lineage can be quite competitive, it can be hierarchical, and I just never felt a part of that so I stepped out and created this whole other kind of, I don't know, path into teaching.You were being a punk.Yeah. Well, my teacher Lama Norlha Rinpoche, that was one of the things he told me to do. This older Tibetan master was like, “I'm not Black. There are people that will not listen to me but they'll listen to you. So you should go and try to do that.” That was one of the wisest things he ever told me. I have friends with Tibetan teachers who would never have heard that from their teachers. My teacher was like go out into the world and do what you feel is most skillful. I would go back to Rinpoche and tell him what I was teaching—justice, sex and all kinds of stuff—and he would be like, fine, whatever. Going back to your point about some of the different teachers who, for reasons that are sometimes beyond their control, don't quite include the concept of class in how they build their sangha—I think that partly informs some of my resentment towards rinpoches and tulkus. They'll speak grandiloquent things about how people are just too obsessed about work and earning money and that they should be less materialistic. Well that's easy for you to say because you don't have to worry about paying bills. A single mom who's working in a factory shift or is a healthcare provider… they don't have time to think about these things. So that's kind of situating Buddha dharma squarely within the confines of course of a capitalistic society. I think this also speaks to your persistent theme of earth, of grounding yourself.Right. Wealth has always been a factor in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism has been a feudal system. A lama is like a lord [laughs]. When I talk to teachers in other traditions, I have to communicate that when I say I am a lama, I have this incredible agency and autonomy. You get the title and you can do whatever you want. There is no accountability. Traditionally, if I were in a feudal system in medieval Tibet, I would be in a monastery or go off, claim territory, build a monastery, collect wealth from the local village and then maybe I'll be recognized as a tulku. Wealth just begins to accumulate life after life and it keeps getting transferred into my reincarnation so it becomes this system of wealth transfer.Isn't that so bizarre?It's so bizarre! I mean there are all kinds of sophisticated ways that have been created to make sure wealth stays within a particular line of succession. There are present rinpoches who are incredibly wealthy—millions, billions of dollars, but we don't talk about that at all. I have such animosity towards the accumulation of wealth in that way.I remember in my early days of going off to retreat, I would have to get financial aid. A week-long retreat may be $1,500. That was impossible for me to afford. That's what I made in a month. So I would always have to get these hugely reduced retreat fees and in those days, [in order to get that discount] I had to work during the retreat. So it creates this class of people who are actually beginning to serve those who are more resourced. I resented that. I resented having to clean during retreat because I didn't have the financial resources. It wasn't ever framed in a way of like, “oh this just a service that we're offering.” Only the poor people had to do this. It would have been much more intuitive if everyone had to do it.A lot of teachers now in retreat centres are structuring work in a way that everyone has to do work to help run a retreat. But back in those days, it was just the poor people, who were usually the young folks or the people of colour. Whenever I see large gatherings of Tibetan Buddhist teachings and the lama is seated high on a throne, usually very ornate and with a slate of attendants around… mostly him, it's always a him—there's not a lot of Tibetan women Buddhist teachers—and I would think it would be so revolutionary if that rinpoche who was doing the teaching made it a point to be level on the ground. To be level with the people seeking his teaching or wisdom, and to actually serve the people. I don't think I've seen anything like that.Sometimes my teacher would cook and serve. But I think also the other part of that is the communities also really intensely force this kind of…Veneration. That's true.Yeah, veneration. I know that early on—of course I experienced this on a very very small level—at the beginning of my teaching in my sanghas, I felt that pressure to be a certain way. To wear certain things and accept certain kinds of devotion, which I eventually resisted. It really, over time, influenced me to leave these intense communities altogether. I just think that people find a lot of comfort in that kind of veneration and I think there are teachers—doesn't matter their background, Tibetan or westerner—who actually don't have the capacity to hold that level of devotion that people are expressing towards them. As I often say there are a lot of teachers, and this is extremely the case for Tibetan tulkus, where they've actually never had a chance to figure out who they were outside of a monastic institution. So they get recognized, get swept up into a system where they are actually being abused—emotionally, physically and sexually. And then they mature into adulthood and they have this incredible shadow side which is all this stuff, this material, that they've never processed and developed because they bypassed all of that. One of the reasons why we have these intense scandals with all these teachers is because they're trying to get their needs fulfilled within a community where it's inappropriate for those needs to be fulfilled. And also the notions of boundaries, things like agency and where someone is coming to you with authentic needs versus projections—that's a skill, like you've said. A lot of it is the skill of discernment that you develop through the course of living and when that part of your life has been excised, swept up in this tradition of tulku and the teachings and the abuses, that all gets very distorted.Everyone's a victim in the way this system has been conceived. I would say that it's important for me in my teaching that I resist these forms of veneration because I want to live a life, and to have a teaching life and to be a teacher where I'm just really honest about my life. As a teacher, you have to know that I'm also queer and that I have these beliefs about sex positivity and relationship and dating and sex… I want that to be transparent. I don't want you to ever assume that I'm like a monk. I actually get really offended, and a little scared when people from other spiritual paths relate to me like a monk. I'm like, you can't do that. You can't do that because I don't want you to assume something that isn't true. It's important for me to be truthful about how I show up in the world as a teacher. It's also a form of fragmentation in a way, right? Which is again something that you're quite persistent in your book about it being a delusion that we need to remove and liberate ourselves from.Yeah, well it's the distinction that we make between the public life and the private life. The private life becomes the shadow life. So you have these people who have these intense, devout and sacred public lives where they're really wonderful and great. They're saints. And then in their private life they begin to engage in certain desires and appetites that are not in line with their public self. I think that that's what creates the struggle and the tension within sanghas. It's that tension where teachers aren't allowed to bring their personal and public lives together and it's not accepted by the sangha. It's also different though from how you explicate in the book about your need to differentiate your sangha and the people who look up to you versus your own community of friends and sexual partners. You make it a point to keep those groups discrete, right?Absolutely. Even when I'm on a hookup app and people recognize me [there] that becomes a really important space for me to set boundaries, to say this is who I am, this is what I believe in. Depending on how this relationship goes, it's going to be a different relationship. Are you going to see me as a teacher? If you do then this other stuff isn't going to happen. And that happens. If you're more interested in me as a teacher then I can show up as that. But it can't be this mixed thing because you have to keep those roles really separate and different.If there is any binary that you subscribe to, I guess that would be one of the few ones.Yeah, absolutely. It's just getting clear about what you want. And it's not to say that I haven't had partners who've also seen me as a teacher. But they've seen me more as a partner and a lover than as a teacher, and that's been really important for me to differentiate in that way. It's just about being clear. I think it's easy to kind of get addicted to the power that being a teacher offers you. That's really where it gets messy in romantic situations. Are you into me because I'm a teacher or are you into me because you're attracted to me?Oh that's such an incredible tension or struggle. Because I can easily imagine so many times someone coming to you for guidance and that need and that projection and love and everything gets wrapped up and then that can easily become sexual. So it's important for you to make it very clear from the outset that that's a hard line that you want to maintain.I also have a very natural, built-in safeguard—which I think is just a result of very good, virtuous karma from past lives—this intuition that I have which is that I know what people are like, why people are approaching me, or why they want to be in a relationship with me. If people just see me as a teacher or a guide, I get completely turned off, sexually. It just naturally happens. I get really resentful, actually. That's part of the safeguard that people would rather see me as a teacher than as this person that they want to get intimate with. And that's a very different feeling than someone coming to me who wants to be with me romantically or as just a friend. It's a whole different energy and I've just learned how to identify that. I've been in many spaces, casual and informal, where people recognize me and I can tell which way they're gonna go. Sometimes [someone] will go, “oh it's Lama Rod. That's cool. I'm not interested in what you do but you're cool.” On the other hand, it's like “oh you're Lama Rod. Can you teach me on the spot about something?” And I usually say no. [laughs] That's not why I'm there.You write in your book that when you first met Norlha Rinpoche, there was this very incredible energy that you sensed within you and that intuitively told you that this is your teacher, in one form or another. I wonder for someone who's perhaps seeking a teacher and who has that same kind of emanation of energy, what is your guidance on how to make sense of that energy and secondly, making sure that you then don't project it in a way that becomes unhealthy and makes you prone to being manipulated or abused.Well, it's different ways I want to answer that. Beginning with: how do we make sense of the feelings that we experience around certain teachers? For me, when a teacher opens up something inside of me, I see them as my teacher or one of my teachers. Because they have this incredible capacity to do something. To create this opening for me to do work and to understand dharma deeper. And so I take that person as a teacher. When we have those experiences I encourage people to see them as these invitations to move deeper into their own experience. I think all a teacher is doing is reflecting your wisdom back to you. They're just mirrors and they're pointing us back to these parts of ourselves that we're discovering for the first time. I think the misconception is that somehow the teacher is doing something really extraordinary and special. That somehow the magic is with the teacher. I mean yeah there are incredibly powerfully realized teachers, but really, particularly in Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism, the teacher is a mirror that points us back to our own wisdom, clarity and mind. So that's what you're experiencing, it's just your self for the first time. I've had that [experience] so many times. Of course I've had to learn what that was. At the beginning, I was like, oh this teacher is powerful and they're doing something. No, they're actually just pointing back towards me and saying, look! You're just like me, if you can just realize that. And if you trust that to take those people as a teacher in whatever way feels appropriate.Another way to think about this, from the perspective of students, is I think it's really easy to lose agency within relationships with very realized folks because we feel as if we don't know anything. It's a very [infantilizing] relationship, where we become children. At my monastery, it was like we were all the kids and Rinpoche was like the dad. No decision could ever be made without consulting Rinpoche, but that was the culture. That's Tibetan Buddhist culture because again the rinpoche, the abbot, is like the head of the manor, the king, the lord. And of course as someone who naturally distrusts authority I came into that really resentful. I was like, yeah of course I wanna ask Rinpoche about my personal practice but I don't think Rinpoche needs to be consulted about the colour of curtains you're going to put in the library. [laughs] I mean I just don't think that's necessary and I just got turned off over time by that kind of deference, that kind of, oh we can't do anything without his consent. And so I was interested in agency; I wanted to make my own decisions. Again, my relationship with Rinpoche was him always reminding me that I have agency. I think partially he did that to get me out of the way. [laughs] To get me out of the community after I was authorized, to get me into the world. It's hard and complex because I needed to be in the world. I wouldn't be here, if he didn't send me away. He dissuaded you from taking a second three-year retreat.Right. He was like, no. [laughs] He was like, “just go out into the world. Do something. If you still want to do the [retreat] after a bit, come back and do it.” Once I got into the world, I realized that this phase of my life was over, this retreat phase. But yeah, agency. I think this is a part of how we're going to cut through abuse between teachers and students. For us, as students, to remember our agency, to remember that we can make choices. If something doesn't feel comfortable, we have a right to say no. And then as a teacher—because I'm both a student and a teacher so I'm always flipping back and forth—my job is to make sure my needs are fulfilled outside of spiritual communities, and teacher student relationships. That I have other spaces that I have created in order to express different parts of who and what I am. I tell teachers all the time, you need to have friends who aren't Buddhists. [laughs] Like you need really messy friends. I'm gay, queer… so I have really messy queer friends who are really catty, and really superficial and some of them are really selfish, but all really loving. So I take refuge in those communities. I'm not Lama Rod there; I'm like one of the girls. In that space, among my friends they're like, “yeah, whatever. We see what you do. We see how you're doing it but we're here just to have fun and spend time with each other. You're not here to teach us.” And I have friends who were very clear about those boundaries, and those were very hard to hear initially because it sounds like they don't give a s**t about what I do. But instead, they're saying “we respect what you do, but you're not the teacher here. You can be the teacher somewhere else, but here you're a friend.” So we have to find those spaces and create them. That will make us a better teacher. So I can go into spiritual communities, sanghas, whatever and I'm not forcing that community to meet all of my needs, which is how traditional monastic communities are established. All the needs, even sexual needs, are being met in ways that are not articulated but are known and experienced by almost everyone within an institution.The other thing I thought about when you spoke about the need for setting boundaries, having agency and all that, is also about being true about your state of mental health. In many ways the Buddhist tradition has means of addressing those. But in other ways I also feel like there's this externalizing of it, where it feels like if you just pray on it, chant on it, meditate on it… that will hopefully find you some measure of relief. You were very deliberate in your book—you've actually outlined various different practices to deal with anger, contentment etc.—but you also state that if you need medication, therapy... you have to take that. It's about skillful means. It's about understanding the best way to reduce harm and violence. We also have to understand, as you know, within Tibetan psychology mental health is conceived of being very different. Mental health is externalized in Tibetan culture, whereas in western culture it's internalized. So we [westerners] may experience depression, traditionally Tibetans experience demons. I'm not depressed; I'm just being tormented by this demon that I can actually direct practice towards. Like the practice of chöd. What's really interesting for us right now is that we're moving through this synthesis where we're bringing together western psychology, Tibetan psychology and trying to synthesize something that I think is really quite powerful. And I'm kind of back and forth with that because for me that kind of externalization of mental health is also in a way very Indigenous. There's an indigeneity there that I'm really interested in. I think it's maybe both. I think sometimes, growing up in the west, there are energetic forces that the best way for us to name it is to name mental illness, depression, or anxiety. But maybe it's actually an energetic being that's affecting us somehow. So I'm interested in discerning those nuances as well.—Part 2 This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit agoodrefugee.substack.com

If you're either seething or scared — or both — in the aftermath of the attack on the US Capitol, this one's for you. In times of national and international strife, we've made it a habit of turning to Lama Rod Owens. Rod was officially recognized as a lama by the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism after doing a three-year retreat. He has a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard. And he has written several books, including his newest, which is called Love and Rage. In this conversation, which we recorded just yesterday, we talk about how to work with the anger and fear many of us are feeling right now. We also talk about how to communicate with people with whom we disagree; how to strategically divest from people and technologies that are depleting us (rather than self-medicating with distraction); and why the most important way to play a constructive role right now — although this may be counterintuitive for some people — is to start with yourself. Where to find Lama Rod Owens online:  Website: https://www.lamarod.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/LamaRod1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lamarod/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lamarodowens/ Book Mentioned: Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger by Lama Rod Owens https://bookshop.org/books/love-and-rage-the-path-of-liberation-through-anger-9781623174095/9781623174095 Full Shownotes: https://www.tenpercent.com/podcast-episode/lama-rod-314

Join Michael Ward with guest Lama Rod Owens. Lama Rod is the author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger. As we close out the year, he and Michael will discuss self-care and healing. Originally broadcast on Facebook on December 23, 2020. Support CNP ✔ Donation ► https://www.thecounternarrative.org/d...✔ Merchandise ►https://www.thecounternarrative.org/shop Join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram ✔ Twitter ► https://twitter.com/cnptribe✔ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/cnptribe✔ Instagram ► https://www.instagram.com/cnptribe

Description Rima Vesely-Flad teaches at Warren Wilson College exploring the intersections of Buddhism, race, and gender. Her teaching is deeply entwined with her current research on Buddhist teachers of African descent in the United states, particularly in the Vipassana tradition. Buddhism as it was adopted in North America has reflected the racism and discriminatory ideologies of this society. Rima researches how Black Buddhist teachers are doing things differently—and how Buddhist institutions in North America and contemporary Buddhist teachings are changing as a result. As more Black teachers are coming into positions of power in the US, authoring books, providing teachings, they are making new articulations of the dharma and carving spaces of liberation from dominant social messages. Black Buddhist teachers, many of whom also self-identify as queer, show how dharma can be a great vehicle for recognizing that historical harm was done and continues to be done, and to working with that recognition. They disrupt the status quo, bringing about new awareness based on embodied experience, and bringing attention to internalized racism and inter-generational trauma. With the tools that Buddhism provides to address, name, and be in discomfort, these teachers are making a different dharma possible: a space of resistance and healing to the pervasive ideologies of white supremacy. Teaching and reading this material with students, both white and marginalized, and gender non-conforming, Rima provides expansive opportunities for all to recognize the work that remains. Quotes “Let's take not only Black people who are marginalized in society and value their bodies and value their spirits and value their persons, but let's also take the most marginalized folks within Black communities and privilege their voices and their experiences so that in this movement not only do we have many, many self-identified queer leaders, but we also have an emphasis on transgender persons and the disproportionate violence especially against Black transgender women.” Rima Vesely-Flad “Spirit Rock just graduated a teacher group that was 90% people of colour. That's unprecedented!” Rima Vesely-Flad “IMS is about to graduate a teacher group that is 70% people of colour.” Rima Vesely-Flad “When I did the research for my book, which pertains only to people of African descent both who are recognized teachers but also who are long-time practitioners, it turns out that almost 63% self-identify as queer. That's a very big deal.” Rima Vesely-Flad “In that privileging of the body, these teachers are saying we work with the body, the body is our vehicle towards liberation and our social experiences and how we're constructed needs to get named as much as they need to be transcended. So that there is within these spaces a recognizing of how racism is internalized, the overt violence that gets enacted, the level of fear with which we move in our broader society, all of that gets named and put out there.” Rima Vesely-Flad “The practice of liberation is not simply to achieve these different states of mind, but it's also to say that liberation means a kind of transcending of those dominant, damaging messages that we have internalized so that we are not always in reaction to white supremacy.” Rima Vesely-Flad “One of the reasons I think these teachings from these Black teachers are so profound is that you can tell that they have managed to live in a different way. They are not always moving against white supremacy. They are not changing their patterns, not changing their bodies, not always in reaction to the degradation that has been part of the waters we all swim in.” Rima Vesely-Flad  “Predominantly white Buddhist sanghas and retreat structures and governing structures in the United States have not taken seriously that fact that racism can flourish in those communities and that that needs to be named and confronted and worked with through dharma practice.” Rima Vesely-Flad “Leadership matters – who is on the podium or on the platform or holding the mic – those sets of voices matter a lot in terms of trying to shift a culture, to simply invite more people in but not shift the power structure is really not enough.” Rima Vesely-Flad “In the concept of decolonization, we are not talking about reclaiming land.  We are talking about reclaiming rituals and we are talking about implementing new rituals and there is a lot to be said for symbolic power.” Rima Vesely-Flad “These are more liberal communities – politically liberal communities – and yet not dissimilar to having a group of white students in my classroom who self-silence around race and racism.” Rima Vesely-Flad “That is precisely where white people need to do some work and to really work with that fear, that self-silencing, and that inhibition, and again I think the dharma is such a great place to start with that because you have tools to sit with discomfort.” Rima Vesely-Flad Links and References Thich Nhat Hanh and rigorous sitting https://www.lionsroar.com/thich-nhat-hanh-sit/ Theravada Buddhism or Insight Meditation or “vipassana movement” from South East Asia https://www.lionsroar.com/theravada-buddhism-america/ Names of newly trained Black Buddhist teachers: Jozen Tamori Gibson https://www.spiritrock.org/jozen-gibson Leslie Booker https://www.lesliebooker.com/ Kate Johnson https://www.katejohnson.com/ DaRa Williams https://www.dharma.org/teacher/dara-williams/ Noliwe Alexander https://www.spiritrock.org/noliwe-alexander Solwazi Johnson https://www.spiritrock.org/solwazi-johnson Devin Barry https://www.spiritrock.org/devin-berry Rima Vesely-Flad, Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives and the Struggle for Justice, 2017 https://www.fortresspress.com/store/productgroup/1634/Racial-Purity-and-Dangerous-Bodies Examines the grassroots protest work in Ferguson and beyond to dismantle systems of oppression and disproportionate policing and mass incarceration Uses and critiques liberation theology Healing Justice https://www.advocate.com/commentary/2019/5/16/what-healing-justice Insight Meditation Society https://www.dharma.org Spirit Rock https://www.spiritrock.org Kevin Manders and Elizabeth Marston, Transcending: Trans Buddhist Voices, 2019 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/608719/transcending-by-kevin-manders-and-elizabeth-marston/9781623174156 Resmaa Menakem, My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to mending Our Hearts and Bodies, 2017 https://centralrecoverypress.com/product/my-grandmothers-hands-racialized-trauma-and-the-pathway-to-mending-our-hearts-and-bodies-paperback Zenju Earthlyn Manuel, The Way of Tenderness: Awakening through Race, Sexuality, and Gender, 2015 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Way-of-Tenderness/Zenju-Earthlyn-Manuel/9781614291251 Lama Rod Owens, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger, 2020 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/608716/love-and-rage-by-lama-rod-owens/ Rev. angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod Owens, and Jasmine Syedullah, Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love, and Liberation, 2016 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/547708/radical-dharma-by-rev-angel-kyodo-williams-lama-rod-owens-and-jasmine-syedullah/ Rema Vesely-Flad, Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation, 2021 (forthcoming from NYU Press) Rema Vesely-Flad, “Black Buddhists and the Body New Approaches to Socially Engaged Buddhism,” Religions, 2017 “Inside Out” prison teaching program at Warren-Wilson College https://www.warren-wilson.edu/2017/08/24/inside-out-program/ Jan Willis, Dreaming Me: One Woman's Spiritual Journey, 2008 https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dreaming-Me/Jan-Willis/9780861715480 angel Kyodo Williams, Being Black: Zen and the Art of Living with Fearlessness and Grace, 2002 https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/332699/being-black-by-angel-kyodo-williams/ Sebene Selassie, You Belong: A Call for Connection, 2021 (Forthcoming) https://www.harpercollins.com/products/you-belong-sebene-selassie?variant=32894632755234 Names of Black feminist writers and Black writers on Dharma bell hooks Audre Lorde James Baldwin  

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, Black activist, and author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger. As he says in this podcast, "Anger is the bodyguard for hurt." Anger wakes us up to what is happening inside ourselves, but it also requires stepping back into a space of reflection before fiercely stepping forward to address the source of our pain. We've gone ad free! Support the Commune podcast here: https://www.onecommune.com/support

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, activist, yoga instructor and authorized Lama (Buddhist teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Owens holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and has given talks, retreats and workshops around the U.S. and internationally. He is considered a leading teacher of his generation. In this week's podcast, he and Rabbi Rami discuss Owens' latest book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lama Rod Owens is a Buddhist minister, activist, yoga instructor and authorized Lama (Buddhist teacher) in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism. Owens holds a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School and has given talks, retreats and workshops around the U.S. and internationally. He is considered a leading teacher of his generation. In this week's podcast, he and Rabbi Rami discuss Owens' latest book, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger.  

Tai CK is a Biodynamic Craniosacral Therapist who centers LGBTQ and POC communities in her work. She is a young activist and passionate craniosacral therapist who sees individual bodily systems as inseparable from collective systems of trauma, fulcrums, and healing. She lives and practices in New York City. www.craniowithtai.com Tai's podcast (google link) Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger White Rage: The Unspoken Truth of Our Racial Divide My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies