Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition // The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation

Finalist, Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Constructive-Reflective Studies, given by the American Academy of Religion

Explores how Black Buddhist Teachers and Practitioners interpret Western Buddhism in unique spiritual and communal ways

InBlack Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition, Rima Vesely-Flad examines the distinctive features of Black-identifying Buddhist practitioners, arguing that Black Buddhists interpret Buddhist teachings in ways that are congruent with Black radical thought. Indeed, the volume makes the case that given their experiences with racism–both in the larger society and also within largely white-oriented Buddhist organizations–Black cultural frameworks are necessary for illuminating the Buddha’s wisdom.

Drawing on interviews with forty Black Buddhist teachers and practitioners, Vesely-Flad argues that Buddhist teachings, through their focus on healing intergenerational trauma, provide a vitally important foundation for achieving Black liberation. She shows that Buddhist teachings as practiced by Black Americans emphasize different aspects of the religion than do those in white convert Buddhist communities, focusing more on devotional practices to ancestors and community uplift.

The book includes discussions of the Black Power movement, the Black feminist movement, and the Black prophetic tradition. It also offers a nuanced discussion of how the Black body, which has historically been reviled, is claimed as a vehicle for liberation. In so doing, the book explores how the experiences of non-binary, gender non-conforming, and transgender practitioners of African descent are validated within the tradition. The book also uplifts the voices of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and queer Black Buddhists. This unique volume shows the importance of Black Buddhist teachers’ insights into Buddhist wisdom, and how they align Buddhism with Black radical teachings, helping to pull Buddhism away from dominant white cultural norms.

Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D. is a research affiliate at Princeton University and a Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary, NYC. She leads Buddhist teaching and meditation courses at Spirit Rock Meditation Center and former Director of the Inside Out Prison Education Program which is a partnership between the Swannanoa Correctional Institution for Women and Warren Wilson College. She is a Fulbright Scholar and Awardee in South Africa and Ghana. She is a contributing writer for Lions Roar and other publications and the author of two academic books Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition: The Practice of Stillness in the Movement for Liberation and Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives and the Struggle for Justice.

• Publisher: New York University Press
• Publish Date: April 05, 2022
• Pages: 344
• Language: English
• Type: Paperback
• UPC: 9781479810499
• Dimensions: 8.9 X 6.0 X 1.1 inches | 1.1 pounds
• BISAC Categories: Politics, Society & Current Affairs, Spirituality & Religion