Rev Angel Kyodo Williams “Radical Dharma”
Discussion and Book Signing
Igniting a long-overdue dialogue about how the legacy of racial
injustice and white supremacy plays out in society at large and
Buddhist communities in particular, this urgent call to action
outlines a new dharma that takes into account the ways that
racism and privilege prevent our collective awakening. The
authors traveled around the country to spark an open conversation
that brings together the Black prophetic tradition and the wisdom
of the Dharma. Bridging the world of spirit and activism, they
urge a compassionate response to the systemic, state-sanctioned
violence and oppression that has persisted against black people
since the slave era. With national attention focused on the
recent killings of unarmed black citizens and the response of the
Black-centered liberation groups such as Black Lives
Matter, Radical Dharma demonstrates how social
transformation and personal, spiritual liberation must be
articulated and inextricably linked.
Rev. angel Kyodo williams, Lama Rod Owens, and Jasmine Syedullah
represent a new voice in American Buddhism. Offering their own
histories and experiences as illustrations of the types of
challenges facing dharma practitioners and teachers who are
different from those of the past five decades, they ask how
teachings that transcend color, class, and caste are hindered by
discrimination and the dynamics of power, shame, and ignorance.
Their illuminating argument goes beyond a demand for the equality
and inclusion of diverse populations to advancing a new dharma
that deconstructs rather than amplifies systems of suffering and
prepares us to weigh the shortcomings not only of our own minds
but also of our communities. They forge a path toward
reconciliation and self-liberation that rests on radical honesty,
a common ground where we can drop our need for perfection and
propriety and speak as souls. In a society where profit rules,
people’s value is determined by the color of their skin, and many
voices—including queer voices—are silenced, Radical
Dharma recasts the concepts of engaged spirituality, social
transformation, inclusiveness, and healing.