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Radical Dharma

Talking Race, Love, and Liberation

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Radical Dharma

By: angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod Owens, Jasmine Syedullah Ph.D.
Narrated by: angel Kyodo Williams, Lama Rod Owens
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About this listen

 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. Buddhism Eastern Gay Studies LGBTQ+ Studies Philosophy Racism & Discrimination Social Sciences Discrimination Social justice
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Most relevant
This was really important listening for me. I'm an academic Christian living in Australia, working in an multireligious space, but still one that is predominantly white. Listening has helped me find cracks to bring in the conversation around privilege and race. I need to listen more, but this book was an inspiring beginning.

Challenging but worth it

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As a white woman of certain privilege this book answered many of my questions, fuelled self enquiry and begged me to acknowledge my role in upholding these systems. It spoke to me in a language that was so real and accessible. It is a book for everybody - regardless of colour, gender preference, socioeconomic or religious origin. Thank you!

loved this book.

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In the spirit of reconciliation, Audible acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. We pay our respect to their elders past and present and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples today.