Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition - by Rima Vesely-Flad (Paperback)

About the Book

"This book illuminates distinct Buddhist practices amongst meditators of African descent. It includes interviews, dharma talks, and writings of more than sixty-five Black Buddhist teachers and long-term practitioners. In lifting up the distinctive voices and practices of Black Buddhists within American Buddhism, this book emphasizes the interpretations and practices of Black Buddhists. This book identifies specific causes and conditions for suffering, such as the transatlantic slave trade, the auction block, lynchings, migrations, and contemporary state violence, that have led Black Buddhist teachers to prioritize healing intergenerational trauma as a foundation for Black liberation. In pointing the horrific conditions manifested by patriarchy, misogyny, cisgender normativity, Black Buddhists assert that healing intergenerational trauma is foundational of psychological and spiritual liberation. Relatedly, this book delves into the importance that Black Buddhists place on honoring ancestors-biological and spiritual-as forebears who survived hostile and degrading conditions. Furthermore, this book illuminates the ways in which Black Buddhists privilege the body, even as it has been degraded, as a vehicle for liberation. Finally, this book argues that all of these distinct components of Black Buddhist practice fulfill the quest for psychological liberation evoked in the Black Radical Tradition"--

Book Synopsis

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

In Black 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.

Review Quotes

"Vesely-Flad introduces the reader to a uniquely Black Buddhist hermeneutic that relates Buddhist doctrine and practice as understood by Black Buddhist practitioners to the thought of key Black radical intellectuals and movement leaders."-- "Religious Studies Review"

"By documenting the Black Radical Tradition as precursor and influence for Black Buddhists, Vesely-Flad situates Black thinkers as producers of knowledge about the Dharma, thereby pointing the way to the vibrant possibilities of alternate histories of Buddhism in the United States."-- "Reading Religion"

"[Vesely-Flad's] book stands to become a classic ethnographic study for the field of Buddhist studies and should be consulted by those looking to do further research on Black Buddhists in America and elsewhere."-- "Religion"

"An exciting project; hearing the voices of more than 70 multi-lineage Black Buddhists is itself a significant contribution to Buddhism in America. Vesely-Flad's coverage of the Black Radical Tradition is superb--the history and breakdown of the different threads of the Black Radical Tradition is compelling and impressive."--Ann Gleig, author of American Dharma: Buddhism Beyond Modernity

"An extremely important and timely contribution to scholarship on Black religion in the US, and on Buddhist studies. Vesely-Flad's ethnographic interviews, which are a fantastically rich part of the book, center the voices and interpretations of Black Buddhists in a way that is unparalleled and enables the author to effectively argue for the importance of Black Buddhist teachers' insights into Buddhist wisdom."--Sarah Jacoby, author of Love and Liberation: Autobiographical Writings of the Tibetan Buddhist Visionary Sera Khandro

"An important and powerful book. Vesely-Flad has done an immensely impressive job at allowing the voices of Black Buddhists to tell their own stories of faith and liberation."--Larry Ward, author of America's Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal

About the Author

Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Religion and Philosophy and the Director of Peace and Justice Studies at Warren Wilson College. She is the author of Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice.