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Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom
Leading African American Buddhist teachers offer lessons on racism, resilience, spiritual freedom, and the possibility of a truly representative American Buddhism. With contributions by Acharya Gaylon Ferguson, Cheryl A. Giles, Gyōzan Royce Andrew Johnson, Ruth King, Kamilah Majied, Lama Rod Owens, Lama Dawa Tarchin Phillips, Sebene Selassie, and Pamela Ayo Yetunde.
What does it mean to be Black and Buddhist? In this powerful collection of writings, African American teachers from all the major Buddhist traditions tell their stories of how race and Buddhist practice have intersected in their lives. The resulting explorations display not only the promise of Buddhist teachings to empower those facing racial discrimination but also the way that Black Buddhist voices are enriching the Dharma for all practitioners. As the first anthology comprised solely of writings by African-descended Buddhist practitioners, this book is an important contribution to the development of the Dharma in the West.
What does it mean to be Black and Buddhist? In this powerful collection of writings, African American teachers from all the major Buddhist traditions tell their stories of how race and Buddhist practice have intersected in their lives. The resulting explorations display not only the promise of Buddhist teachings to empower those facing racial discrimination but also the way that Black Buddhist voices are enriching the Dharma for all practitioners. As the first anthology comprised solely of writings by African-descended Buddhist practitioners, this book is an important contribution to the development of the Dharma in the West.
224 pages, Paperback
Published December 8, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
November 25, 2020
First of all, I want to thank NetGalley and Shambhala Publications, Inc. for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. Black and Buddhist edited by Pamela Ayo Yetunde and Cheryl A. Giles dedicated this to George Floyd and I don’t think they could have paid more timely homage.
I am both inspired and exhausted by the social justice events this year and #BlackLivesMatter. Inspired because in the wake of a deadly pandemic, millions around the country and world mobilized to say “enough” and exhausted because this is a long battle. This book is full of 8 essays that aren’t just about Blackness and Buddhism, but each writer’s journey to that point. Like most people, I had this idea that Buddhism is nonviolent and asking Black people to remain nonviolent in a world that shows us nothing but institutionalized violence is enough to make my eye roll.
I was curious about what these Black Buddhists could tell me since I will admit that I am a very angry young Black woman. What I found was that they were not asking us to set aside our anger. Anger being part of the Black experience is acknowledged but so is that anger and Blackness are not the same thing. It also points out that love is part of the Black experience and a reason why we are still here. I was empowered by these essays and it made me look towards myself when it comes to figuring out how to be spiritually free in a world that continues to make it difficult.
For those who want a straightforward guide to Buddhism from a Black perspective might be disappointed in the story telling. For me, I wasn’t expecting this much of a personal background but I’m grateful for that. It’s a portrait of a people who are highly discussed but at the same time overlooked. I look forward to purchasing this.
I am both inspired and exhausted by the social justice events this year and #BlackLivesMatter. Inspired because in the wake of a deadly pandemic, millions around the country and world mobilized to say “enough” and exhausted because this is a long battle. This book is full of 8 essays that aren’t just about Blackness and Buddhism, but each writer’s journey to that point. Like most people, I had this idea that Buddhism is nonviolent and asking Black people to remain nonviolent in a world that shows us nothing but institutionalized violence is enough to make my eye roll.
I was curious about what these Black Buddhists could tell me since I will admit that I am a very angry young Black woman. What I found was that they were not asking us to set aside our anger. Anger being part of the Black experience is acknowledged but so is that anger and Blackness are not the same thing. It also points out that love is part of the Black experience and a reason why we are still here. I was empowered by these essays and it made me look towards myself when it comes to figuring out how to be spiritually free in a world that continues to make it difficult.
For those who want a straightforward guide to Buddhism from a Black perspective might be disappointed in the story telling. For me, I wasn’t expecting this much of a personal background but I’m grateful for that. It’s a portrait of a people who are highly discussed but at the same time overlooked. I look forward to purchasing this.
February 14, 2021
This book belongs beside angel Kyodo Williams’ “Being Black” in terms of its significance to understanding how Buddhists of African descent are integrating and expanding the tradition in ways that are culturally relevant. The authors in this anthology talk about their own paths to Buddhism, their struggles in the predominantly White sanghas in the US, and how Buddhism offers a path to liberation and social transformation. I’m using this book in one of the graduate theology classes that I teach, and I know it’s a text that I will return to again and again for my own edification.
October 28, 2020
“Recognizing our deepest feelings, we cannot know live fully with suffering, invisibility, and dehumanization. Our resistance to oppression is our right to breathe fully, without the force of a hand or foot or knee on our throats constantly draining the life out of us. By watching Black and brown bodies die by police violence without resistance, we slowly die too. We take in resignation, despair, depression, self-denial, and self-effacement, and out bodies become bloated with powerlessness. And perhaps by not resisting, we unwittingly make a choice to allow ourselves to be silenced because we are too afraid to claim and honor the most precious gift we hold, the breath. In the honor of George Floyd and countless others, we vow to breathe. We breathe for the well-being of all sentient beings.”
While I was drawn to this book by its title, cover and synopsis, I could not have foreseen the BEAUTIFUL dedication to George Floyd.
I found this book to be a very necessary exploration of what it means to be Black and Buddhist especially in the face of racism, sexism and an undying effort to transform suffering into freedom. Each of the contributing authors do a great job earmarking how race and Buddhist practice have forged together and are a lasting impact in their work and life. Using anecdotal evidence and personal examples, they explore the overarching theme that there is to be no true freedom until we support one another in being free.
It took me awhile to read this one and yet it was worth the ride! Superb content.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 12/8/2020
While I was drawn to this book by its title, cover and synopsis, I could not have foreseen the BEAUTIFUL dedication to George Floyd.
I found this book to be a very necessary exploration of what it means to be Black and Buddhist especially in the face of racism, sexism and an undying effort to transform suffering into freedom. Each of the contributing authors do a great job earmarking how race and Buddhist practice have forged together and are a lasting impact in their work and life. Using anecdotal evidence and personal examples, they explore the overarching theme that there is to be no true freedom until we support one another in being free.
It took me awhile to read this one and yet it was worth the ride! Superb content.
Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Publication date: 12/8/2020
December 21, 2020
This book is a collection of eight distinct essays, each describing aspects of the author's life leading the author to Buddhism. Several contributors write about racism and discrimination within Sanghas that marginalize BIPOC Dharma teachers and students alike. Other contributors write about the ways racism, discrimination, and privilege manifested in their lives and how Buddhism and meditation provided means of refuge. Taken together, the eight essays succeed in shining a light on the ways Western Buddhist communities are influenced by racism, sexism, and other -isms.
Readers, particularly those from privileged backgrounds, can learn from the authors' experiences to understand how racist and discriminatory practices might manifest within their own Sanghas or community centers. Board members of Buddhist and Dharma centers should consider reading this book as part of ongoing efforts to make their centers more supportive of BIPOC teachers and students.
A critique of this book is only that its title is not descriptive of its contents. The book is less about what Buddhism can teach us about race than it is about how the author's found refuge in Buddhism from racism. Readers seeking specific Dharma or meditation practices to address racism in their lives or Buddhist communities will still benefit from this book, but may wish to seek out further readings or instruction suggested by their Dharma teachers.
Readers, particularly those from privileged backgrounds, can learn from the authors' experiences to understand how racist and discriminatory practices might manifest within their own Sanghas or community centers. Board members of Buddhist and Dharma centers should consider reading this book as part of ongoing efforts to make their centers more supportive of BIPOC teachers and students.
A critique of this book is only that its title is not descriptive of its contents. The book is less about what Buddhism can teach us about race than it is about how the author's found refuge in Buddhism from racism. Readers seeking specific Dharma or meditation practices to address racism in their lives or Buddhist communities will still benefit from this book, but may wish to seek out further readings or instruction suggested by their Dharma teachers.
October 19, 2021
a collection of 8 essays by Black Buddhist teachers. Obviously not the target audience for this book, but I found the commentary on race, trauma, belonging, resilience incredibly insightful and broadly applicable. great read
June 19, 2022
Wonderfully edited book of essays that touches on race, spirituality, art, trauma, family, the intersections between those things and so, so much more. There were definitely some essays that engaged me more than others, but every single author has a unique perspective to share and insight to enjoy. Not necessarily an introductory book, but accessible in a lot of different ways.
August 22, 2021
This was a beautiful collection of essays by various Black lamas and teachers about their awakening to the dharma and how they've used it to navigate the world as Black folks. I was very pleased not only to read new works by people I recognized, such as Lama Rod Owens, but also to learn of so many more authors that I will notice more going forward. I'm ashamed to say that I didn't even know Gaylon Ferguson, whose books I encountered back in my Shambhala days, was Black until I read this book!
February 6, 2021
I don't consider myself a Buddhist, but Buddhist thought/writiting/meditation has gotten me through a lot of rough patches and helped make me the person I am today. There was nothing too new or eye opening in this book, but it was moving and visceral. If you're into this kind of stuff, you'll be into this book.
June 17, 2025
This was such an emotionally-laden, story-driven work that at times I found myself speechless, or crying, caught up in the similar moments and feelings I was seeing on the page that I had felt internally on my own journey. What a wonderful collection and exploration of some themes I have begun to wonder about as I have begun my own journey of deepening mindfulness. I will be checking out many of the works shared and also of the contributors, who I really enjoyed.
December 3, 2024
The introduction is one of the best I’ve ever read. Took me days to just finish the intro because it made me sit back and think. Grateful to have access to works like this.
December 15, 2022
Collection of essays from Black Buddhists sharing their journey. As with all collections, there are hits and misses. I appreciated the essays that focused on mental liberation, issues that may arise in a POC Sanga, and recommended personal practices. Especially the idea to practice metta meditation for a benefactor, even if it’s a famous person that you admire but have never met.
September 24, 2020
This book starts off with a dedication to George Floyd explaining what happened and the organizations the Buddhist community are apart of. This is a great book to learn about meditation, what it means to be Buddhist, African American history, and folktales.
April 30, 2021
Beautiful collection of eight essays on the dharma, learned through Black experience. I highly recommend for Buddhist practitioners (probably not a total beginner though) and anyone working through racial healing.
One: dharma as a way to recognize and work through racial and sexual trauma passed down through generations
Two: experimentations in ayahuasca to awaken awareness
Three: both race and Western Buddhism are imaginary constructs and products of colonization, but they can nonetheless be useful in healing and ending suffering
Four: suffering is often caused by the false idea of "amputated self" - that beings on earth are separate from each other rather than interconnected cells in a whole organism
Five: at times, sanghas that are established exclusively for BIPOC can be helpful in focusing on awareness in a space apart from whiteness
Six: one man's karmic journey from butcher to Buddhist priest
Seven: a practitioner of Soka Gakkai Buddhism reflects on her Muslim mother being her first dharma teacher
Eight: exploration of the Four Noble Truths with a dash of Toni Morrison, the Civil Rights movement, and escape from corporate America
One: dharma as a way to recognize and work through racial and sexual trauma passed down through generations
Two: experimentations in ayahuasca to awaken awareness
Three: both race and Western Buddhism are imaginary constructs and products of colonization, but they can nonetheless be useful in healing and ending suffering
Four: suffering is often caused by the false idea of "amputated self" - that beings on earth are separate from each other rather than interconnected cells in a whole organism
Five: at times, sanghas that are established exclusively for BIPOC can be helpful in focusing on awareness in a space apart from whiteness
Six: one man's karmic journey from butcher to Buddhist priest
Seven: a practitioner of Soka Gakkai Buddhism reflects on her Muslim mother being her first dharma teacher
Eight: exploration of the Four Noble Truths with a dash of Toni Morrison, the Civil Rights movement, and escape from corporate America
June 1, 2022
A very interesting read. Even though I’m neither black nor Buddhist, I really feel like I’ve learned a lot about the transformative effect practicing mindfulness can bring to induce healing.
Looking within to resolve generational trauma and internalized racism gives one the power to overcome actual racist people and events. I think if we all practiced mindfulness and meditated deeply, we would find out who we really are and racism would cease to exist.
While I am not religious, the essays in this book have inspired me to go and check out my local Buddhist temple to see about learning proper meditation techniques. I’m also still determined to go to Peru and take Ayahuasca with a Shaman.
In the essay, “The Dharma of Trauma” Lama Rod Owens’ description of his healing experience while on an Ayahuasca journey was riveting. His description of the healing hallucinations created by his mind were so vivid and moving, I actually got teary eyed while reading.
The essay, “Turning Toward Myself” by Sebene Selassie was also excellent. I felt her insight was particularly brilliant and it was also enjoyable to read.
“Belonging” by Lama Dawa Tarchin Phillips was excellent and “From Butcher to Zen Priest” by Gyozan Royce Andrew Johnson was fun to read.
While all of the essays were good, those were my most favorite.
I’m really glad I read this book, though it did take longer to read than I thought it would. The book took me a while to read not because it was particularly long, but because it was dense in information and thought provoking.
I do very much know now that meditation is our key to freedom and the way to transform wrong thinking. I’m excited to begin a journey that will make me more aware of who I am as an individual, dissolving wrong thinking and old programming to learn to know myself for who I AM and how I fit in with the collective whole that is ALL THAT IS.
Looking within to resolve generational trauma and internalized racism gives one the power to overcome actual racist people and events. I think if we all practiced mindfulness and meditated deeply, we would find out who we really are and racism would cease to exist.
While I am not religious, the essays in this book have inspired me to go and check out my local Buddhist temple to see about learning proper meditation techniques. I’m also still determined to go to Peru and take Ayahuasca with a Shaman.
In the essay, “The Dharma of Trauma” Lama Rod Owens’ description of his healing experience while on an Ayahuasca journey was riveting. His description of the healing hallucinations created by his mind were so vivid and moving, I actually got teary eyed while reading.
The essay, “Turning Toward Myself” by Sebene Selassie was also excellent. I felt her insight was particularly brilliant and it was also enjoyable to read.
“Belonging” by Lama Dawa Tarchin Phillips was excellent and “From Butcher to Zen Priest” by Gyozan Royce Andrew Johnson was fun to read.
While all of the essays were good, those were my most favorite.
I’m really glad I read this book, though it did take longer to read than I thought it would. The book took me a while to read not because it was particularly long, but because it was dense in information and thought provoking.
I do very much know now that meditation is our key to freedom and the way to transform wrong thinking. I’m excited to begin a journey that will make me more aware of who I am as an individual, dissolving wrong thinking and old programming to learn to know myself for who I AM and how I fit in with the collective whole that is ALL THAT IS.
July 6, 2022
July 6, 2022: This was good. I finished it a while ago so am not going to do it justice in this review. I did like it better than Radical Dharma, which felt a lot more disjointed/lacked concreteness.
This had a stronger narrative, being a collection of connected essays by different Black Buddhist authors. Content note that there is some heavy stuff in here including a graphic description of the murder of George Floyd, some stuff around #metoo, and slavery/the middle passage.
Gyōzan Royce Andrew Johnson and Lama Rod Owen's pieces particularly stuck with me, Johnson's because of his transformation from butcher to full-time Buddhist teacher after an accident that almost cost him his life and connected his loss of blood and himself as flesh to his work of killing animals, and Owen's abject but cathartic experience of taking psychedelics at a plant medicine retreat in South America where he went on a vision, joining his ancestors in the middle passage and gaining compassion for all beings' suffering, along with a sense of where his ancestral traditions, his feminine energy, and Buddhism meet.
I already feel like I need to reread it because I'm blanking on a lot of the specific content, but I particularly liked that several of the authors explored the concept of Anatta in the context of being Black. There is a complexity to embracing 'no self,' when selfhood has so long been denied to Black people. So it was interesting to reread those negotiations with that idea.
I must re-read at some point and add to this review...
This had a stronger narrative, being a collection of connected essays by different Black Buddhist authors. Content note that there is some heavy stuff in here including a graphic description of the murder of George Floyd, some stuff around #metoo, and slavery/the middle passage.
Gyōzan Royce Andrew Johnson and Lama Rod Owen's pieces particularly stuck with me, Johnson's because of his transformation from butcher to full-time Buddhist teacher after an accident that almost cost him his life and connected his loss of blood and himself as flesh to his work of killing animals, and Owen's abject but cathartic experience of taking psychedelics at a plant medicine retreat in South America where he went on a vision, joining his ancestors in the middle passage and gaining compassion for all beings' suffering, along with a sense of where his ancestral traditions, his feminine energy, and Buddhism meet.
I already feel like I need to reread it because I'm blanking on a lot of the specific content, but I particularly liked that several of the authors explored the concept of Anatta in the context of being Black. There is a complexity to embracing 'no self,' when selfhood has so long been denied to Black people. So it was interesting to reread those negotiations with that idea.
I must re-read at some point and add to this review...
July 25, 2021
“Life is not personal, permanent, or perfect” is just one of the abundant jewels in this trove of self-reflection, healing, transformation, and empowerment. Each author’s unique take diversifies the message and increases its relevance.Black and Buddhist: What Buddhism Can Teach Us about Race, Resilience, Transformation, and Freedom
August 4, 2021
This book of essays is both timely and timeless. It's a culmination of wisdom, experience and practice of black (POC) dharma teachers and their journeys (human experience) to Buddhism. I was particularly moved by 'The Dharma of Trauma', 'Turning Toward Myself' and 'On Being Laila's Daughter'. All of the essays touch on trauma, resistance, sorrow and love; and their interdependence in the freedom of black folks from cyclical emotional tyrannies. This book will have you researching your nearest sangha community. Must read!
January 5, 2022
The practice of Buddhism in a Black body is unique and I'm grateful for the articulation of that uniqueness in such a beautifully inviting way. While the contemplation of emptiness is essential to our practice, understanding that which we must empty ourselves up enriches the experience and our comprehension of self, and only then can non-stop feel truly accessible. This book was a reminder of the courage required to be Black and Buddhist and I look forward to reading more from the contributors to this text.
April 22, 2021
This book taught me the most important thing
This book taught me one of the most important lessons I could probably learn about Buddhism and that’s that Buddhism is not perfect. That racism and discrimination and white supremacy exist in Buddhist communities. I think before reading this book I didn’t even think about it.
This book taught me one of the most important lessons I could probably learn about Buddhism and that’s that Buddhism is not perfect. That racism and discrimination and white supremacy exist in Buddhist communities. I think before reading this book I didn’t even think about it.
November 2, 2021
I was familiar with several of the authors and each of their chapters was a gift. A deepening of my love for them. Lama Rod Owens’ chapter in particular ripped me to shreds and still left me profoundly hopeful. And meeting so many new Black Buddhists through this book was amazing and world expanding. I’m so grateful for the wisdom they have shared.
November 16, 2021
I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. A lot of it was either very into the transcendent aspects of Buddhist mysticism (which is not for me) or repetitive. I don't regret reading it, but I don't know that it's one I would recommend either. Glad to have read it for the cultural awareness, but not for me.
December 21, 2023
I’m not Buddhist, but this book was recommended to me by my therapist, and there were some parts of the book shook me with how detailed and vivid some of the stories were as people explained their journeys. I appreciated reading about an unfamiliar practice I wasn’t raised in, so I immensely enjoyed a different insight and perspective.
November 9, 2021
African Americans need more of this
This was an amazing book that all African Americans should read. It gives great information on Intergenerational trauma, and what we can do to manage it better.
This was an amazing book that all African Americans should read. It gives great information on Intergenerational trauma, and what we can do to manage it better.
July 12, 2023
I overall loved the book, it was a good read from both perspectives of being black and being a Buddhist. I don’t know why I always felt like I couldn’t practice Buddhism because I’m black myself. I love how the author put real life issues and problems into the book, making it more realistic.
November 20, 2020
Excellent book!!!
March 2, 2022
I don't think I was the intended audience for this book, but still filled with truths and insights.
October 22, 2023
3.5 I should have read that this was an edited collection. Some essays were interesting, some were less interesting or repetitive.
March 18, 2024
this book has a very surface level understanding of Buddhism
July 9, 2024
Genuinely phenomenal read. I’ve read it 3 times since I first picked it up and enjoyed every page. Was struck incredibly by the story narrating a butcher turned monk, which focused on how being reminded of our vitality can lead us to religion. Tackled the intersections of race and religion delicately and with varied perspectives.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews