Black Buddhists and the Black Radical Tradition

An exploration of 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 and writings from more than seventy Black Buddhist teachers and practitioners, Vesely-Flad argues that Buddhist teachings, along with practices for honoring ancestors and healing intergenerational trauma, provide a vitally important foundation for achieving Black liberation. The book includes discussions of the Black Power movement, the Black feminist movement, and the Black prophetic tradition. It offers a nuanced discussion of how the Black body is claimed as a vehicle for liberation, and explores how the experiences of queer, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and transgender practitioners of African descent are validated within the tradition. In speaking to persons whose embodiment renders them hyper-visible but also marginalized, this unique volume shows the importance of Black Buddhist teachers’ insights into Buddhist wisdom, illuminating how they align Buddhism with Black radical teachings, helping to pull Buddhism away from dominant white cultural norms.