Meet Lama Rod: A queer, Black Buddhist who wants to free you
ROME, Ga (AP) — Instead of traditional maroon and gold Tibetan Buddhist robes, Lama Rod Owens wore a white animal print cardigan over a bright yellow T-shirt with an image of singer Sade, an Africa-shaped medallion and mala beads — the most recognizable sign of his Buddhism.
“Being a Buddhist or a spiritual leader, I got rid of trying to wear the part because it just wasn’t authentic to me,” said Owens, 44, who describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen.
“For me, it’s not about looking like a Buddhist. It’s about being myself,” he said at his mother’s home in Rome, Georgia. “And I like color.”
The Harvard Divinity School -educated lama and yoga teacher blends his training in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with pop culture references and experiences from his life as a Black, queer man, raised in the South by his mother, a pastor at a Christian church.
Related articles
Cambodia welcomes 1st Chinese flight, tourists to Siem Reap
Cambodian Ministry of Tourism's Secretary of State Top Sopheak (C) presents flowers to a Chinese2024-05-09Chinese Woman Inspires Generations with Revolutionary Stories
Contact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom2024-05-09Entrepreneur Helps Rural Women Shake off Poverty in Northwest China
Contact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom2024-05-09Pluck and Moxie! Trailblazer Dedicated to Saving Lives During Emergencies
Contact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom2024-05-09Harvey Weinstein back at Rikers Island after hospital stay
NEW YORK (AP) — One-time movie mogul Harvey Weinstein was returned to a New York City jail in what h2024-05-09Chinese Woman Inspires Generations with Revolutionary Stories
Contact Us HomeNewsHighlightACWF NewsSocietyWom2024-05-09
atest comment