Lama Rod an influential new voice among Buddhist teachers
ROME, GA >> 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 Africashaped 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 Schooleducated 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.
Today, he is an influential voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers, respected for his work focused on social change, identity and spiritual wellness.
On the popular mindfulness app Calm, his wideranging courses include “Coming Out,” “Caring for your Grief” and “Radical Self-Care” (sometimes telling listeners to “shake it off” like Mariah Carey). In his latest book, “The New Saints,” he highlights Christian saints and spiritual warriors, Buddhist bodhisattvas and Jewish tzaddikim among those who have sought to free people from suffering.
“Saints are ordinary and human, doing things any person can learn to do,” Owen writes in his book, where he combines personal stories, traditional teachings and instructions for meditations.
“Our era calls for saints who are from this time and place, speak the language of this moment, and integrate both social and spiritual liberation,” he writes. “I believe we all can and must become New Saints.”
But how? “It's not about becoming a superhero,” he said, stressing the need to care for others.
And it's not reserved for the canonized. “Harriet Tubman is a saint for me,” he said about the 19th century Black abolitionist known for helping enslaved people escape to freedom on the Underground Railroad. “She came to this world and said, `I want people to be free.'”
Owens grew up in a devout Baptist and Methodist family. His life revolved around his local church.
When he was 13, his mother, who owns a baseball cap that reads: “God's Girl,” became a United Methodist minister. He calls her the single greatest impact in his life.
“Like a lot of Black women, she embodied wisdom and resiliency and vision. She taught me how to work. And she taught me how to change because I saw her changing.”
He was inspired by her commitment to a spiritual path, especially when she went against the wishes of some in her family, who — like in many patriarchal religions — believed a woman should not lead a congregation.
“I'm very proud of him,” said the Rev. Wendy Owens, who sat near her son in her living room, decorated with their photographs and painted portraits.
“He made his path. He walked his path, or he might have even ran his path,” she said. “Don't know how he got there, but he got there.”*