Who will change the world?

You and I are the New Saints.

Dear?Vivian,

The people who change the world are people like you and I. That’s the main reason why I wrote The New Saints – to show how saints are ordinary and human, doing things that anyone can do.? The world is calling for us all, here and now, to speak the language of this moment, and to integrate both social and spiritual liberation during this age of apocalypse.

By now, you've probably heard me say many times that I don't define apocalypse as the end of the world. I mean the unveiling and truth telling of the world as it is. Our practice is not separate from what is going on in our lives, our communities, and around the world.?

Therefore, our spiritual practices – whether they be meditation, yoga, magic, ceremony, ritual, or religious – need to be rooted in ethics or else we end up practicing spiritual bypassing. Ethics arise out of clarity and allow us to figure out what is conducive to our liberation.

Practice without a clear sense of our ethics is directionless – it can just as easily be used towards harm as it can alleviate suffering. When we see things as they are, we can respond to the suffering that we witness by disrupting and decreasing?harm to ourselves and others. When we are rooted in the ethic of love, our practice will support us towards that aim. In this apocalypse,?many of us are waking up to the ways we live in a carceral state that supports genocide, occupation, imperialism, and violence.

This awakening also calls us to not be afraid to feel. The times we’re in invite us to dream differently and be inspired to create a world that we want to live in. Because the people who are going to transform this world are each one of us.

Love,

Lama Rod

Upcoming Events

An Afternoon with Lama Rod Owens

Friday, May 17th, 2024

In-Person in London, UK

Join Lama Rod for a half day retreat hosted by Radical Dharma London and receive personal stories, spiritual teachings, and instructions for contemplative and somatic practices from The New Saints.

Free Radicals

Thursday, June 6th, 2024 6:00pm - 8:00pm UK | 1:00pm - 3:00pm EST | 11:00am - 1:00pm PST

Free Radicals is a monthly online community practice space created specifically with our UK friends in mind - although everyone is welcome to join us!

Autumn Moon

A residential retreat in Somerton, UK October 11-16th, 2024

Looking to join Lama Rod's retreat in the UK this fall? Join the waiting list here!

View More Events Here

Looking for more resources and ways to consistently engage with Lama Rod's teachings? Join the?Learning & Practice Community,?which includes:

• Live Monthly Gathering and Community Conversation on June 22nd?(recording will be available)
• 20% Off?Love and Rage Self-Guided Course & Access to the Love and Rage Discussion Forum

...and much more.

Did You Miss This?

?

Nature, Meditation, Justice: Finding Your Path with Ecodharma Retreats Ecodharma blends ancient Buddhist meditation practices that evolved to liberate the human mind of inner suffering with contemporary understanding of trauma, nature practices, and the need to support climate and justice movements. Click here to learn more about ecodharma on The Denver Post!

From May 25th-31st, I am offering a retreat that integrates Ecodharma with practices from The New Saints in Colorado. BIPOC folx can now attend for a discounted rate of $275 using the code LRBIPOC. Click here to register. ?

Lama Rod describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen

Click here to read a feature on me and my work in The Associated Press!

Want to help sustain Lama Rod's work? Make an offering here.