Rima Vesely-Flad in Conversation with Lama Rod Owens

January 28, 2026 | Events

Register

🗓️ Feb 4, 2026 @ 7:30pm – 8:30pm ET

đź“ŤOnline and in-person

🗺️ 184 S. Candler St. Decatur, GA

Presented by Charis Books & More

A discussion with Lama Rod Owens, followed by Q&A and book signing.

Charis welcomes Rima Vesely-Flad in conversation with Lama Rod Owens in celebration of The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, an exploration of the writings of Audre Lorde and James Baldwin through a Dharmic lens, revealing how two of America’s greatest literary voices reflect—and expand—Buddhism’s most timeless truths toward justice and liberation.

This event takes place in person at Charis and on Crowdcast, Charis’ virtual event platform. This event is free, but registration is required for virtual attendance.

In-person event guidelines:

– All attendees must wear a face mask during the event.
– We will begin seating people at 7:00 PM ET.
– This event will be live-streamed via Crowdcast.

As a reminder: If you are not feeling well, please do not come to the event.

About the Conversation Partner

Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with over 11 years of experience and a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School. A leading voice featured by various national and international news outlets. Author of The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors, Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger and co-author of Radical Dharma: Talking Race, Love and Liberation, his teachings center on freedom, self-expression, and radical self-care.

Lama Rod’s mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself. He activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that’s natural, engaging, and inclusive. Learn more at lamarod.com.

More from Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad

James Baldwin argued that racism is not a “Black problem” but a white fear-driven delusion that scapegoats Black people and evades interior work. Drawing on Baldwin’s essays and testimony, we discuss his critique of white moral pretentiousness, evasion, and the projection of shame and fear—especially the fear of death—onto Black bodies. We also see how Baldwin’s analysis relates to Buddhist teaching on dependent origination from the Rice Seedling Sutra.

 

In this dharma talk, we investigate the role of Sati—which is translated as knowing, awareness, presence, or mindfulness—in the writings of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde, in conversation with early Buddhist writings.
In this dharma talk, we understand the weight of suffering through the eyes of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. We learn how Baldwin gleaned the difference between suffering due to the violence of racism, and suffering that is central to the human experience. We learn about Lorde’s embrace of the idea that pain can teach us something important, but that we need not suffer uselessly.

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