Explore the Intersection of Buddhism and the Black Radical Tradition
Discover Our Latest Initiatives
Dive into our latest projects that bridge the gap between Buddhist scholarship and the Black radical tradition, fostering a deeper understanding and transformative change.
Black Buddhist Studies (BBS) is a public scholarship project that draws on the wisdom already present in Black experience and Buddhist practice.
We share that thought in three ways: spiritual practice, academic research, and digital media. We partner with other organizations to support activists, scholars, and Buddhist teachers.
In 2025, BBS launched a podcast featuring Black Nichiren Buddhists and co-hosted a conference on race, caste, and karma at Princeton University. Founding Director Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad also published a book, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde (North Atlantic Books, 2026).
We’re currently working on three more projects, and raising funds for all of them.
Buddhism and Black Culture
Cultural Studies
This project looks at Buddhist wisdom through the eyes of Black writers and musicians — offering practical ways to work with suffering, transform anger, and grow compassion.
It’s the foundation for Dr. Vesely-Flad’s book, The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde (North Atlantic Books, 2026), and for the nationwide speaking tour she’s taking the book on this year. The project also includes a Black Buddhist Studies YouTube channel and a ten-part online course, The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde. Looking ahead: three practice-based courses with Rima Vesely-Flad and Rashid Hughes:
Community-based classes
Buddhism and Black Liberation | Oct. 11, 2026 — Nov. 15, 2026
The Discipline of Liberation | Jan. 3, 2027 — Feb. 7, 2027
From Poison to Power | Feb. 14, 2027 — Mar. 21, 2027
How Do We Meet Each Other?
Black-Asian Dialogue in Buddhist America
Community Engagement
A public conversation series
With the Institute of Buddhist Studies, this conversation series [HYPERLINK] brings Black and Asian-American Buddhist scholars and practitioners together for honest dialogue about what it means to practice Buddhism in America today.
These conversation partners aim to create bridges and ask nuanced questions — about ancestral practices and culture, about appropriation and erasure, and about what it means to evolve the Buddhist tradition to meet the current moment.
Each conversation is also a practice in itself: honoring the cultural roots each person brings, building real political solidarity, and growing a Buddhist community rooted in both care and accountability.
September 30, 2026 | Shin Buddhism and Black Culture: A Conversation with Dean Takashi Miyaji
October 21, 2026 | Buddhism and Incarceration in America: A Conversation with Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams
November 4, 2026 | A Buddhist Reading of Octavia Butler: A Conversation with Dr. Jessica Zu
January 20, 2027 | Buddhist Practices for Challenging Domination: A Conversation with Thenmozhi Soundararajan
February 3, 2027 | Touching the Earth with Thích Nhất Hạnh: A Conversation with Venerable Clear Grace Dayananda
March 3, 2027 | Constellating Buddhist America: A Conversation with Chenxing Han
April 7, 2027 | Black Buddhist Experience in the Jodo Shinshu Sangha: A Conversation with Rev. Victor Ogundipe
Race, Caste, and Buddhist Doctrine
Anthology
Social Justice and Religion
Buddhism has long comforted people living under racial and caste oppression — but its traditional teachings on karma can be hard to square with movements for justice.
This project opens up a conversation about karma: what sanctions oppression in traditional interpretations, and what liberating potential the doctrine of karma holds for confronting racial and caste oppression today.
This project is focused on publishing an anthology, co-edited with Rima Vesely-Flad, Santoshkumar Raut, and Jonathan Gold, drawing on the April 2025 Princeton conference “Race, Caste, and the Challenge of Karma: Cultivating Black Buddhist Perspectives”