Rima Vesely-Flad: It has been a joy to be in conversation with Black Nichiren Buddhists in the first few months of 2025. Since beginning recording of this podcast series, we have watched our environment change at a rapid speed. Many of the groups with whom I stand are under attack. It is heartbreaking and enraging, and I can feel my own heart [00:01:00] harden with anger and hatred every day.
And so listening to the transformative experiences of Black Nichiren Buddhists in this podcast series reminds me that Black people have confronted extraordinary levels of oppression over centuries and have survived. These practitioners ask, ‘how do we confront this onslaught beyond expressing fear and outrage?’
We can get stuck in our cycles of reactivity, always caught off guard, unable to stand on our own feet and set our own terms, but I am encouraged by the Nichiren practitioners with whom I’ve had the privilege to speak during the current bombardment. I am encouraged by their wisdom and stamina, by their singing and chanting, by their emphasis on joy.
This is a tradition that [00:02:00] emphasizes Buddhanature, the capacity for healing and enlightenment for living in the world in a different way. This is a way that privileges safety and protection, a way that privileges wisdom and courage. It is a way of being that centers justice and accountability. In the words and daily practices of Black Nichiren Buddhists, I observe a capacity to endure and to even thrive in the face of all odds.
These are powerful voices and I’m grateful for support by the Crossroads project,funded by the Henry J Luce Foundation, as well as the Frederick Lenz Foundation and the Fetzer Institute. This podcast series is produced by Sandra Hannebohm, founder of Twice as Good Media.