The New Saints

A Buddhist lama and intersectional thought leader shares a clarion call for those who would dream a more just, ethical world into being.

Saints, spiritual warriors, bodhisattvas, zaddikim—no matter how they are named in a given tradition, they all share a profound altruistic wish to free others from suffering. Saints are not beings of stained glass or carved stone. “Each of us can be a new saint,” says Lama Rod Owens. “In our pain, our trauma, and all our complexity, we all can—and must—awaken the virtue of our compassion for the benefit of our communities, our planet, and our own souls.”

With The New Saints, Lama Rod shares a guidebook for becoming an effective agent of justice, peace, and change. Combining personal stories, spiritual teachings, and instructions for contemplative and somatic practices, he shares inspiring resources for self-exploration and wise action. Each chapter reinforces the truth of our interdependency—allowing us to be of service to the collective well-being, and to call on the support and strength of the countless souls who share our struggles and hopes.

The status quo of our society is crumbling, and rightly so. But what future will emerge to replace it? Lama Rod says that the difference will be decided by us, if we have the willingness to let our hearts break open, disrupt systems of violence, and let goodness guide our actions instead of fear and hate. Here is a guide to become a warrior of kindness—a human refreshed, serving a vision of a world shaped by love.

Lama Rod Owens is a “Black Buddhist Southern Queen” who is an authorized lama in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with a Master of Divinity degree from Harvard. He is the coauthor of Radical Dharma and author of Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation Through Anger. He is the cofounder of Bhumisparsha, a Buddhist spiritual community, and has a gift for reaching diverse audiences with transformative wisdom. He lives in Atlanta, Georgia. For more, see lamarod.com.

• Publisher: Sounds True (October 31, 2023)
• Language: English
• Paperback: 288 pages
• ISBN-10: 164963000X
• ISBN-13: 9781649630001
• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches