2023 Classes & Events
Thursday, March 16 from 6:30-8pm CST
André LaCocque Interreligious Lecture
“Standing Against the Status Quo: Buddhism and Black Liberation Theology”
In the lecture, Dr. Vesely-Flad will explain how Siddhartha Gotama, as the Buddha, accepted seekers of every caste into early sanghas. In so doing, he stood against caste oppression. Jesus of Nazareth, during his three years of public ministry, healed lepers and ate with tax collectors. In so doing, he embraced social outcasts. Both of these community leaders, as inadvertent founders of enduring religious traditions, stood against the status quo. They serve as models for contemporary practitioners and theologians who similarly seek to dismantle institutions and deconstruct narratives that dominate and exclude. Drawing from the writings of contemporary Black Buddhists and Black Christian theologians, this lecture examines the radical underpinnings of two traditions that, when founded, challenged the status quo and today, continue to uplift marginalized people as significant.
For more info visit ctschicago.edu or register with the button below.
Photo by JJ Harris; used with permission by Lion’s Roar.
Tuesday, March 21 from 7-8:30pm EST
Dharma and Justice Dialogue
Investigating Caste and Racial Oppression through a Buddhist Lens with Thenmozhi Soundararajan and Rima Vesely-Flad
Monday, March 27 at 1:15pm EST
EDS at Union
“Just Conversations” with Kelly Brown Douglas
Join Dean Kelly Brown Douglas for a Just Conversation with Rima Vesely-Flad, Visiting Professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary, and John J. Thatamanil, Professor of Theology and World Religions at Union Theological Seminary. Professors Vesely-Flad and Thatamanil are also a member of EDS at Union’s Expanding the Moral Imaginary Through Film cohort.
In this conversation, they will discuss the role of interfaith and interreligious witness and dialogue in a nation facing a dangerous resurgence of white Christian nationalism. They will share their perspectives on the challenges and opportunities for working together in today’s society and reflect on the role of religious leaders in combatting religious and cultural intolerance. Additionally, the conversation will reflect on representation today in film and popular culture and its impact on shaping racial perceptions and attitudes.
For more info visit utsnyc.edu or register with the button below.
Tuesday, April 11 from 7-8:30pm EST
Dharma and Justice Dialogue
Solidarity and Accountability in Black and Asian Buddhist Sanghas with Rev. Cristina Moon and Rima Vesely-Flad