From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors
An 8-Week Journey on the Path of Becoming a New Saint
with Lama Rod Owens
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Dates: October 6th to November 24th, 2024
(See below for more details on the live session dates.)
Our era calls for saints who are from this time and place, speak the language of this moment, and integrate both social and spiritual liberation. - Lama Rod
Saints, spiritual warriors, bodhisattvas, tzaddikim—no matter how they are named in a given tradition, they all share a profound wish to free others from suffering. Saints are not unattainable beings of stained glass or carved stone. “Saints are ordinary and human, doing things any person can learn to do,” teaches Lama Rod Owens. “I believe we all can and must become New Saints.”
Becoming a New Saint requires that we be willing to look within ourselves and touch into our hurt, our fears, and our grief. This path takes patience and grace as we hold our brokenheartedness while taking steps towards disrupting violence and harm in ourselves and in the world.
Everything that happens in our lives is an invitation to ask ourselves, “What is our work?” What that looks like can be different for each of us. We have a variety of roles to choose from as we become spiritual warriors who seek to dream and create a world shaped by love.
This work is not done alone. It necessitates a community of people who get clear about their work and werk to make change. It takes beings – seen and unseen – the earth, our teachers, our wisdom texts, and our ancestors to support us.Â
From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors is an initiation, and an opportunity to co-create collective practice and prayer as we come together for the shared purpose of liberation. Throughout this practice journey, we will rely on community, self-exploration, and contemplative and somatic practices to resource us in moving along the New Saint’s path.Â
Are you ready to dream a more just, ethical world into being? Are you ready to practice deep authentic care?Â
Join Lama Rod for an 8-week journey that integrates the teachings and practices from his newest book, The New Saints!Â
Sign up and get a book discount!
Upon registration, you will receive a discount code for 20% off The New Saints book (available in print, audiobook, and ebook). Delivery of the physical books are available in the U.S.
In this Practice Series, you will:
The New Saint’s Path is for you if:
Registration Options
(select the offering below that best matches your ability to pay)
Become a member of Lama Rod's Practice & Learning Community and receive a 20% discount!
FAQs:
When are the live sessions?
We will meet for 8 weekly Sunday sessions from October 6th to November 24th from 11:00am - 2:00pm ET: October 6th, 13th, 20th, 27th, November 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 24th.Â
There will be additional opportunities for live drop-in practice sessions with practice leaders, which will be determined by general availability of the participants.Â
What if I can't attend the live session?
The live sessions with Lama Rod will be recorded and posted on the course platform for you to watch later. Please note that some parts of the live sessions (e.g. breakout groups) along with the additional drop-in practice sessions will not be recorded.
How long will the recordings be available once I register?
The recordings will be available indefinitely.
How do I prepare for this practice series?
To prepare for this practice journey, we recommend that you read The New Saints by Lama Rod prior to the start. More details for how to prepare will be provided as we get closer to the start of the series.
How will access needs be met in this series?
When you register, you will be invited to share any access needs that you might have. Our team is working towards accessibility on an ongoing basis, and will tend to the needs that you share to the best of our ability and capacity.
Ongoing access support includes written transcripts of the live Sunday sessions, live captions on Zoom, and an invitation to work with the various mediums of the course materials and live sessions at your own pace. We are also working towards sign language interpretation and are seeking language justice partners to support our commitment to making these offerings more accessible. If you’re interested in partnering with Team Lama Rod, contact [email protected].
Is there a refund policy?
Refunds are available prior to September 29th, 2024, less a 10% admin fee.Â
Is there financial assistance available?
Through the support of those who give at the Pay it Forward level, we have a limited amount of scholarships available. Email [email protected] if you are in need of financial assistance. If you are able to contribute to our ability to offer scholarships, your generosity by choosing the Pay it Forward supports our ability to offer more financial support.
What does the registration fee support?
Registration fees support Lama Rod and his team for the extensive labor, seen and unseen, and spiritual devotion that allows his work to remain accessible and sustainable. These resources help cover ongoing operational costs, such as the online platforms and services that are used to offer digital programs, team compensation, and the legal and accounting requirements of the United States, as well as physical spaces, materials, and nourishment for events when applicable.
As Lama Rod writes in The New Saints, he seeks to make the tradition of the Buddha relevant to our experiences in the present moment. This means inviting offerings and exchanges that honor the material needs of his energetic presence and livelihood — not in a conditional nor transactional way, but reflecting a tradition of reciprocity and universal balance similar to how you might leave food upon an altar for an ancestor. Giving and receiving are practices that embody the ethic of care that grounds Lama Rod’s work.
Therefore, your registration fees are one of the ways that Lama Rod is sustained so that he can continue his free and by-donation offerings such as Free Radicals, Medicine Buddha, and partnerships with organizations and schools to support their efforts. These offerings reflect our team’s commitment that no one be excluded from the teachings based upon their financial means. Those who register at the Pay-It-Forward price further increase accessibility by making financial assistance possible for those who need scholarships. Barter offerings and work exchanges are also welcome in some instances. Lama Rod believes that we can be well resourced while practicing an anti-capitalist ethic and is deeply grateful to be in a reciprocal relationship with you.
Having trouble with your registration?Â
Email [email protected] and we're happy to help. Â
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Registration Options
(select the offering below that best matches your ability to pay)
Become a member of Lama Rod's Practice & Learning Community and receive a 20% discount!
About the Teacher
Lama Rod Owens is a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. An international influencer with a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School. 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.
A leading voice in a new generation of Buddhist teachers with over 11 years of experience, Lama Rod activates the intersections of his identity to create a platform that’s very natural, engaging, and inclusive. Applauded for his mastery in balancing weighty topics with a sense of lightness, the Queen has been featured by various national and international news outlets.Â
Highly sought after for talks, retreats, and workshops, his mission is showing you how to heal and free yourself.
