November 5, 2017
3:00 PM - 11:00 PM
The retreat will feature periods of sitting and walking meditation and dharma talks. A vegetarian lunch will be served.
Practicing Unsafe Dharma: Ethics, Sex, and the Bodhisattva Attitude
Americans live in a culture that is inundated with sexual images but has at the same time failed to develop sex positivity. As dharma practitioners, we are called to cultivate awareness in order to eventually achieve enlightenment. For those of us dedicated to the Bodhisattva attitude, we are called to awaken in order to wake others up. All this talk and practice becomes complicated when we consider our sexual lives. Our deep embodied shame around sex and sexuality, coupled with traumas around sexual violence, makes our relationship to sex complicated and when we attempt to align our spiritual aspirations with our sexual realities, it seems impossible. This retreat is for anyone, Buddhist or non-Buddhist, who is interested in doing the work of undoing sex and body shame and seeing this vital and beautiful work as the manifestation of the Bodhisattva Vow. We will engage in radical dharma by taking up basic Buddhist ethics and placing them in conversation with both traditional and contemporary Buddhist sexual ethics and then set them beside radical black feminist thought and queer theory to understand a new ethics of sex and body grounded in compassion, self-care, and radical presence. This space is for all people wanting open, frank, and direct dialogue.
Retreat cost: Sustaining $90 / Base $75 / Members $45
BZC offers retreats on a sliding scale basis to allow participants to pay according to individual means. Please consider giving at our sustaining rate, which directly supports inclusive community attendance on this retreat.
Registration is now closed. Click here to be added to the waiting list.
Partial scholarships are available for retreats such as this one. Scholarship applications for this retreat are now closed.
Please note our cancellation policy: To request a refund for this event, you must notify BZC in writing at least one week before the beginning of the course or event. Refunds are issued for any and all cancellations up to seven days before an event less a $10 processing fee. Less than seven days before an event, we do not offer refunds. There are no refunds for events with registration fees under $50.
About Lama Rod
Lama Rod Owens is the Guiding Teacher for the Radical Dharma Boston Collective and teaches with Inward Bound Mindfulness Education (iBme) where he is also a faculty member for the organization’s teacher training program. He holds a Master of Divinity degree in Buddhist Studies from Harvard Divinity School with a focus on the intersection of social change, identity, and spiritual practice. He is a co-author of “Radical Dharma, Talking Race, Love, and Liberation,” which explores race in the context of American Buddhist communities. He has been published and featured in several publications including Buddhadharma, Lion’s Roar, Tricycle, The Harvard Divinity Bulletin, and Spirit Magazine. He has offered talks, retreats, and workshops for many organizations and universities including New York University, Yale University, Harvard University, Tufts University, University of Vermont, and Boston College. Lama Rod is also a visiting teacher/contributing teacher with Natural Dharma Fellowship and the Brooklyn Zen Center. Lama Rod facilitates undoing patriarchy workshops for male identified practitioners in Brooklyn and Boston and his current writing project is an exploration of intersectional masculinity and spirituality. Lama Rod was officially recognized and authorized as a lama by the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism.
Access Notes: There is one short flight of stairs leading to the entrance to the building. Please press 3-0 to be buzzed in. The center is located at the top of a steeper second staircase of 28 steps. A ramp and elevator are available via an alternate entrance; please email in advance if you need access. Chairs, benches, and extra support cushions are available. We are not yet a fragrance-free space; our hand soap is scented with essential oils. If you have any additional questions about accessibility, please contact us at info@brooklynzen.org.