In the second episode of the Sacred Dialogues on Racial Justice podcast project, Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad sheds light on how Buddhism and Black Radical Tradition come together. She also explores how they factor into the pursuit of racial justice in the context of love and spiritual transformation.

 Dr. Rima is a member of our Racial Justice Praxis Project. She is also a visiting professor of Buddhism and Black Studies at Union Theological Seminary. Dr. Rima leads retreats, teaches classes, and writes books, including Racial Purity and Dangerous Bodies: Moral Pollution, Black Lives, and the Struggle for Justice. This is all done in the pursuit of practicing a life centered on the peaceful, loving, and transformative pursuit of racial justice.

 In this episode, Dr. Rima weaves together two key areas of her life and experience. She provides observations on the path to Buddhism, how that religion has supported activists, and what Buddhism means in the context of Black Radical Tradition. Along with theories and concepts, Dr. Rima shares specific practices, including Metta or “Compassion Practice,” and emphasizes the importance of identifying the stages and cycles of spiritual practice, love, and racial justice in the context of daily life.


Sacred Dialogues on Racial Justice is a podcast project by the Fetzer Institute. The series sparks conversations surrounding racial justice and sacred love and seeks to discover the common threads of faith, spirituality, and the pursuit of shared flourishing. It does this by bringing together spiritual leaders to share their wisdom, experiences, and stories at the intersection of love, racial justice, and spiritual transformation. Upcoming episodes include interviews with two more members of our Racial Justice Praxis Project team: Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., and Rev. Khary Bridgewater. Together, we build a spiritual foundation for a loving world. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the conversation on our YouTube channel, @FetzerOrg.

In Episode 1 of the Sacred Dialogues on Racial Justice podcast project, Angela Oh shares her insights on living out a life focused on love, racial justice, and spiritual transformation. Along with serving as a member of our Racial Justice Praxis Project, Angela specializes in dispute resolution practices and is one of two principals (along with Ying MingTu) who oversee the Gift of Compassion program. Also called GoCompassion, the Gift of Compassion seeks to create spaces for individuals and communities to heal. This started through activities such as hosting mediation and healing circles. More recently, the group also supports refugee support, helping hundreds of under-served, underrepresented, and under-resourced migrants from Central America and the Caribbean find shelter, healing, and hope along the Southern California border. In this episode, Angela digs deep into her past to provide examples of stories (both personal and of others) that demonstrate how serious racialized violence has become across the world community. These sobering accounts are balanced by Angela’sown analysis of the Sacred, finding the Dao or turning point, and what it looks like to apply beliefs to spiritual practices.


Sacred Dialogues on Racial Justice is a podcast project by the Fetzer Institute. The series sparks conversations surrounding racial justice and sacred love and seeks to discover the common threads of faith, spirituality, and the pursuit of shared flourishing. It does this by bringing together spiritual leaders to share their wisdom, experiences, and stories at the intersection of love, racial justice, and spiritual transformation. Upcoming episodes include interviews with two more members of our Racial Justice Praxis Project team: Dr. Rima Vesely-Flad, Ph.D., and Rev. Khary Bridgewater. Together, we build a spiritual foundation for a loving world. Listen now on your favorite podcast platform or watch the conversation on our YouTube channel, @FetzerOrg.

In Episode 3, Season 1 of the Shared Sacred Story podcast project, we sit down with the Team Leader of our Scholar-Practitioners Hindu Team. Laura M. Dunn, Ph.D. to explore the concept of Nondual Tantric Śaiva traditions.

Laura is the director of programs at the Jesuit School of Theology (Berkley). She is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Dharma Studies, which focuses on the application of Hindu, Jain, and Buddhist traditions. Along with her academic and professional qualifications, Laura draws on her diverse background of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, and Jewish cultures to share early life experiences and how her familial and cultural ties have shaped her spiritual worldview.

From defining key concepts, like Tantra and Aloha Aina, to considering important influences in life and finding the Sacred in the Mundane, Laura uses her scholarly and personal knowledge to shed light on the goal of Tantric tradition and its role as a reflection of sacred unity in diversity.

In Episode 2, Season 1 of the Shared Sacred Story podcast project, we visit with the Co-Leader of our Scholar-Practitioners Buddhist Team, Ruben Habito, to explore his experience throughout a life spent studying, demonstrating, and teaching Zen Buddhism.

Ruben studied in Japan under Zen master Yamada Koun Roshi and taught Sacred Theology at Sophia University in Tokyo. Currently, he is a Professor of World Religions and Spirituality at Perkins School of Theology and is the guiding teacher of the Maria Kannon Zen Center in Dallas.

In the conversation, Ruben shares deep insights from his Spiritual journey, one that started as a Jesuit and ended as a practitioner of Zen and a Buddhist scholar. He examines the Question of the Sacred, explores the “why” of things, and makes key differentiations between loneliness and solitude.

In Episode 1, Season 1 of the Shared Sacred Story podcast project, we connect with the Co-Leader of our Scholar Practitioners Sikh Team, Munpreet Kaur to examine the role that generation devotion and spiritual heritage play in life.

Munpreet is a media and communications professional and a qualified drama and movement therapist. She is also a practicing Sikh and part of a large family that hails from both India and Kenya. This, along with her interests in the arts, religion, philosophy, and psychology, allows Munpreet to bring a rich and deep perspective to intergenerational spirituality.

From the role of music in the Sikh faith to grief serving as a catalyst for the Divine, Munpreet’s informed and experienced opinions, stories, and life lessons provide a powerful window into how the Sacred and one’s spiritual heritage influence everyday life.

Shared Sacred Story is a podcast project by the Fetzer Institute. The series brings together faith leaders from diverse traditions to share wisdom, experiences, and stories that connect us all.
Together, we can build the spiritual foundation for a more loving world.