We Need New Saints
Across traditions, "saints" are often envisioned as fully enlightened and as close to perfection as one can get.
But in this critical moment in history, Lama Rod Owens, an American Buddhist teacher and activist, says we need something different – we need "new saints."
He describes new saints as those who use modern day language, are focused on liberation and justice, embrace the complexity and nuance of identity and diversity, and are not afraid of taking risks and yet ARE afraid. They make mistakes and learn as they go.
He says this:
In traditional Buddhist mythology, the bodhisattva, or the Buddhist saint, can sound like a superhero, as if they are Wonder Woman, the Black Panther, Sailor Moon, or Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems. I believe that our modern understanding of superheroes is very much in line with the spirit of the Buddhist saint.
However, the notion of superpowers is distracting because the ultimate spiritual weapon of the Buddhist saint is not supernatural ability. Rather, the real superpower of the Buddhist saint is giving a shit—giving a shit is an expression of their bodhicitta, or their deep desire to help free people from suffering.
It wasn't their extraordinary powers that made them special. It was their dedication to helping people that made them extraordinary.
Lama Rod says the real magic of new saints is in carrying the "give a shit" energy of the old, while welding together two practices:
awakened care and joy for ourselves and others and
developing the capacity for intentional response, rather than habitual reaction.
He says the new saints we need are ordinary people – we can each be one – and through the embodiment of these practices, they "cultivate the transformative care" that "helps all beings get free."
📝 Questions:
When you think about "the world," what do you give a shit about? What about in your intimate communities? Does this energy manifest in a controlling way or an emboldening, enlivening, opening way? What actions are you taking to help others and yourself "get free?"
How are you (or how are you not) welding together the two practices Lama Rod mentions: awakened care and the capacity for intentional response, rather than habitual reaction? What stories of response can you think of in your life? How is that different from your stories of reaction?
🧰 Resources:
The New Saints by Lama Rod Owens (book)
Your Heart Was Made for This by Oren Jay Sofer (book)
"Response, Reaction, and Running on Autopilot" (previous edition of The Wednesday 123)
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