Uplifting Black Nichiren Buddhist Voices

Listening to the transformative experiences of Black Nichiren Buddhists in this podcast series reminds us that Black people have confronted extraordinary levels of oppression over centuries and have survived. These practitioners ask, ‘how do we confront this onslaught beyond expressing fear and outrage?’We are encouraged by these practitioners—by their wisdom and stamina, by their singing and chanting, by their emphasis on joy.Supported by the Crossroads Project funded by the Henry J. Luce Foundation, as well as the Frederick Lenz Foundation and the Fetzer Institute. Produced by Sandra Hannebohm, founder of Twice as Good Media.

“Nam Myoho Renge Kyo,” the title of the Lotus Sutra, is also known as the Daimoku. In this episode, Rima Vesely-Flad speaks with a decades-long practitioner of Nichiren Buddhism, Jacci Thompson-Dodd, about the significance of chanting and other practices of the association, Buddhists of African Descent.Jacci Thompson-Dodd has practiced Nichiren Buddhism for 50 years. She supports women healing from life-altering illness and trauma. Thrivorship®, her nationally recognized program for breast cancer survivors, has been offered by cancer centers and organizations across the country.

This and the next three episodes feature conversations with members of the association, Buddhists of African Descent (aka BAD) which engages in connecting traditional systems of African spirituality with the basic tenets and principles of Nichiren Buddhism. Thembi is one of the founding co-architects of BAD. She speaks with Rima Vesely-Flad about the significance of Buddhahood for herself and other Black practitioners in America.Thembi (Valerie Geaither) is professor emerita at Metropolitan State University in Minneapolis, where for 25 years she was a professor of Education Philosophy and Family Studies, as well as a co-director of the Center for Community Based Education, Learning and Research. She was also a catalyst in establishing the university’s School of Urban Education.

One tenet of Nichiren Buddhism known as “faith in action” is used consistently in the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin, the founder of the tradition. The use of the word “faith,” though seldom associated with Buddhism, has helped a number of practitioners in the West make connections between their Christian heritage and their Buddhist practice. Ben Harris, is one such practitioner who has made the connections between seemingly very different religious traditions.Ben Harris is a former student of Rima Vesely-Flad, and a recent graduate of Union Theological Seminary's Inaugural Master of Social Justice Program. He is former military officer living in the DC Metro area, and has practiced Nichiren Buddhism for nine years.

The distinctive teachings of Nichiren Buddhism are deeply compelling for Black practitioners throughout the United States. To start this exploration of the significance of this practice for Black Americans, Rima Vesely-Flad speaks with Dr. Ralph Craig about the famous Black Buddhist singer Tina Turner, and her relationship to Nichiren practices such as chanting the Lotus Sutra.Dr. Ralph Craig is the author of Dancing In My Dreams: A Spiritual Biography of Tina Turner. He is an interdisciplinary scholar of religion, whose research focuses on South Asian Buddhism and American Buddhism.