ROME, Ga (AP) — Instead of traditional maroon and gold Tibetan Buddhist robes, Lama Rod Owens wore a white animal print cardigan over a bright yellow T-shirt with an image of singer Sade, an Africa-shaped medallion and mala beads — the most recognizable sign of his Buddhism. “Being a Buddhist or a spiritual leader, I got rid of trying to wear the part because it just wasn’t authentic to me,” said Owens, 44, who describes himself as a Black Buddhist Southern Queen. “For me, it’s not about looking like a Buddhist. It’s about being myself,” he said at his mother’s home in Rome, Georgia. “And I like color.” The Harvard Divinity School -educated lama and yoga teacher blends his training in the Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism with pop culture references and experiences from his life as a Black, queer man, raised in the South by his mother, a pastor at a Christian church. |
BMX racing world championships hit South Carolina with Olympic berths on the lineNetflix announces hit show will be axed after just two seasonsFrancis Ford Coppola debuts 'Megalopolis' in Cannes, and the reviews are inLeonardo DiCaprio's girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, 25, oils up for a racy Marc Jacobs campaignChina's tech firm Huawei hosts roundtable on cybersecurity in DubaiSen. Bob Menendez reveals his wife has breast cancer as his trial focuses on FBI raid of his homeWembanyama headlines France's preliminary roster for Paris Olympics basketball tournamentBarry Keoghan joins young coBBC comedy with Baby Reindeer star Jessica Gunning will return to screens in just a matter of weeksWill Smith calls estranged wife Jada Pinkett Smith one of his 'ride