The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde

What does it mean to survive — and still be fully alive?

A 6-week series rooted in Black Buddhist wisdom | Tuesdays, Sept. 1–Oct. 6, 2026 | 12:00–1:30pm ET | Online

James Baldwin and Audre Lorde lived inside some of the most brutal conditions this country has produced: racism, homophobia, patriarchy, erasure. And they did not go numb. They wrote with fire. They loved fiercely. They stayed present.

This self-guided course treats them not as historical figures but as ancestors — teachers who left behind a living dharma of resilience, fortitude, presence, and joy. We'll read their work as spiritual practice. We'll ask what they can offer us right now, when the conditions they wrote about haven't gone away.

This is for people who are tired, activated, grieving — and still showing up. It's for anyone who a way of being in the midst of violence and chaos: steady, responsive, and capable of resting. It is for people who seek - and find and offer - refuge.

What's included

• 8 recorded dharma talks, 2 guided meditations, and 6 reflection prompts

• Access to all dharma talks, meditations, and prompts with a single registration

Schedule (all times Eastern)

• Tuesday, September 1, 2026 — 12:00 ET: Course information made live.

Pricing

Registration covers the full self-guided series. Sliding scale: $149–$300. Please pay what feels generous but not painful to you right now. Donating any amount truly helps keep this work going.

5 pay-what-you-can spots available — first come, first served.

We take care of each other.

Overview of Dharma Talks:

• Introduction

• The Fact of Suffering. Why we start here, and what it means to look clearly at what is.

• Impermanence and Death. What Baldwin and Lorde teach us about loss, time, and the refusal to look away.

• Causes and Conditions. Understanding the roots of suffering — personal and systemic — without despair.

• Anger and Compassion. How to hold both. Why anger is not the opposite of love.

• Sensual Power. Lorde's erotics as spiritual practice. The body as a site of knowing, not just surviving.

• What we owe each other. What we're building together.

About your teacher

I am the Founding Director of the Initiative for Black Buddhist Studies and a Research Fellow at the Institute of Buddhist Studies. I am the author of The Fire Inside: The Dharma of James Baldwin and Audre Lorde (North Atlantic Books, 2026), among two other books. A twice-awarded Fulbright Scholar, I have spent my career bringing together Black radical thought, contemplative practice, and the wisdom of ancestors — and making it accessible beyond the walls of academia.

What folks say

"Dr. Rima is a thoughtful, loving and heart-centered educator. She authentically embodies intellectual rigor and spiritual care at the highest level. In every class, Dr. Rima seamlessly impacts every register: heart, mind, body and soul. She is one of the most nurturing, yet profound teachers I have had the honor of learning from."

— Steff Reed, Union Theological Seminary