Love and Rage: The Path of Liberation through Anger

Using the power of anger as a positive and necessary tool for achieving spiritual liberation and social change

For many Buddhists, anger is often thought of as a root cause for suffering and lasting, negative repercussions. In American culture at large, anger--particularly among people of color--is delegitimized and demonized, and can even be dangerous. Social activist and Kagyu Lama Rod Owens offers a different understanding. For Owens, the coauthor of Radical Dharma, anger is one of the most important aspects of his personal identity as a Buddhist, social activist, Black American, and gay man. When denied or repressed, unconscious anger can have a negative impact with destructive consequences. But when recognized and used mindfully, it can be a positive source of vitality, courage, and dedication as well as a powerful mobilizing factor in our solidarity and commitment to enacting social change. What is needed, says Owens, is a relationship to the heartbreak of anger that is embodied, nondestructive, and deeply healing for all. Here he offers personal insights, stories, as well as Buddhist teachings and meditations for tapping into anger's liberating potential.