Modern Tantric Buddhism Embodiment and Authenticity in Dharma Practice

An essential guide for practitioners and teachers to an inclusive form of tantra that directly confrontssystems of power and abuse as a path to liberation
—From the foreword by Lama Rod Owens, MDiv, coauthor of Radical Dharma

Today, a new generation of Buddhists searches for ways to adopt Vajrayana while staying true to its historical legacy. Modern Tantric Buddhism unpacks the principles and applications of this esoteric practice in an accessible and meaningful manner, connecting its roots to a socially engaged, modern-day dharma. Taking a traditional Tibetan pedagogical approach, Lama Justin von Bujdoss divides the book into three thematic sections: Body, as it applies to physicality and embodiment; Speech, or ethical action; and Mind, the context of awakening. Von Bujdoss challenges assumptions about what it means to be a socially engaged Buddhist, and presents Tantra as an ideal vehicle for critically examining today's most pressing social issues while confronting the structural inequities of patriarchy, sexism, colonialism, and racism within Buddhist institutions.

Justin von Bujdoss is an American Buddhist teacher and chaplain. He was ordained as a repa in the Karma Kamstang tradition of Tibetan Buddhism by His Eminence Goshir Gyaltsab Rinpoche in 2011 and given the name Repa Dorje Odzer. Justin is passionate about the preservation of the tantric Buddhist tradition in a way that meets the needs of, and simultaneously challenges, the modern western way of life. From 2012 until 2017 Justin served as the resident-lama and executive director of New York Tsurphu Goshir Dharma Center and is presently the first dedicated Staff Chaplain for the New York City Department of Correction. In March 2018 Justin was appointed Executive Director of the Division of Chaplaincy and Staff Wellness for New York City Department of Correction and leads all wellness initiatives for the agency.