book review: the new saints — from broken hearts to spiritual warriors
25 Aug 2024
The New Saints: From Broken Hearts to Spiritual Warriors by Lama Rod Owens
What are the main ideas?
- although sainthood is positioned today as an impossible goal, it is wholly possible to be as a saint would be (a new saint, if you will) by tending to ones inner work and outer work and letting that work speak for itself so much so that others around you identify you as a saint
- one of the key parts of the work of being a new saint is to find what work is uniquely yours to do and then do it relentlessly. that means coming back to it when you get knocked off of it, which will happen without a question
- “saints are people from various spiritual and religious traditions who have deeply embodied lovea nd compassion and whose embodiment has inspired countless others to aspire to that same practice.” new saints are people who do that but in this era.
- new saints are committed to the work of liberation but who follow through with that commitment without bypassing any part of their experience or the experience of others.
- the new saint is a prophet who reveals what is happening right here and right now.
- the capacity to do awakened care is critical to being a new saint. one definition of awakened care is your capacity to embody the realization “that everything in my life can be aligned with not just my personal liberation but the liberation of all beings.”
If I implemented one idea from this book right now, which one would it be?
practice liberatory self-care: “understanding what i need and then understanding how to get what i need while offering others what they need.”
How would I describe the book to a friend?
this book is a spiritual tome and not for the faint of heart! if you’ve been following along lama rod’s writing journey and reading everything along the way, this book still might give you a run for your money and attention. but you will definitely have a leg up if you’re well-practiced with some of his specific practice offerings (like SNOELL). if you’re feeling grounded, spacious, and willing to be with the practices, this book is gold. this book feels to me like the product of a lot inner work translated for others. each of the different elements (ex: the four sweet liberations, the 3 levels of freedom, prayer, patriarchy, etc, the four yogas of the new saint, the three great streams of awakened care, etc etc) could be its own spiritual text. i had to work to take this book real slow and really digest before moving on. and, honestly, i probably should go back and relook at it piece by piece. there’s so much good stuff in here and each piece really deserves significant attention.
all that said, if you’re willing to take this text seriously, spiritual sainthood within reach and that’s not an exaggeration.
reminder: book review structure
words / writing / post-processing
490w / 21min / 8min