Rod Meade Sperry

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche will lead the ceremony and offer a free public teaching on Guru Rinpoche on Saturday, July 25. These events will take place both onsite at the Center and broadcast live online via Zoom.

Rod Meade Sperry introduces the May 2026 issue of Lion's Roar.

No one was injured but the zendo was completely lost to the fire, as well as some of the library.

"One never fully realizes the strength of community until a time of need," writes the BCS in response to the care of its sangha and neighbors.

"Everything that she did was for the Dharma and for saving sentient beings," writes her community.

He was the author of the classic biography, Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunyru Suzuki, as well as Thank You and OK: An American Zen Failure in Japan, and, most recently, Tassajara Stories.

The ceremony will be viewable by livestream via the BZC website.

The exhibit will run from February 13 through June 7, featuring imagery of the Dalai Lama, whom Rima Fujita considers her principal teacher.

«El objetivo principal de esta edición en español es ofrecer a todos los hispanohablantes, independientemente de si conocen el inglés o no, la oportunidad de aprender tibetano y apreciar sus matices sin tener que recurrir a materiales en otros idiomas», afirma la traductora Ana Carla Vergara Calvar.

Lion’s Roar joins our friends and colleagues across the world in reflecting with gratitude upon the life and work of Robert H. N. Ho. 

“The main purpose of this Spanish edition is to offer all Spanish speakers — whether they know English or not — the opportunity to learn Tibetan and appreciate its nuances without relying on materials in other languages," says translator Ana Carla Vergara Calvar.

The professional interfaith chaplain and committed Buddhist practitioner behind the site explains its impetus and structure.

"I hereby reiterate that the Gaden Phodrang Trust [Office of the Dalai Lama] has sole authority to recognize the future reincarnation," he writes. "No one else has any such authority to interfere in this matter."

The community's temple, Sensouji, will be the first in Canada to hold these ceremonies, which will be attended in person by about twenty Soto Zen priests from Canada, the US, and Japan.

On Sunday, Upaya Zen Center posted an update: "Roshi’s mitral valve is still not working properly. ….they need to re-operate on her valve before any more scarring happens."

Mahdawi’s case has found support in some corners of the Buddhist community, most notably in via letters from mostly American Zen teachers as well as from Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi. 

It is the first media interview with Mahdawi — the detained student activist and former president of Columbia University’s Buddhist Association — or any of the students detained by the Trump administration.

The letters include a “Demand for Immediate Release of Mohsen Mahdawi and Other Unlawfully Detained Individuals," and a letter of testimony.

The Buddhist Council of New York and the Columbia University Buddhist Association have both called for the release of Mohsen Mahdawi, the former president of the C.U.B.A., who is facing deportation.

On March 28, a 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar, impacting numerous Buddhist sites.

“As Buddhists, we are called upon to witness, respond to, and resist the ongoing systematic destruction of norms and institutions that allow free societies to flourish,” the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy’s Call to Action reads.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama remembered his influential brother and advisor as "a good man who did his best for the Tibetan cause."

The monastery announced the news via a statement released January 8.

Senauke was a musician, writer, and a major contributor to the Buddhist world, involved in the work of Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and the Clear View Project, focused on affecting social change in Asia. In addition to being a writer and musician, Senauke was a major contributor to the Buddhist world and the work of Buddhist Peace Fellowship, the International Network of Engaged Buddhists, and the Clear View Project, focused on affecting social change in Asia.

"It's comforting to have nurses putting eyes on him in person," writes Senauke's wife, Laurie.

Here are some organizations that can make the most of any funds or energy you might be able to contribute.

The subject of the ceremony was longtime Vajra Vidya Retreat Center resident, Amanda Atwood of Harare, Zimbabwe.

"If the practice of Zen meditation is translated into a national practice beyond our Buddhist community," says Monk Jin Woo, "humanity will surely undergo a great transformation.”

Buddhadharma’s Rod Meade Sperry and Mariana Restrepo talk to Namchak Foundation “Compassion in Action” program Fellow Saulkdi Yangh about his experience with the program.

Leading writer and activist Rebecca Solnit on Buddhist wisdom and a better world.

Peter Coyote looks back at his life in the arts, activism, politics, and Zen.