In this commentary from the Fall 2018 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly, Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on the idea of "wise hope" and why we should open ourselves to it. A good part of my life has been spent relating to situations that might be deemed hopeless—as an anti-war activist, a civil rights worker, a caregiver of dying people. I have also [...]
Life on the Edge
Buddhist teacher Joan Halifax describes five “edge states” where courage meets fear and freedom meets suffering. I have a small cabin in the mountains of New Mexico where I spend time whenever I can. It is located in a deep valley in the heart of the Sangre de Cristo Range. It’s a strenuous hike from my cabin up to the ridge at more than twelve thousand feet above sea [...]
Help When Your Heart Breaks
Caring for people who are suffering is a loving, even heroic calling, but it takes a toll. Roshi Joan Halifax teaches this five-step program to care for yourself while caring for others. In the early morning, a weary man dressed in tattered clothes walked into a rural Himalayan mountain hospital with a grimy, reeking bundle in his arms. I was in Nepal serving in one of [...]
What Happens When a Government Loses Its Compassion?
Without compassion, everyone is worse off. Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax comments on the Trump administration's family separation policy. What happens when a government loses its moral footing? When elected officials seem to be operating without integrity? When our politicians and their officials lack any semblance of compassion? These questions have been burning in me [...]
Stand Against Suffering: A Call to Action by Buddhist Teachers
Thirteen prominent teachers explain why Buddhists need to be be politically engaged at this crucial time in the country’s history, in this statement published in Lion’s Roar magazine and co-signed by more than 140 Buddhist leaders. As long as a society protects the vulnerable among them, they can be expected to prosper and not decline. —The Buddha, in the Mahaparinirvana [...]
The Dalai Lama, Heart of Compassion
In the July 2017 issue of Lion’s Roar, 12 leading teachers, writers, and activists reflect on why we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever. Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on personal moments with him that exemplified his compassion and wisdom. During a talk on compassion I gave at a neuroscience meeting, I shared with the Dalai Lama some words from a clinician who [...]
And Yet, Dogs Find Me
"Life," as George Carlin once mused, "is a series of dogs." In this excerpt from the new book The Dharma of Dogs, Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax recalls her good fortune with four-legged friends. One winter, I went to Tres Piedras in New Mexico to cross-country ski with friends. Ken, part of our ski gang, had a dog, Hey Girl, who had birthed a litter the month before. [...]
May We Be Safe
In this personal story of waking up on the spot, Joan Halifax recalls a lesson that won’t be forgotten. Years ago, I worked as a volunteer on Death Row and maximum security in the prison system of New Mexico. During this time, I developed a curriculum for mental training for “guests of the correction system.” It was a twenty-week program, which included [...]
A New Democracy
From koans to politics, this is from Upaya Zen Center's weekly newsletter. It's part one of Joan Halifax's teaching, A New Democracy: The Koan of Servant Leadership, which she gave on January 21, 2009 at Upaya Zen Center. About a thousand years ago in China, the interactions between Zen teachers and students began to be collected. These interactions were called koans which [...]
