Buddhist teacher Judy Lief, who was present at 2015's Paris climate conference, takes a step back for some perspective. In December 2015, I witnessed firsthand an outpouring of inspiration at the Paris COP21 climate conference. Over one hundred countries sent representatives to talk about how to respond to the changing climate and its impact. In parallel to diplomatic [...]
About Judy Lief
Fear and Fearlessness: What the Buddhists Teach
So much of our suffering—as individuals and as a society—is caused by fear. In fact, according to Buddhism, fear is at the very root of ego and samsara. Four outstanding Buddhist teachers discuss the vital practice of working with our fears. Starting on the Path of Fear and Fearlessness By Judith Lief It helps to explore how we can work with fear from the point of view of [...]
How to Be a Bodhisattva
It may seem like an unattainable ideal, but you can start right now as a bodhisattva-in-training. All you need is the aspiration to put others first and some inspiration from helpful guides like the Buddhist teachers found here. ("How to Be a Bodhisattva" is also the cover theme of the Fall 2016 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly. We hope you'll check that out [...]
DIY Dharma: You Have Everything You Need
You have a mind, body, thoughts, and a natural bent toward awakening. From that great beginning, Buddhist teacher Judy Lief offers helpful guidelines for the path ahead of you. If you are inspired to establish a personal meditation practice or explore the Buddhist teachings, what is the best way to go about it? For many of us, it’s a very different path than it used to [...]
How to Transform Anger in 4 Steps
Using the traditional metaphor of the poison tree, Judy Lief teaches us four Buddhist techniques to work with our anger. According to Buddhist psychology, anger is one of the six root kleshas, the conflicting emotions that cause our suffering. Its companions are greed, ignorance, passion, envy, and pride. Anger can be white hot or freezing cold. Anger can be turned outward [...]
How Not to Freak Out
You're not alone if you despair about the present and fear for the future. If you find all the bad news overwhelming, Buddhist teacher Judy Lief has some meditations to help you relieve your political pain. How can Buddhist practice help us when we face troubled times, both collectively and individually? It’s not as if times of fear and despair are anything new. [...]
How to Be a Help
We may not be able to stop someone from dying or suffering pain, but we can still help through the honesty, compassion and presence of mind we bring to the situation. The key, says Buddhist teacher Judy Lief, is working with our own state of mind and attitudes toward death. In a stucco room in New Mexico, a group of women are gathered. They are awaiting the arrival of Sandra [...]
The Dharma of Distraction
It goes a lot deeper than how many times a day you check your phone. According to Buddhist teacher Judy Lief, distraction is the very foundation of ego, the way we protect ourselves against both the pain of life and the open space of awakened mind. You could even say that letting go of all distraction is the path to enlightenment. Distractions are everywhere, all the [...]
The Why and How of Lojong, or Mind Training
The teachings on mind training, or lojong, are an invaluable aid to practitioners because they show us how the wisdom and skillful means of the Mahayana can actually be put into action. They show us how to make it real. The lojong teachings include instruction in formless meditation, in the practice of “sending and taking” (tonglen), and in postmeditation practice—putting [...]
The Middle Way of Stress
Should stress always be avoided? Can it be productive? What are its symptoms and what is its cure? Buddhist teacher Judy Lief on what stress really is, and what the Buddhist teachings have to say about it. Life is stressful. Although some people claim that contemporary life is especially stressful, I am skeptical whether that is so. Living beings have always had to struggle [...]