On October 1, at the age of 69, Kenneth Kraft, a professor of Buddhist studies and author of several books on Buddhism, died. Kraft received a B.A. from Harvard University in 1971, followed by an M.A. in Asian Language and Cultures from the University of Michigan in 1978, and a Ph.D. in East Asian Studies from Princeton in 1984. Throughout his work, Kraft focused on [...]
About Sam Littlefair
Eve Ensler on Nobel Peace Prize Winner Denis Mukwege
"He moved me to my core," said the playwright about the Peace Prize Laureate in this 2014 conversation with bell hooks. In 2014, Eve Ensler and bell hooks spent an evening discussing patriarchy, activism, and dance at The New School in New York. In that conversation, Ensler discussed her experience meeting Congolese doctor Dennis Mukwege, who — along with activist Nadia [...]
Dalai Lama meets with survivors of abuse by Buddhist teachers
In the meeting, the Dalai Lama reportedly said that no Tibetan teacher is above the law. The Dalai Lama met with four survivors of abuse by Buddhist teachers on Friday. The meeting took place in the Netherlands, on the first day of His Holiness’s four-day tour of the country. “I am happy,” Oane Bijlsma, one of the meeting attendees, told Lion’s Roar in a phone call on [...]
Dalai Lama to meet with survivors of Buddhist teacher abuse
Twelve survivors of abuse by Buddhist teachers launched a petition for the meeting earlier this week. On Friday the Dalai Lama will meet with a delegation of survivors of abuse in Buddhist communities. The meeting will take place in the Netherlands, where the Dalai Lama is scheduled to give a public talk the following day. On Monday, a group of twelve survivors of [...]
Claire Wineland, Cystic Fibrosis activist, dies at age 21
Influenced by Buddhism, Wineland spoke openly about living with cystic fibrosis. Claire Wineland, an activist who lived with cystic fibrosis and was influenced by Buddhist practice, passed away Sunday evening. She was 21. Wineland dedicated her life to breaking down the stigma shrouding terminal illness and mortality. Her candid social media posts inspired millions, and [...]
Mindful Media Consumption
Each Friday, we share three topical longreads in our Weekend Reader newsletter. This week, LionsRoar.com editor Sam Littlefair asks: how can we find sanity in our dizzying media landscape? Sign up here to receive the Weekend Reader in your inbox. We live in a maelstrom of media. When I first wake up in the morning, I check Twitter on my phone. At the store, pop music [...]
San Francisco’s famed Zen hospice closes doors while seeking funding
The Zen Hospice Project guesthouse opened in 1990, during the height of the AIDS epidemic. The guesthouse of the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco saw its last patient in June. For more than a month, operations at the guesthouse have been suspended due to lack of funding. The project runs largely on donations, which have diminished in recent years as donors have [...]
Understanding Buddhist nationalism in Myanmar
Each Friday, we share three topical longreads in our Weekend Reader newsletter. This week, LionsRoar.com editor Sam Littlefair looks at the crisis in Myanmar. Sign up here to receive the Weekend Reader in your inbox. Most Buddhists are aware that there is a humanitarian crisis unfolding in Myanmar, a nation where almost 90% of the population is Buddhist. The United [...]
Heat maps illustrate the sacred routes of Buddhist pilgrims
In Strava's heat maps, the devotional movements of tired pilgrims become blazing symbols of sacred geography. Back in January, the fitness app Strava caused a stir when it released a global heat map of its users' fitness activity. The heat maps, meant to illustrate popular running routes, inadvertently revealed the locations of secret US military bases. But Jennifer Rowe, [...]
How to Read and Study Buddhist Teachings
There is such a wealth of Buddhist books and teachings to consume. Where do you start? Here are some tips on how to tackle your reading list. A lot of people think Buddhism is all about sitting in silence and finding inner wisdom. When you start practicing Buddhism, it’s easy to carry that stereotype onto your spiritual path. But any teacher will tell you: At some point on [...]
