A letter dated July 14, 2017 and signed by current and ex-members of Rigpa, the international network of centers and groups founded by Sogyal Rinpoche in 1979, has been posted on the internet, detailing abuses allegedly committed by Sogyal Rinpoche. [UPDATE: On Friday afternoon, July 21, Lion's Roar received from Rigpa a press release in response to the letter. Read "Rigpa [...]
About Sam Littlefair
How do you text “I’m meditating”?
How do you say "I'm busy developing insight into the nature of mind," in a text? Soon, you'll be able to say it the same way it seems everything is communicated in 2017: with an emoji. For World Emoji Day on Monday, Apple released a preview of its forthcoming emojis, including a meditator emoji. Predicts my colleague, LionsRoar.com assistant editor Lilly Greenblatt, "This is [...]
“Ice stupas” bring water to drought-stricken villages of Northern India
Traditional Buddhist monuments are bringing life to a Himalayan community grappling with climate change. Villagers in Northern India have invented a way to fight drought, inspired by traditional Buddhist architecture. Each winter since 2013, the people of Phyang, Ladakh, have built stupas — traditional Buddhist monuments — made out of ice. When the whether warms and [...]
Watch ‘Reactor,’ the 2013 documentary that recounts the late Michael Stone’s pilgrimage to Fukushima
In the wake of the 2011 tsunami and Fukushima disaster, Buddhist teacher Michael Stone visited Japan on a "pilgrimage of inquiry." He was accompanied by filmmaker Ian MacKenzie. The short film Reactor is an account of that trip. The film looks at Buddhism's Bodhisattva Vow, and explores, "how and why we can let go of old stories, and move towards personal and social [...]
How Would a Buddhist Monk Solve the Classic “Trolley Problem”?
Facing the dilemma of letting five people die or killing one instead, what is "right action"? A trolley is coming down the tracks, and it’s going to hit five people. You have the option to flip a switch to divert the trolley to a different set of tracks, where it will hit one person. Do you hit the switch, dooming one person while saving five? Let’s try a different [...]
Rinchen Dharlo retires as president of Tibet Fund
Rinchen Dharlo, the president of the Tibet Fund, is retiring after 30 years with organization. Dharlo also served as the North American representative for the Tibetan government-in-exile. He will be succeeded by Lobsang Nyandak, who currently serves as the executive director of the fund. In a letter, Dharlo wrote, "I have worked to the best of my ability with sincere [...]
Buddhist Museum opens in Niagara Falls, Canada
To mark its 50th anniversary, the Buddhist Association of Canada has opened a museum of Buddhism in Niagara Falls, Ontario. The museum is housed in a seven-story pagoda, the association's Ten Thousand Buddhas Sarira Stupa. It houses Buddhist artifacts and memorabilia from China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Tibet, including a 7-tonne bronze Buddha statue and 2,200 8-inch Buddha [...]
Gyalwang Drukpa, head of Drukpa school of Buddhism, receives honorary Oxford fellowship
The Gyalwang Drukpa, the head of the Drukpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, was awarded an honorary fellowship by the University of Oxford's Wolfson College on Friday. The award was "in recognition of his tireless commitment to cultural preservation in the Himalayas." The college had previously established a scholarship in the name of His Holiness. The Drukpa Lineage is the [...]
Tsadra Foundation launches online library of Tibetan texts
The Tsadra Foundation has launched a new website that offers free access to hundreds of Tibetan Buddhist texts. The foundation, a New York-based nonprofit, seeks to support the study and practice of Tibetan Buddhism, taking inspiration from the Tibetan teacher Jamgön Kongtrul. The new website, called "Timeless Treasuries," offers free downloads of eBooks that have been [...]
13 Buddhist Apps to Help Recognize You Don’t Really Need a Buddhist iPhone App
Sam Littlefair learns why there are so few Buddhist apps and how — even if they're not totally necessary — they might help you on your spiritual journey. I select Stop, Breathe & Think on my iPad, and the app opens to a friendly drawing of a meditator, next to a large “Begin” button, which I tap. I’m swept into my guided meditation. Close your eyes, reads the next [...]