Archives: BD Articles
The Buddha Would Have Believed You
In too many Buddhist communities, women have not been believed when revealing harm caused by men. Bhikkhu Sujato looks to the Vinaya and finds another approach.
The Time for Black Sanghas Has Arrived
Vimalasara (Valerie) Mason-John explores the obstacles and opportunities presented by all-Black sanghas.
You Can Take Refuge Right Here
Paul Condon draws on traditional Buddhism and Western psychology to show how the act of taking refuge is available to us in every moment, wherever we are.
Reclaiming Our So-Called “Cultural Baggage”
Asian American Buddhist communities have for years been dismissed by “convert” Buddhists for carrying “cultural baggage.” Nalika Gajaweera says the response should not be to let it go but to claim it as a mark of cultural responsibility.
Spiritual Friendship Is the Path
Each one of us, says David Viafora, can be a kalyana mitra, or “spiritual friend.” Here’s how.
The Jewel We Make
How do we take refuge in sangha? Former Buddhadharma editor Koun Franz, it’s all about embracing change.
The Building Blocks of Belonging
According to Willa Blythe Baker, making a strong, healthy community starts with understanding how it is constructed.
Nibbana Is Giving Up, Letting Go, and Being Free
Ajahn Chah explains some of Buddhism's most important principles, including nirvana, samadhi, and why it's important to "Be really careful!"
The Four Immeasurables Leave Nothing Untouched
If you don’t want your happiness to impede that of someone else, says Vanessa Zuisei Goddard, practice the four immeasurables.
To Walk Proudly as Buddhist Women: An Interview with Dhammananda Bhikkhuni
Cindy Rasicot interviews Dhammananda Bhikkhuni, Thailand’s first fully ordained Theravada nun, on women's ordination, feminism, the role of monastics in society, and more.
Your Whole Body is Hands and Eyes
Ejo McMullen on the total response of Avalokiteshvara — with a thousand arms, an eye on the palm of each hand — as the model of the bodhisattva path.
Deconstructing Whiteness
Joy Brennan shows how Yogacara teachings reveal whiteness as a constructed identity—and how they offer a path through it, to bodhisattva activity.
Motherhood Is More Than a Metaphor
Sarah Jacoby examines how even though mothering has been held up in Buddhist teachings as a model of compassion, actual mothering has never gotten much respect.
The Outer Limits of Attention
Ken Kessel on how we, as Buddhist practitioners, should pay attention — even to the things we’re not paying attention to.
Behind “the Global Goenka”
Lauren Leve reviews "S. N. Goenka: Emissary of Insight" by Daniel M. Stuart.
Acknowledging Buddhism’s South Asian Roots
Vishnu Sridharan points out a blind spot in Western Buddhism — South Asia is exorcized, while Buddhism’s origins in South Asian culture are ignored.
Sangha Is More than a Community
Thich Nhat Hanh explains that sangha is more than a community, it’s a deep spiritual practice.
You’re Ready Enough
Wherever you find yourself, says Pema Khandro, that’s the starting point of the bodhisattva path—all you need to do is take that first step.
The Benefits of Walking Meditation
Walking meditation, says Sayadaw U Silananda, reflects the Buddha’s injunction to practice mindfulness while in all the four postures, and in all the activities of our lives.
59 Ways to Turn Your Mind Around
The way to bodhicitta, the mind of compassion, is marked by the fifty-nine lojong slogans. Gaylon Ferguson points us in the right direction.