Archives: BD Articles
The Buddhist Science of Mind
Michael Sheehy reviews "Science and Philosophy in Indian and Buddhist Classics, Vol. 2: The Mind."
How Do We Create Our Reality?
According to Yogacara, or “mind-only” teachings, everything we experience is a construct of consciousness. Guo Gu explains how it all works.
Consciousness Is Perfectly Clear
An excerpt from "Science and Philosophy in the Indian Buddhist Classics, Volume 2: The Mind" on Buddhist understandings of consciousness.
The Mind That Knows Itself
Until we begin to make the distinction between observing thoughts and observing the knowing mind, writes Ayya Dhammapida, "we have not yet begun to study or to experience the mind directly."
We’ve Been Here All Along
Funie Hsu says it’s time we recognize Asian American Buddhists and address the racism that marginalizes their ongoing role in the dharma in the West.
Wherever We Find Ourselves on the Path
The opening commentary from the Spring 2021 issue of Buddhadharma.
Pointing Beyond Words
Newly translated works by the renowned Korean poet Ko Un offer powerful glimpses into the human condition and the paradoxes of the Buddhist path.
What’s Daoism Got to Do with It?
Livia Kohn reviews "China Root: Daoism, Chan, and Original Zen by David Hinton."
Welcome to the Charnel Ground
Chöying Khandro takes us on a tour of Chöd, where we visit the places we don’t want to go and offer ourselves up to the things that frighten us the most.
The Promise and Peril of Spiritual Authority
Gina Sharpe, Roshi Pat Enkyo O’Hara, and Pilar Jennings examine spiritual power, the roots of its abuse, and how we might learn to hold it differently going forward.
How can I frame my dharma practice in more positive terms?
Satya Robyn, Harry Um, and Valerie Brown discuss the "positive" and "negative" focuses of Buddhist practice.
Our Traditions Can — and Must — Change
Even as we uphold tradition, says Justin von Bujdoss, we also have to leave room for it to grow.
Buddhadharma Book Briefs for Winter 2020
Joie Szu-Chiao Chen reviews "Praise of Great Compassion" by the Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron, "America’s Racial Karma" by Larry Ward, "Reading the Buddha’s Discourses in Pali" by Bhikkhu Bodhi, and more.
Everything Is Enlightenment
Enlightenment is everywhere we look, says Joan Sutherland — we can choose to notice it, but at the same time, we can also trust that it will find us, wherever we are.
The Complete Practice
Pamela White completes eight cycles of the intense purification process known as nyoungne, and finds it a joyous experience.
This Is the Origin, This Is the Cessation
Teachings on the Four Noble Truths from Handful of Leaves, Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s new translations of selected suttas from the Pali Canon.
Our Path Is Limitless and Vast
While women may feel constrained by Buddhist institutions, the dharma itself poses no such limitations, says Joan Sutherland.
Revisiting the Traditional Buddhist Views on Sex and Sexuality
When it comes to sex, Western Buddhists tend to be fairly liberal. But as scholar José Cabezón explains, Buddhist tradition takes a much more conservative approach, prohibiting, among other things, oral or anal sex, male homosexuality, and even sex during daylight hours. He challenges us not to dismiss traditional Buddhist views on sexuality but rather to critically examine them, beginning with the study of sexual ethics in Buddhist texts.
Why Forms are Fundamental to Buddhist Practice
Embrace the ritual forms of Buddhist practice, says Zen teacher (and former Buddhadharma editor) Koun Franz — you can't escape them anyway.
Koans for Troubled Times
How do we as Buddhists meet the challenges of our time? Joan Sutherland says an answer lies in the teachings of two great Chan masters.