Archives: BD Articles
What is Jodo Shinshu?
The path is easy, it is said of Shin Buddhism, "but few are those who take it." The late Taitetsu Unno explores the history of Jodo Shinshu and its core practice of reciting the Name of Amida Buddha.
Destroyed Not Destroyed
Norman Fischer looks at the koan “Dasui’s Aeonic Fire" and takes on the end of the world. It’s happening right now, he says, but probably not in the way that you think.
Enlightenment Is a Male Fantasy
Gesshin Greenwood offers an alternative to the “male fantasy” of striving for enlightenment.
The Four Layers of Consciousness
Abhidharma, Buddhism’s map of the mind, is sometimes treated as a topic of merely intellectual interest. In fact, says Thich Nhat Hanh, identifying the different elements of consciousness, and understanding how they interact, is essential to our practice of meditation.
Zen Is Not A Perfume
When Jan Chozen Bays noticed purveyors of commercial products appropriating the word "Zen," she responded with an open letter published in the Fall 2002 Buddhadharma.
Give and You Shall Receive
Reginald A. Ray argues that far from being a "lesser" practice, giving is central to all schools of Buddhism and essential to the relinquishment of ego.
There Is No Author
When Judy Roitman learned her favorite dharma text was actually a patchwork of phrases and poems lifted from other sources, she started looking into the authorship of Buddhist texts. What she found surprised her.
Nichiren Shonin: A Teacher of Equality
Based on letters Nichiren Shonin wrote to his female followers, Myokei Caine-Barrett explains why the thirteenth-century champion of the Lotus Sutra was a practical feminist.
Shin Buddhism Is American Buddhism
It’s a late summer afternoon, and strings of lanterns run from the Buddhist Church of Oakland’s substantial facade to the trees in Madison Park. Inside, the minister is giving tours of the hondo, where services are held. He explains the meaning and symbolism of the altarpieces—the statue of Amida Buddha, or Buddha of Infinite Light…
Let’s Continue Aaron’s Work
Funie Hsu reflects on honoring the legacy of Aaron Lee, known to many as the "Angry Asian Buddhist."
Inside the Winter 2018 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner’s Quarterly
The Winter 2018 issue of Buddhadharma: The Practitioner's Quarterly is available now. Preview the magazine contents and sample articles.
What’s the connection between Buddhism and ethnic cleansing in Myanmar?
How have Buddhists become implicated in one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world? Randy Rosenthal looks through history to understand how a religion of peace has become a justification for violence.
What Is Gassho?
Kobun Chino Roshi explains the meaning of gassho, a hand gesture that is often accompanied with a bow.
How Sad Is Your Love?
The conventional definitions of “love” and “compassion” are quite limited, says Buddhist scholar Mu Soeng.
Who Is Avalokiteshvara?
Avalokiteshvara has undergone many transformations over the centuries, but their purpose remains the same — to help humanity with compassion and mercy.
Are there types of work that are incompatible with Buddhist practice?
Konda Mason, Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, and José Shinzan Palma discuss the difficulty of aligning our work lives with our Buddhist values.
Who Was Queen Anula?
Bhikkhuni Sudhamma traces the origins of Buddhist ordination for women to Queen Anula, Sri Lanka’s first Buddhist nun.
What is Satipatthana?
Satipatthana as defined by Thanissaro Bhikkhu, an abbot in the Thai Forest Tradition.
Buddhahood in Three Dimensions
In these teaching on chapters one and twenty of the Lotus Sutra, Thich Nhat Hanh discusses the three dimensions in which all beings and things reside.