Archives: BD Articles
Forgotten Encounters of Tibetan Zen
The phrase “Tibetan Zen”—the title of scholar Sam van Schaik’s new book—may initially startle the casual reader.
The Promise of Nibbana
What does final liberation and the end of suffering look like and how is it achieved? Mahasi Sayadaw explains Nibbana.
Book Briefs for Spring 2016
David M. DiValerio’s The Holy Madmen of Tibet (Oxford 2015) examines some of Tibetan history’s most fascinating figures. Diving straight into the grotesque for which these fifteenth- and sixteenth-century Kagyu “madmen” became known, DiValerio begins by describing Tsangnyon Heruka’s use of human remains as clothing and Drukpa Kunle’s verse about paying homage “not to the Buddha,…
Making Our Way: On Women and Buddhism
Grace Schireson, Christina Feldman, Rita Gross, and Lama Palden Drolma discuss how women are defining new roles as Buddhist leaders, teachers, and practitioners.
It’s Time for Buddhists to Address Ableism and Accessibility
Often, people with mobility impairments are excluded from encountering the dharma. The time is ripe to address accessibility head-on.
Inside the Spring 2016 Buddhadharma magazine
This issue explores enlightenment, dharma accessibility, and the many faces of Avalokiteshvara.
Is enlightenment off-limits to laypeople?
Three teachers discuss whether Buddhists must in ordain to achieve enlightenment.
Review: Stephen Batchelor’s “After Buddhism: Rethinking the Dharma for a Secular Age”
In his latest and most ambitious work, "After Buddhism," Stephen Batchelor makes a sustained and serious attempt to argue for his vision of a more secular Buddhism.
Waking Up to Patriarchy
Gloria Steinem and Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo talk about personal challenges they’ve faced, progress they’ve seen, and why there’s still more to be done.
The Place Where Your Heart is Kept
Norman Fischer tells the story of how Mitsu Suzki, a Japanese schoolteacher born in 1914, made a home for herself in American Zen.
Inside the Winter 2015 Buddhadharma magazine
In this Buddhadharma, we look at the Buddha's life story, Buddhist-Catholic dialogues at the Vatican, and how Gen X teachers are changing Buddhism.
What kinds of programs can Buddhist centers offer children?
Three teachers discuss what kinds of programs centers can offer for families and children.
“What kind of Zen teacher has panic attacks?”
Recently, for the first time in my life, I had a full-blown panic attack.
Karma Is Not Fate
You can't deny your karmic inheritance, said the late Traleg Rinpoche, but that doesn't mean you can't change.
The Taste of Liberation: The Jhanas
Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, author of the classic meditation manual Mindfulness in Plain English, explains the jhanas and how they can be reached.
Dharma Rain Plants Zen in Portland
For almost fifty years, from 1936 until 1983, a twenty-six-acre plot of land in Portland, Oregon, was used as a gravel pit and construction landfill.
What does it mean to be devoted to one’s guru?
Buddhadharma ask three teachers about a complex issue at the heart of tantra practice: guru devotion.
Ambedkar’s Vision for India’s Dalits
The Buddhist revival in India has brought millions of the country’s most impoverished and marginalized people to the Buddhist path.
The Rise of Militant Monks
Michael Jerryson reports on the growing tension between Buddhists and Muslims, in which senior Buddhist monks actively incite violence and intolerance.
The Beat of Philip Whalen
Steve Silberman reviews "Crowded by Beauty: The Life and Zen of Poet Philip Whalen," by David Schneider.