Archives: BD Articles
Can meditation become addictive?
The teachers are asked whether meditation can become addictive, bringing about withdrawal symptoms when a session is missed.
Reviews: Investigating the Subtle Body
Willa B. Miller reviews "Religion and the Subtle Body in Asia and the West" and "Training the Wisdom Body: Buddhist Yogic Exercise".
Profile: Sanshin Zen Community
Michael Haederle profiles the Sashin Zen Community, led by Shohaku Okumura Roshi and based in Bloomington, Indiana.
Journeys: What About My Retreat?
Maureen Connor reflects on the ups and downs of organizing her first retreat, and sense of community that it brings.
Let’s Talk: What are you doing to protect your Buddhist treasures?
Ann Shaftel says there are many things we can and must do to preserve sacred Buddhist art.
From Folk Hero to Deity
Geoffrey Samuels reviews "The Epic Of Gesar Of Ling: Gesar’s Magical Birth, Early Years And Coronation As King".
What Do You See?
Ever notice how quickly you form opinions about the world around you? Next time stop and take a closer look, suggests Geoffrey Shugen Arnold.
Empty Splendor
The tantric path teaches us how to cut through our concepts, says the late Traleg Rinpoche, so we can experience reality in its full clarity.
The View from Mount Meru
Ajahn Punnadhammo explains how traditional Buddhist cosmology contains important insights for practicing the Buddhist teachings.
Journeys: The Real Rodeo
Kiley Jon Clark recounts an exhilarating moment of transition that turned "doing" into "being" – much like his Buddhist practice.
Review: “Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment”
Icons and Iconoclasm in Japanese Buddhism: Kukai and Dogen on the Art of Enlightenment By Pamela D. Winfield Oxford University Press, 2013 When I was a novice at Shogoji monastery, every day I passed by some framed calligraphy by the main doors of the dharma hall, excerpts from the Ten Examples of Suchness (junyoze). For…
True Blessings
In this commentary on Guru Rinpoche visualization, Tulku Thondup Rinpoche reveals the deep nontheistic essence of Vajrayana practice.
A Straight Road with Many Curves
Gregory Shepherd looks back on his Zen training in Japan with the late Yamada Roshi and the difficult lessons he learned.
Unlimited Heart
After caring for his mother, Ajahn Viradhammo reflects on self-sacrifice and the importance of cultivating a strong and expansive heart.
Forum: Your Meditation Reality Check
Three teachers discuss how to identify obstacles in your practice, apply antidotes that work, and deepen your meditation in the process.
Awaken with Them? Really?
Zen priest Catherine Toldi examines the painful conflicts that can arise in sanghas and offers practical advice on how to deal with them.
Commentary: Walking the Talk
Andrew Olendski looks at why our wise teachers can, sometimes, behave in what appears like an unwise manner.
Guide to the Three-Yana Journey
Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche’s comprehensive presentation of the three-yana journey, taught only to his senior students, is being made public for the first time in The Profound Treasury of the Ocean of Dharma. Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche takes us through this unique body of teachings.
Why does meditation make it harder to drop my “self”?
The teachers address the problem of finding that meditation makes it more difficult to drop the barriers between "self" and "other."