Archives: BD Articles
Inside the Shamatha Project
Adeline Van Waning takes us inside a groundbreaking study that explores the effects of meditation on the brain and one’s overall well-being.
Welcoming the Homeless
Jon Clark happened upon a Buddhist book that changed his life. Now he’s bringing the dharma to others who have fallen on hard times.
Make Me One With Everything
Bernie Glassman, Carolyn Rose Gimian, and Norman Fischer look at how humor not only lightens our load but deepens our practice.
The Roshi and the Poet
Logan Beaudry muses about love, illusions, and Leonard Cohen during a sesshin with Sasaki Roshi—and ponders why Oliver Stone was there too.
Profile: The Plum Village Tradition in America
Andrea Miller profiles Thich Nhat Hanh's American branch of the Plum Village sangha, the Deer Park Monastery in Escondido, California.
Riding Through the Gateless Gate
Rafe Martin recounts a personal story of the feeling of nothingness while motorcycling on a rainy day.
Inside Art, with Kay Larson
Kay Larson reviews "Grain of Emptiness", an exhibition at the Rubin Museum of Art.
Refreshing Zen
Arthur Braverman presents the life and teachings of Kosho Uchiyama Roshi, whose emphasis on the simple practice of zazen was a breath of fresh air amid the formalism of Japanese Zen.
Thanks to Gene Smith
A reflection on the late Gene Smith, who dedicated his life to preserving Tibet’s literary heritage, and played a key role in its survival.
Stop Taking Yourself So Seriously
Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo encourages Western students of the dharma to relax and have more fun with their practice.
The Worst Place in the World
After visiting the concentration camp where her Jewish father was held during the Holocaust, Roberta Werdinger reflects upon sites of trauma.
I live far from my Sangha, should I practice with a different one?
Question: I live far from the order with which I practice, should I practice alone or with a different group?
Forum: Long-term Retreat—The Challenges and Benefits
In this Buddhadharma Forum, Guy Armstrong, Elizabeth Mattish-Namgyel, and Geoffrey Shugen Arnold explain what to expect from going on a long-term Buddhist retreat. Introduction by Christine Skarda.
The Upside of Money Troubles
Carolyn Rose Gimian reminds us that our difficulties with money are opportunities for working with our mind and strengthening our practice.
Does a Dog Have Buddhanature? Well, Yes and No
A review by Steven Heine on "The Book of Mu: Essential Writings on Zen’s Most Important Koan", edited by James Ford and Melissa Blacker.
Love Me, Hate Me
Praise and blame are like echoes that don’t ultimately exist, explains Rose Taylor. But we still have to know how to work with it.
Happy Together
When we stop focusing on ourselves, says Gaylon Ferguson, we begin to see that our happiness is dependent on the happiness of all beings.
From Teishos to Trident Missile Protests
Susan Moon remembers Robert Aitken Roshi’s lifelong commitment to the unified path of Zen and social justice.
Another Step Forward
Last August four women became fully ordained nuns in the Theravada tradition at a ceremony in California. Amy J. Boyer reports on this North American first.
A Successful Subculture
James Wilson discusses how Zen Buddhism in America has shifted from a counterculture religion to a institutionalized normality.