Archives: BD Articles
In Memoriam: Joko Beck
Barry Magid remembers the great pioneer of American Zen, Charlotte Joko Beck, whose influence changed our thoughts on the nature of practice.
The Taste of Thusness
Hoko Jan Karnegis explains how nyoho, or the dharma of thusness, guides the menu at a Zen kitchen.
What Kind of World Do We Want?
For many of us in the West, Buddhism first appears on the horizon as a path to inner peace offering relief from the tensions of daily living.
Review: The Taming of the Demons: Violence and Liberation in Tibetan Buddhism
There once stood a buddha coated in spiders, scorpions, and snakes. He had nine vile heads, enormous wings, eighteen hands clasping fearsome instruments, and spat fire as he trampled the beings underneath him.
Reconnecting With Ourselves
To heal our painful habits, we need to turn attention inward and reconnect with our experience through stillness, silence, and spaciousness.
What Are Dharma Teachers For?
Given how difficult Buddhist teachers can be to locate, trust, understand, accept, admire, and follow, are they even necessary?
Let’s Be Realistic
Chan Master Sheng Yen reminds us not to be discouraged that we haven’t attained enlightenment. After all, we’re only human.
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?