Archives: BD Articles
How Benefiting Others is Also Self-Benefit
The Buddhist concept of "no-self" and the pressure to be selfless can become a daunting task, as it felt for Buddhist practitioner Ching Pan. In this piece, she explores how we can care for others selflessly while also caring for ourselves.
Storehouse of Treasures: Recovering the Riches of Chan and Zen
Read a brief of Storehouse of Treasures: Recovering the Riches of Chan and Zen by Nelson Foster, and an exclusive excerpt courtesy of its publisher, Shambhala Publications.
Paranormal States: Psychic Abilities in Buddhist Convert Communities
Read a brief of Paranormal States: Psychic Abilities in Buddhist Convert Communities by D.E. Osto, and an exclusive excerpt courtesy of its publisher, Columbia University Press.
To Rescue a World
Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi on the shift that transformed his loving-kindness practice, allowing him to truly extend it toward all beings — even those he might have once considered neutral or even hostile.
How Shinran, Founder of Shin Buddhism, Went Beyond the Self
Rev. Jon Turner on how Shinran Shonin was able to gain insight into the true nature of reality, awakening.
“Real-life, positive effects” — What it’s like to join Namchak’s “Compassion In Action” Fellows program
Buddhadharma’s Rod Meade Sperry and Mariana Restrepo talk to Namchak Foundation “Compassion in Action” program Fellow Saulkdi Yangh about his experience with the program.
Rebecca Solnit: “Everything Is Connected, Everything Changes”
Leading writer and activist Rebecca Solnit on Buddhist wisdom and a better world.
How Buddhist Abhidharma Practice Mitigates Aversion, Craving, and Suffering
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares Abhidharma practices that can guide you toward inner freedom, compassion, and wisdom in his new manual, Stainless Prajna: Stages of Meditation on the Treasury of Abhidharma. Also included is a short breathing/meditation practice.
Do Buddhas think?
Zen teacher Blanche Hartman, Tibetan teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Insight teacher Narayan Helen Liebenson answer the question, "Do Buddhas think?"
How do I know whether to avoid or accept something that causes me distress?
In Buddhadharma's Ask the Teachers section, Sestuan Gaelyn Godwin, Larry Yang, and Dungse Jampal Norbu discuss relating to obstacles and difficult emotions.
Must one be a monk to attain enlightenment?
The teachers are asked whether it is necessary to be a monk to attain enlightenment.
How Can I Accept the Suffering of Others?
Three teachers are asked about coming to terms with the suffering of others.
Forum: The Myths, Challenges, and Rewards of Tantra
A forum on Tantra with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Anne Carolyn Klein, and Larry Mermelstein, with an introduction by Reggie Ray.
How Equanimity Powers Love
True equanimity, says Kaira Jewel Lingo, is not in any way detached or uncaring—it's inclusive, and loving, and the foundation for spiritual courage.
Lucidity Without Limit
Dream yoga, says Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is a practice of changing our waking life. He shares the four foundational practices of this powerful mind training.
Excerpt: Seeking the Ox
Read an excerpt of Welcoming Beginner’s Mind by Gaylon Ferguson, courtesy of its publisher, Shambhala Publications.
Moving Beyond Subjectivity to Awakening
According to Shin Buddhist priest Rev. José M. Tirado, we must transcend our regular subjective-objective perspective in order to awaken and see things as they truly are.
Review: Welcoming Beginner’s Mind: Zen and Tibetan Buddhist Wisdom on Experiencing Our True Nature
Polly Young-Eisendrath, Ph.D. on Gaylon Ferguson’s new book and its fresh take on Zen’s famous “10 Oxherding Pictures.”
Healing the Broken Body of Sangha
Ruth King presents five ways we can address racial ignorance and division to help ourselves and our sanghas become whole.
In the Moments of Non-Awakening
Larry Yang takes an honest look at what it means to be a dharma teacher who hasn’t been, and doesn’t imagine ever being, enlightened.