Deep Dive

Power & The Practitioner

Buddhist practice, in the popular mind, is conceived of as gentle, even somewhat passive — yet it prizes and cultivates potent powers derived from both oneself and other sources. Join leading Buddhist teachers as they look closely at the powers that we cultivate in dharma practice, from the absolutely practical to the mysterious (and even the supernatural). 

A painting of a lotus flower with a flame in the center, in pink and purple

Cultivating the 5 Powers

Author, medical doctor, and Plum Village monastic Sister Dang Nghiem (a.k.a. “Sister D.”) talks about how her teacher Thich Nhat Hanh taught the “five strengths” — faith, diligence, mindfulness, concentration, and insight — and how we can harness them to drive and deepen our dharma practice.

Sister Dang Nghiem

Understanding Self Power & Other Power

Mark Unno explains how giving ourselves over to other power, an idea central to Asian Buddhist thought, can lead us to awakening.

Mark Unno

Looking to the “Three Powers” for Patient Acceptance

Though deep in personal grief, Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick knows that, through continued dedicated practice, he can nurture seeds of positivity within himself.

Rev. Ryuei Michael McCormick

“Although the Ten Wisdom Powers appear by description to be superhuman, these abilities all arise from the awakened human mind. They are tools buddhas and bodhisattvas use to teach beings, developed through precepts and samadhi and motivated by vows and compassion.”

—Rev. Heng Sure

The Dharma of the Second Bell

Rev. Joan Amaral recalls “Operation Bring John Home” — an effort to break through the bureaucracy that kept a married couple apart — while living one’s values and remaining unbowed.

Myozen Joan Amaral

Fun & Games: Psychic Powers in the Wilderness

Buddhist monk and scholar Thanissaro Bhikkhu reflects on encounters with his dharma teacher, who “could obviously read my mind and anticipate future events.”

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

The Tathagata’s Ten Wisdom Powers

The “Avatamsaka,” or “Flower Garland Sutra,” details the path and practices of the bodhisattva, including ten powers that arise from the awakened human mind. Rev. Heng Sure on how teacher and student alike might realize them.

Rev. Heng Sure

The Power of Buddhist Tantra

Gaylon Ferguson on how tantric view and practice help us turn confusion into clarity and wisdom.

Gaylon Ferguson

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Deep Dive

Living Buddhist Ethics

Looking primarily at the three sila aspects of the Buddha’s eightfold path—right action, right speech, and right livelihood—leading dharma figures explain how, as Buddhists in today’s world, we can live ethically, and in accord with what the dharma teaches.

Man in Zen robes with hands in gassho

Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom 

Norman Fischer on how sila, samadhi, and prajna work together to give us stability on the Buddhist path to liberation.

A Buddhist monastic holds up their saffron-colored robe

Understanding the Vinaya

Amy Paris Langenberg on the history, evolution, and modern manifestations of the training rules followed by Buddhist monastics.

A collage whose pieces comprise an abstract human face

Dukkha as a Doorway to Liberation

Scott Tusa on how Buddhist ethics transcend mere morality and help us to realize awakening.

Deep Dive

The Six Dharmas of Naropa

Considered a fast track to buddhahood, the Six Dharmas are advanced tantric practices including tummo (inner heat), yoga of the dream state, resting in luminosity, and more. Featuring an overview by Pema Khandro Rinpoche, plus in-depth teachings by specialists in each of the Six Dharmas.

The Swift Path to Buddhahood

Pema Khandro on the fascinating history, practice, and purpose of the Six Dharmas of Naropa.

The Practice of Fierce Inner Heat

Judith Simmer-Brown on tummo, one of the most famous esoteric practices of Tibetan Vajrayana and the Six Dharmas. What is it, what are its benefits, and what role does it play in our journey to enlightenment?

A Wake-Up Call

Andrew Holecek on bardo, one of the Six Dharmas of Naropa’s two practices for helping us find our way, when the time comes, through the death experience. It can help us in life, too.