For our 40th anniversary, Lion’s Roar is looking forward to the next 40 years of Buddhism over the course of six issues. In the third issue, Melvin McLeod, Barbara Rhodes, Daijaku Judith Kinst, Judy Lief, Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche, and Nisha R. Shah look at what we need to deepen our practice and study of Buddhism.
Illustration by Sydney Smith.
Buddhists focus a lot these days on spreading the dharma. We aspire to make Buddhist practices and teachings accessible and applicable in order to benefit as many people as possible. And rightly so.
But there is another, less glamorous job that is as important as widening the reach of the dharma. It is deepening the practice and study of Buddhism. That is the subject of these five essays in our fortieth anniversary series looking at key issues for Buddhism’s next forty years.
It is its profundity—the depth of its teachings and practices—that defines Buddhism. Without it, Buddhism is reduced to just another self-help system that, while helpful, only addresses the symptoms of samsara. It is deep practice and study that gives Buddhism its integrity and ensures its benefit in the future.
No matter where we are on our spiritual path, we strive to deepen our own practice and understanding. That’s one contribution we can all make. Beyond that, Buddhism in the West needs a foundation of expert teachers, meditators, and students of the dharma, and so we need to support their long-term practice and study.
That way, Buddhism will be like a great tree—its branches and leaves will spread gloriously because its roots are deep.
—Melvin McLeod
Why Meditation isn't Enough
We can’t just blindly meditate, says Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche. Our practice must be illuminated by deep, critical study of the Buddhist teachings.
Deep Dharma for a Complex Time
Nisha R. Shah of Spirit Rock Meditation Center looks at how to support the development of the seasoned, knowledgeable practitioners that Buddhism needs. Our best guide is the three jewels.
Big Shout, Big Echo
It takes intensive meditation practice to wear away your habitual patterns and discover the enlightened nature underneath, says Barbara Rhodes.
Dharma U
University courses can help even committed practitioners expand their knowledge of Buddhism’s history and context, says Daijaku Judith Kinst. Academia is making a valuable contribution to the dharma, and vice versa.
To Go Beyond Words
Study and practice work together, says Judy Lief, to undermine ego. They’re the great disrupters.
