Category: Buddhadharma
The Complete Practice
Pamela White completes eight cycles of the intense purification process known as nyoungne, and finds it a joyous experience.
Our Path Is Limitless and Vast
While women may feel constrained by Buddhist institutions, the dharma itself poses no such limitations, says Joan Sutherland.
Comparing Mahamudra and Dzogchen
Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche (1920–1996) on the differences between Mahamudra and Dzogchen—and the relationship between them.
When Sadness Rages Like Fire
Pema Khandro Rinpoche shares the life of the Tibetan yogi Shabkar, whose practice and teachings were inseparable from loss and grief.
Chanting for Buddhahood
Shodaigyo meditation combines silent sitting with chanting to the beat of a drum. Ryuei Michael McCormick on how to do this calming yet exhilarating practice.
Full-Stop Mind
The late Burmese teacher Mahasi Sayadaw helped to revitalize the Vipassana tradition with his precise teachings on meditation. His student Bhante Bodhidhamma presents Mahasi’s simple and direct method for slowing down and ultimately halting conceptual thinking.
The Golden Chain: Guide to a Life of Love
The Golden Chain is a traditional recitation within American Shin Buddhist communities. For Camille Hamilton Pating, it comes as naturally—and joyfully—as saying the Name of Amida Buddha.
In Defense of Ritual
Richard Payne takes a serious look at the role of ritual in Buddhist practice and the reasons why Westerners might feel resistant to it.
Take Charge of Your Practice
Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche's advice for time management: organize your schedule, let go of distractions, and make a clear aspiration to practice.
Feeling Our Way to Awakening
The emotions we wish we didn’t have, that we’d like to just get over? Those feelings, say Jody Hojin Kimmel, are not obstacles on the path — they are the path.
Only Don’t Know
Whatever answers you think you have, says Judy Roitman, you don’t—and in that not knowing, we find the heart of Buddhist practice.
Here at the End of the World
Grief is how we love in the face of loss, as Joan Sutherland once wrote for Buddhadharma. Now, in an era of so much loss, her teaching on coming to terms with grief feels especially relevant.
How the Five Skandhas Build Our Sense of Self
We assemble the thing we call "self" ourselves, according to Buddhist psychology. Gaylon Ferguson breaks down the five-step process of ego development.
How the Gandharan Manuscripts Change Buddhist History
The Gandharan Buddhist manuscripts are leading scholars to rethink the origins of Mahayana Buddhism. Richard Salomon looks at what we can learn from the recently-unearthed texts.
The Real Practice of Mindfulness
As mindfulness becomes an increasingly popular concept, it is often mistaken for just “being in the moment.” Andrew Olendzki examines the Abhidharma teachings to uncover what mindfulness practice really is and how it works.
It Comes Down to Character
We often look at Buddhist practice as a way of cultivating particular qualities; Thanissaro Bhikkhu reminds us, however, that the Buddha also spoke of qualities we must have to take up the practice in the first place.
Amida Buddha Welcomes All Refugees
Jeff Wilson explains how the Jodo Shinshu school of Pure Land Buddhism emerged from the refugee experiences of its two Japanese founders.
Through the Lens of Madhyamaka
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche unpacks the Madhyamaka view of the two truths.
Commentary: Let’s Envision a Buddhist Political Philosophy
Randee says it's time to define Buddhist political philosophy. He proposes four core components for a political philosophy informed by the dharma.
The Path of Gratitude
The goal of Shin Buddhism’s central practice, nembutsu, is not to attain buddhahood for ourselves, says Jeff Wilson, but to express gratitude for all we have received.