Category: Buddhadharma
How the Three Tenets Help Us Live Wisely
Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on the guiding principles of the Zen Peacemaker Order, and why we all might benefit from putting them to the test.
Opening to the Joy of Work
Making a living while living our values can be easier said than done, but Maia Duerr has discerned six keys for cultivating the qualities and conditions for doing abundant, cheerful, sustainable work.
Discernment Guided by Compassion
Ryuei Michael McCormick on right speech: When should we use forceful words, or gentle ones? Or none at all?
All-Encompassing Compassion
Heidi Nevin remembers her teacher Chatral Rinpoche’s inspiring commitment to vegetarianism as part of the dharma path.
Is Our Practice Enough?
Clair Brown on how Buddhists’ vow to end suffering must go beyond the individual to a global understanding of how our suffering—and happiness—is connected to all living beings on our planet.
Watch: Berkeley Zen Center abbot Hozan Alan Senauke gives first talk after heart attack
In his first dharma talk since being hospitalized last year, Hozan Alan Senauke shared his gratitude and insights on the value of practice in difficult times with the Berkeley Zen Center community.
How Right Action and Loving-Kindness Work Together
Nikki Mirghafori on why the cultivation of good will can lead to wise action—and vice versa.
Insight Meditation: Present, Open & Aware
Emily Horn on how to discover the peace and awakening in every moment.
Moving Through the Three “Karma Doors”
Vanessa Zuisei Goddard on how understanding our gateways to the world — body, speech, and mind — is key in our practice of sila.
The Heart of Chan Buddhism
Chan Buddhism is a painstaking practice of learning nothing, says Gilbert Gutierrez. You can’t become enlightened — you can only embody it.
Excerpt: Sangha of Boundless Life, by Jeff Wilson
An excerpt from Jeff Wilson's new book, "Living Nembutsu: Applying Shinran’s Radically Engaged Buddhism in Life and Society" — reviewed in the Summer 2023 issue of Buddhadharma.
How to Practice Homestyle Oryoki
Oryoki is the meditative way of eating practiced in Zen monasteries. Gesshin Claire Greenwood on how to bring the spirit of oryoki into our home kitchens — and feel more deeply nourished.
The Sutra That Saved Me
Nichiren practitioner Johnny Edward Dean Jr. reflects on how his daily practice and chanting the Odaimoku helped him navigate mental health challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Jack Kornfield’s Instructions for Metta Meditation
Jack Kornfield on beginning the time-honored, heart-opening practice of metta (loving-kindness) meditation.
Blazing Inner Fire
Read an excerpt from From The Blazing Inner Fire of Bliss and Emptiness by Ngulchu Dharmabhadra, translated by David Gonsalez, courtesy of its publisher, Wisdom Publications.
What does it mean to understand Buddhism through the body?
Roxanne Dault, Meido Moore, and Lopön Charlotte Z. Rotterdam discuss what it means to understand Buddhism through the body — the heart of the Buddhist path.
What “No Self” Really Means
The journey of awakening, says Buddhist teacher Gaylon Ferguson, begins by examining our usual beliefs about who we are. Because maybe we’ve got it wrong.
Luminosity: The Heart of The Six Dharmas of Naropa
Across the major Buddhist traditions, the mind’s basic condition is described as luminous, naturally free from afflictions or karmic imprints, which are merely adventitious, like clouds covering the sky. The Buddha refers to this naturally luminous mind in the Nikayas, the Perfection of Wisdom sutras, and the tantras. Dzogchen and Mahamudra teachings also emphasize natural…
Excerpt: Xuedou’s 100 Odes to Old Cases
Read a brief of Xuedou’s 100 Odes to Old Cases: A Translation with Commentary by Steven Heine and an exclusive excerpt courtesy of its publisher, Oxford University Press.
Resting In Luminosity
Lama Karma Wall on how the practice of clear light (osel) yoga can help us recognize the luminous nature of our mind free from dualistic conceptualization.