Category: Practice
Packed and Ready for Whatever’s Next
Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche offers a fresh teaching on "phowa" practice and how navigating the various transitions in our lives, including the very small ones, lays a foundation for navigating the much bigger ones when they come.
How to Practice Sila Without Calculation
How do we practice ethical conduct, or sila, without falling into judgment, and without ignoring the complexity of each moment? According to Norman Fischer, the way has always been there.
Rest in Your Buddhanature
Your true nature is like the sky, says Mingyur Rinpoche, its love and wisdom unaffected by the clouds of life. You can access it with this awareness meditation.
When We Have No Choice
Sometimes, says Pema Khandro, there’s no way out. It’s at those times that we can discover the depth and resilience of the mind.
59 Ways to Turn Your Mind Around
The way to bodhicitta, the mind of compassion, is marked by the fifty-nine lojong slogans. Gaylon Ferguson points us in the right direction.
How can I frame my dharma practice in more positive terms?
Satya Robyn, Harry Um, and Valerie Brown discuss the "positive" and "negative" focuses of Buddhist practice.
The Complete Practice
Pamela White completes eight cycles of the intense purification process known as nyoungne, and finds it a joyous experience.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
To Enter the Vajrayana Start at the Beginning
It is the kindness of the buddhas to provide us with a complete path, and the preliminary practices are part of that path.
Shamatha–Vipashyana: Our Original Nature
Gaylon Ferguson explains that through both shamatha and vipashyana meditation we bring our mind back to its original state.
How to Read Buddhist Teachings
No matter where you begin, says Judy Lief, or whether you are an independent practitioner or affiliated with a particular tradition, all you have to do is to dive in.
Everyday Life Is the Practice
Geshe Tenzin Wangyal tells us how to turn our daily challenges into meditation practice. Illustrations of the six Tibetan Realms of Rebirth by Steve Heynen.
What Is Dream Yoga and How Do You Do It?
If you indulge your fantasies, lucid dreaming becomes super-samsara. If you go deeper, lucid dreaming can develop into dream yoga—spiritual practice.