Category: Buddhist Wisdom
This Is the Practice
When the Buddha tended to a dying monk, he demonstrated how to live, how to die, how to care for others. Vanessa Sasson offers her retelling of that poignant story.
5 Great Meditation Teachers
Beginning with the Buddha himself, five extraordinary teachers instruct us in the practice of calming the mind, cultivating awareness, and — ultimately — finding freedom.
See the Universe in a Sunflower
In this teaching from the late Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh, he explores how looking deeply at a sunflower can help us discover the reality of interbeing.
The Eightfold Path: Right Action
Actions can be helpful in one situation yet harmful in another. Rebecca Li says awareness is needed to identify right action.
In Search of the True Direction
Following yesterday's footsteps while hiking through the snowy woods, Peter Moretzsohn contemplates how our actions and thoughts shape the present and future.
Discover the Freshness of Each Moment
The fruit of Chan practice is discovering the freshness of each moment. Guo Gu on silent illumination, gong’an, and engaging with the world.
Lion’s Roar May 2023 Book Reviews
Bonnie Nadzam reviews new books that can help us navigate the ups and downs of life—from personal grief to collective rage to the joy of creativity.
How to Become a Bodhisattva
Pilar Jennings on how to overcome two common roadblocks to compassion. The key is facing the truth of suffering—your own and others.
The Luminous Dharma of “Everything Everywhere All at Once”
Sean Feit Oakes explores the dharmic lessons of emptiness and compassion in the Oscar-winning film "Everything Everywhere All at Once."
The Buddha’s Mnemonic Device
Associate Editor Mihiri Tillakaratne introduces the May 2023 Issue of Lion's Roar.
Sujata’s Gift
Realizing the middle way between asceticism and indulgence, Siddhartha accepted milk-rice from the farmer Sujata. Hun Lye celebrates the delicious, healthy rice dishes, which can remind us of that pivotal meal.
The Eightfold Path: Right Speech
Do you have something you want to say? Nikki Mirghafori on the questions to ask yourself.
The Eightfold Path: Right Livelihood
Work can be a path to changing the world, personal growth, and even spiritual discovery. Tami Simon explains.
The Eightfold Path: Right Effort
It’s not about striving for success, says Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön. Right effort is a graceful fine-tuning.
The Eightfold Path: Right Concentration
When you’re in harmony with all the factors on the eightfold path, that is right concentration. A teaching by Bradley Donaldson.
Let’s Not Walk on Dead Bodies
Zenzele Isoke calls on Western Buddhists to confront gun culture and the profound suffering it creates.
Can a Chatbot Share True Dharma?
Jiryu Mark Rutschman-Byler shares the story of “Roshibot,” an AI bot he created and trained with the teachings of the late Zen teacher Shunryu Suzuki Roshi.
Nalanda: Powerful Then, Powerful Now
Jan Westerhoff explores what we know about the days when Nalanda flourished and what the essential teachings that emerged from it mean for us now.
Stepping Stones of Emptiness
The teachings on emptiness were studied, debated, and refined at Nalanda. They come to life now, says Gaylon Ferguson, in the progressive deepening of our meditation practice.
Vague? No. Ungraspable? Yes.
According to Elizabeth Mattis Namgyel, the "Heart Sutra," the best-known text of the Mahayana wisdom tradition, unfolds as a most unusual conversation that leads us to what lies beyond our concepts.