Category: Buddhist Wisdom
Meet a Teacher: Jan Chozen Bays
An interview with Jan Chozen Bays from our “Meet a Teacher” series in the July 2022 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine.
How to Practice Zen Koans
John Tarrant demystifies Zen koan practice. Yes, it’s paradoxical, poetic, and totally personal. And so is life.
Reimagining School Through a Buddhist Lens
Susan Yao explores how Buddhist principles could help us reimagine the American school system.
I Never Gave Up on Dharma: Ngakpa Kalzang’s Journey from Tibet
Dhondup T. Rekjong tells the story of Ngakpa Kalzang, an exile of Tibet and experienced tantric Buddhist practitioner working as a landscaper on Canada's Vancouver Island.
She Who Hears the Cries of the World
In Buddhism, compassion is embodied in the bodhisattva Kuan Yin, who is said to manifest wherever beings need help.
When We Do Harm
Avery Grace reflects on what to do when we harm others, how we can move forward, and the compassion we need for ourselves to do better.
The Spirit of Plum Village
“The next Buddha may be a sangha,” Thich Nhat Hanh famously said, and the practice of community was always central to his life and teachings. Dharma teacher Mitchell Ratner experienced the wonders, lessons, and challenges of living the mindful life at Plum Village.
My Flight from the Real
Pico Iyer thought he would find what is truly real by going off to a monastery, but he was really fleeing it. Dropping his spiritual romaticism, he found it in ordinary life.
The Heart of a Story
From the healing power of storytelling to the dharma of literature—Bonnie Nadzam recommends new books to help us make sense of our lives.
Meet a Teacher: Gregory Pai
An interview with Gregory Pai from our “Meet a Teacher” series in the May 2022 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine.
The Primal Vow of Pure Land Buddhism
The foundation of the Pure Land path, explains Takashi Miyaji, is Amitabha Buddha’s vow to liberate anyone who calls on him.
What do all of the terms for Buddhist meditation mean?
I’m confused about all the different terms for meditation, like shamatha, vipassana, zazen, mindfulness, calm abiding, insight, just sitting. What's what?
Finding Home on My Path of Transition
On the Transgender Day of Visibility, Ray Buckner shares his journey to find home on both the Buddhist path and the path of transition.
Thich Nhat Hanh’s Doors of Liberation
No self, no form, no goal: Thich Nhat Hanh on the truth we’re distracting ourselves from.
10 Steps to Tame the Elephant
For generations, Tibetan practitioners have been guided by a chart outlining the nine stages of samatha meditation. Jan Willis takes us through the map and introduces us to the characters along the way.
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.
Lean Into Suffering Through Khanti
Sister Clear Grace Dayananda left the monastery, packed her life into a little van, and went out into the world to meet people where they are and where they are suffering. Here, she considers khanti, the paramita of forbearance, and the work it requires.
No Separate Thing
The abbot of Toledo, Ohio's Buddha Eye Temple on the crucial quality of vigor. Its practice, he contends, "is here in this present step. How do we walk right now? What result is in the step itself?"
Generosity Comes First
In any presentation of the paramitas, dana, or generosity, always comes first — Nikki Mirghafori explains why.
The Freedom of Emptiness
At the heart of the path of the paramitas is prajna, or wisdom—but a wisdom that goes beyond our conventional ideas about it. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche unpacks how that kind of wisdom works.