Category: Buddhist Wisdom
The Zen of Joan Didion
Read David Swick's classic Lion's Roar profile of Joan Didion, who died December 23 at age 87.
The Many Faces of Cultural Appropriation
What does cultural appropriation mean in a Buddhist context? According to Chenxing Han and Trent Walker, the answer is not as simple as we might like it to be.
May All Be Well: The Aspirations of the Medicine Buddha
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche shares the fundamentals of Buddhist medicine and the intentions behind it.
The Practice of Wonderment
When your life takes the shape of a question, says Guo Gu, then you have entered the practice of huatou.
Making Offerings to Our Ancestors
When we place offerings on the altar for teachers long past, do we understand what we are doing, or why? Zenju Earthlyn Manuel looks into the depths of that encounter between past and present.
Are my finances at odds with my Buddhist practice?
Sean Feit Oakes, Gendo Lucy Xiao, and Lama Liz Monson on balancing Buddhist practice and the financial realities of life.
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.
Buddhadharma Book Briefs for Winter 2021
Joie Szu-Chiao Chen reviews "We Were Made for These Times" by Kaira Jewel Lingo, "The Wakeful Bod" by Willa Baker Blythe, "The Buddha’s Tooth" by John S. Strong, and more.
What Stories Do We Allow Ourselves to Hear?
When we read fantastical stories in Buddhist texts, we might simply dismiss them as myth. Ralph H. Craig III invites us to look at them a little more deeply.
The Best of bell hooks: Life, Writings, Quotes, and Books
Renowned author, feminist theorist, and cultural critic bell hooks passed away on Dec. 15 at the age of 69. Read about her remarkable life and and work, alongside a selection of pieces by and conversations with hooks published in the pages of Lion's Roar.
Why Do Buddhas Look So Different?
Ikumi Kaminishi looks at regional differences in sculptures of the Buddha.
The Ordinary, Extraordinary Teacher
Buddhadharma Editor Koun Franz on meeting his teacher for the first time.
Teachers You May Not Know But Should
Ross Nervig on some teachers past and present whose lives and teachings have a lot of offer us.
Together in This Moment
From the Dalai Lama to queer dharma to the beloved community — Bonnie Nadzam looks at new books that bring us together in the wisdom of the present.
She Who Hears the Cries of Marines
As ex-Marine Alex Kakuyo laments a war he can no longer believe in, he turns for help to the bodhisattva Kannon and the buddha Amida.
Wabi Sabi & Aging—the Old and the Beautiful
In Japan, wabi sabi is an aesthetic principle that sees beauty in imperfection and age. Can Kem McIntosh Lee see the wabi sabi of her own aging body?
If You Meet The Buddha On The Road, Kill Him?
Chris Pacheco, Lion’s Roar’s Associate AV Editor, unpacks the real meaning of ninth-century Chinese Buddhist monk Linji Yixuan's famous quote.
Find the Wisdom in Paradox
If we don’t embrace the often-paradoxical complexity of societal ills, the actions we take to solve them will be merely “Band-Aids.” Kritee on getting to the root of a problem.
Sugar Skulls
Día de los Muertos is a reminder, says Linda González, that we are all one in life and death.
Dogen, the Man Who Redefined Zen
From just sitting to cooking as practice, Dogen defined how most of us understand Zen today. Steven Heine on the life and global impact of Dogen Zenji.