How to Break the Chains of Thought

When you study your thought process, says Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, you not only see how it rules your life. In the breaks and gaps between thoughts, you can experience awakened mind on the spot.

Do Buddhas think?

Zen teacher Blanche Hartman, Tibetan teacher Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, and Insight teacher Narayan Helen Liebenson answer the question, "Do Buddhas think?"

1000-Armed Avalokitesvara Statue

Ask the Teachers: Why can’t I perceive bodhisattvas or deities?

Buddhism says that there are all kinds of beings out there—buddhas, bodhisattvas, deities—but I can't perceive them. How do I work with this discrepancy?

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Must one be a monk to attain enlightenment?

The teachers are asked whether it is necessary to be a monk to attain enlightenment.

How Can I Accept the Suffering of Others?

Three teachers are asked about coming to terms with the suffering of others.

Awakening the Sacred Feminine

In Vajrayana Buddhism, dakinis are seen as unbridled and enlightened feminine energy. Lama Tsultrim Allione on how she discovered her own dakini power.

Reggie Ray Larry Mermelstein Anne Carolyn Klein Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche tantra Forum Buddhadharma Lion's Roar Buddhism

Forum: The Myths, Challenges, and Rewards of Tantra

A forum on Tantra with Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, Anne Carolyn Klein, and Larry Mermelstein, with an introduction by Reggie Ray.

Buddhanature Impermanence Norman Fischer Shambhala Sun - May '12 Zen

Impermanence is Buddha Nature

Change isn’t just a fact of life we have to accept and work with, says Norman Fischer.

How Equanimity Powers Love

True equanimity, says Kaira Jewel Lingo, is not in any way detached or uncaring—it's inclusive, and loving, and the foundation for spiritual courage.

Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche, Dzogchen, Shambhala Sun, Buddhism, Lion's Roar, Meditation

Moving Beyond Meditation

Grounded in our formal practice of meditation, we can relax into the vast, open awareness that is our ultimate nature. Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche tells the story of his own introduction to the Great Perfection.

Lucidity Without Limit

Dream yoga, says Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche, is a practice of changing our waking life. He shares the four foundational practices of this powerful mind training. 

Statue of the deity tara.

Four Reflections That Strengthen Your Intention to Practice

If you contemplate these traditional contemplations, the "four great reflections," you will strengthen your intention to practice.

In the Moments of Non-Awakening

Larry Yang takes an honest look at what it means to be a dharma teacher who hasn’t been, and doesn’t imagine ever being, enlightened.

Hope for the Hopeless

Rev. Blayne Higa on the founder of Shin Buddhism’s “spiritual insight of imperfection and radical acceptance.” It can lead us to the ultimate realization of buddhanature.

The Way of Flowers

Joan Stamm on how the Japanese art of flower arranging taught her to appreciate her mother—and the seeds she planted in Stamm’s heart.

Let Your Heart Break

Awareness will not solve the world’s problems, says Ronna Bloom, but it’s an important first step.

The Complete Path of Mindfulness

A life-changing journey begins with a single breath. With the simple act of paying mindful attention to one breath, says Melvin McLeod, we step onto a complete path that goes deeper and farther than we can imagine.

Who Was Patrul Rinpoche?

Matthieu Ricard provides a glimpse into the life of Patrul Rinpoche, one of the most revered spiritual teachers in Tibetan history.

How to Set Better Boundaries

Guided by Buddhist teachings on the brahmaviharas, Elizabeth Hernandez-Stomp helps us learn when to say yes and how to say no.

Archway of flowers

The True Nature of a Flower

For Valerie Brown, her garden is a teacher of the dharma. In every bloom she sees impermanence, nonself, and nirvana.