Book Reviews for May 2017

We review a graphic novel about the life of the Dalai Lama, titled "Man of Peace," "The Mind Illuminated" by Culadasa and Matthew Immergut, and more.

Woman standing in front of a subway.

Take Three Conscious Breaths

Pema Chödrön teaches us a simple technique we can use anytime we need a break from our habitual patterns.

Three people crying.

Be Sad

Karen Maezen Miller looks at the important role of sadness in life.

I’m Buddhist and going to DC’s People’s Climate March. See you there?

I ask everyone who believes that clean air and drinking water is the right of every living being to join me in the march.

Angry Asian Buddhist.

Why isn’t the “Angry Asian Buddhist” angry?

As his cancer goes from bad to worse, the anonymous blogger known as the "Angry Asian Buddhist" strives to accept the absurdity of life.

To the Next Generation of Artists

In this impassioned open letter, jazz giants (and Buddhists) Herbie Hancock & Wayne Shorter point the way to a more artful, peaceful world.

Countering Oppression by Cultivating Peace

What started as a mindful walk became a personal "disturbance of the peace." Ray Buckner on how taking a moment to pause can transform a negative situation.

bell hooks and Pema Chodron.

Pema Chödrön & bell hooks on cultivating openness when life falls apart

bell hooks talks to Pema Chödrön about how to open your heart to life's most difficult challenges.

Remembering “Irish Zen Saint” Maura O’Halloran

Maura O'Halloran was a young Irish-American woman who took to Zen practice. Since her passing, O'Halloran's story has captured imaginations everywhere.

Sample a gorgeous musical tribute to Thich Nhat Hanh from Alex Cline’s Flower Garland Orchestra

Alex Cline shares a song from his sprawling and inspired new album, which is both a tribute to Buddhism’s Avatamsaka Sutra and to Thich Nhat Hanh himself.

Ira Sukrungruang, Shambhala Sun, Buddhism, Death and Dying, Lion's Roar

Dead Like Me

He tries to picture himself eating his favorite food or snorkeling an unknown sea, but sometimes thoughts of death just keep on coming. Here, in thirteen ways, Ira Sukrungruang unpacks what it means to be dead.

Even a Broken Heart is Fundamentally Good

Buddhist practitioner Ray Buckner on the struggles of letting go after a relationship ends, and how being on the dharma path can help.

Do I have to put others before myself?

Buddhist teachings say that I should put others before myself. But they also say I should have compassion for myself. How do I do both?

Why do people chant at Buddhist centers?

I’ve been invited to a Buddhist center. I want to go, but I worry that the chanting aspect of it might weird me out.

Lama Rod Owens on “having the conversation” at the Third Buddhism and Race Conference at Harvard

We spoke with Lama Rod Owens, one of the organizers and presenters at the Third Buddhism and Race Conference at Harvard, about this year's conference.

Vajrapani Bodhisattva standing.

Pema Chödrön on Waking Up — and Benefiting Others

Pema Chödrön offers her unique perspective on The Way of the Bodhisattva, and addresses how we free ourselves from powerful emotional spells.

bell hooks

Love Fights the Power

For bell hooks, fighting oppression doesn’t require anger or conflict—just opening our hearts and speaking the truth fearlessly.

Dharma Gates, Joan Sutherland, Meditation, Shambhala Sun, Lion's Roar, Buddhism

Through the Dharma Gate

The location of the gate — the forms of meditation — is fixed and known, but what will happen there can never be known ahead of time. Joan Sutherland on the place where form and formlessness meet.

Thich Nhat hanh

Love and Liberation: An interview with Thich Nhat Hanh

Thich Nhat Hanh on true love, the benefits of suffering, and insight that will set you free. He says he teaches original Buddhism with a Mahayana spirit.

How Meditation Helps Us to Be One With – and Effect – Change

Reflecting on a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr., Jeremy Mohler relates it to how meditation helps us adjust to reality, and act to change it too.