Mindfulness is the Best Medicine

After 13 years as a Buddhist nun, Sister Dang Nghiem looks back on her medical career and realizes monastic practice and medicine aren’t that different.

Photo of mom and dad in a frame.

Dad’s Happiness

In her widowed father’s pale, hopeful face, Ann Nichols saw that everything her mother had fallen for. Why should he be limited to a life without romance?

What is Monkey Mind?

We all recognize monkey mind—that wild mind going in more than one direction at a time, swinging from one branch of thought to the next. It wants the next banana, the next big thing, the next small thing. It wants to keep moving. Monkey mind likes texting and online gaming. It’s the mind that likes…

Woman holding flowers.

The Practice of Being Love

Awash in the pain of betrayal and a failed marriage, Laura Munson practices Pema Chödrön’s teachings on loving-kindness. It’s hard but it helps.

Stone buddha sits in front of tall green grass with orange flowers

Kindness to Ourselves and Others

Suffering is more than the first noble truth of Buddhism. To see our own and others' suffering is the first step on the path, the birthplace of compassion. Judy Lief offers guidance on the journey.

Still from Kubo and the Two Strings

New animated film “Kubo and the Two Strings” introduces kids to Buddhist concepts

Kubo and the Two Strings, a new animated film that hits theaters today, takes kids on an adventure with strong Buddhist themes.

The More Carefree You Are, the Better Your Dharma Practice

The more carefree you are from deep within, the better your dharma practice is.

Feet at the end of a hospital bed,

Healing and the Reality of Death

We view our desire to get rid of disease as a desire to avoid death. But it is often just the opposite: it is an attempt to avoid life.

Molecular dance meditation reveals: you’re just atoms and energy

Harrison Blum, the Buddhist spiritual advisor at Northeastern University, has created a moving meditation on molecular energy fields.

Sharon Salzberg, Lion's Roar, Buddhism

How Sharon Salzberg Found Real Happiness

Lindsay Kyte talks to Sharon Salzberg about how she became one of today’s most relatable Buddhist teachers.

Do Buddhists raise their children to be Buddhists?

Do Buddhists raise their children to be Buddhists too? We answer your questions on Buddhism and meditation.

The Ultimate Happiness: An exclusive interview with the Dalai Lama

In this exclusive conversation, the Dalai Lama talks about human goodness, and how caring for others is the ultimate source of your own happiness.

Book covers

Book Reviews for September 2016

We review Orgyen Chowang's "Our Pristine Mind," Shinzen Young's "The Science of Enlightenment," a Zen poetry book, and more.

Obama, in White House video, shows the tiny Buddha statuette he  carries around all the time.

The Buddha in Obama’s pocket

A small Buddha statuette, given to him by a monk, is often found on Barack Obama's person.

Alphabet, Heart Sutra, Lion's Roar, Poem, Acrostic, Aura Glaser

The “Alphabet Heart Sutra”

Aura Glaser express the truth of the Buddha's Heart Sutra in 26 words — from A to Z.

Who Was Padmasambhava?

Who is Padmasambhava? We answer your questions on Buddhism and meditation.

The First Noble Misunderstanding

There's a lot of misunderstanding about meditation. In fact, that's pretty much all that meditation is — the process of seeing how very much you've misunderstood about it and everything else.

Neil Degrasse Tyson, Lion's Roar, Buddhism, Cosmology, Astrophysics, Interdependence, Impermanence, Rationality

What does Neil deGrasse Tyson have to say about “Buddhistic” astrophysics?

Famed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson has a hypothesis about science and Buddhism.

Monastic Residences Lining One of the Hillsides at Larung Gar.

Why Larung Gar, the Buddhist institute in eastern Tibet, is important

Larung Gar Buddhist Academy is a major center of Buddhist monasticism and study in Tibet. It faces demolition later this month.

Statue of Tara the liberator.

Who Is Tara the Liberator?

Three Buddhist teachers explain the significance of the deity Tara.