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.

Peter Bagge, Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, Ted Cruz, Donald Trump, Marco Rubio, Politics, Buddhism

A Buddhist psychoanalyst puts our divided country on the couch

Psychoanalyst Robert Langan traces the current climate of demonization to the three poisons: greed, aversion, and the ignorance of self-righteous certainty.

Thai style Buddha statue.

The Practice of Recollection

The Buddha called recollection "the only way." Quite simply, recollection is remembering to establish the attention with full awareness on the present.

Mingyur Rinpoche reveals what happened during his four years as a wandering yogi

Mingyur Rinpoche says the best part of his time as a wandering yogi was his near death experience, which taught him to rejoice in everything.

Jaimal Yogis’ documentary “Saltwater Buddha” teaches the samsara of surfing

For surfer, journalist, and Zen practitioner Jaimal Yogis, his documentary film, "Saltwater Buddha," has been the ultimate lesson in letting go.

angel Kyodo williams Lion's Roar Shambhala Sun Brooklyn Zen Center Race diversity Buddhism

Beyond Privilege: a Q&A with angel Kyodo williams

To make diversity real, says Zen teacher angel Kyodo williams, Buddhists must look deep into their own hearts.

The Frontier Zen of Philip Kapleau and Rochester Zen Center

As Rochester Zen Center celebrates its 50th anniversary, Zen teacher James Ishmael Ford reflects on its unique importance.