Archives: LR Articles
Analyzing Enlightenment
Buddhism and Psychotherapy Across Cultures: Essays on Theories and Practices and The Psychology of Buddhist Tantra reviewed by Mark Epstein.
Book Briefs Fall 2006
Zen Sanctuary of Purple Robes, A Song for the King, Hakuin on Kensho, Honen the Buddhist Saint, Zen Master Who?, Quintessential Dzogchen, and more.
Who Does God Vote For?
Seeking an Alternative to the Christian Right: Barry Boyce reports on the movement to develop a political platform that is both progressive and spiritual.
Dharma for a Dangerous Time
The world may seem particularly dangerous and uncertain, but it’s wise to remember that the ways of history—and the dharma’s response—haven’t changed.
All in the Family
Katie Zdybel grew up on the music of James Taylor and Carly Simon. Their son Ben Taylor discusses how the love of music brings the generations together.
Why Can’t “I” Be Happy?
The four noble truths tell us that to be happy we must first discover the causes of our unhappiness. This is the approach of the renowned French Buddhist monk Matthieu Ricard, who says that genuine happiness is only possible after we understand the fundamental mistake that is the root of our suffering.
The Wish-Fulfilling Jewel
Virtue, says Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche, is like the legendary jewel that fulfills all our wishes. By meditating on and practicing the virtues of wisdom and compassion, we make our lives meaningful, happy, and successful.
Review of “Encountering the Dharma”
Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism by Richard Hughes Seager, reviewed by Martin Baumann.
Review of “The Madman’s Middle Way”
The Madman’s Middle Way: Reflections on Reality of the Tibetan Monk Gendün Chöpel by Donald S. Lopez Jr., reviewed by Felix Holmgren
Book Briefs Summer 2006
The State of Mind Called Beautiful; Buddhists, Brahmins, and Belief; Zen in Brazil; Dzogchen Teachings; On Buddha Essence; Explaining Pictures; and more.
The Power of Positive Karma
Rebirth and karma are the Buddhist beliefs that Westerners find hardest to accept. Yet are they really so foreign to us?
What the Buddha Taught
The Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche outlines the Buddha's teachings, broken down by the three turnings of the wheel of dharma.
Review of “The Women of the Way”
The Women of the Way: Discovering 2,500 years of Buddhist Wisdom by Sally Tisdale, reviewed by Roko Sherry Chayat.
Returning Home
Thich Nhat Hanh offers a guided meditation to relax our body and mind and return to the here and now. Fully present, fully alive, we find we are already home. Do you remember anything from your stay in your mother’s womb? All of us spent about nine months there. That’s quite a long time. I believe…
Robert Coles and the Moral Life
When so much talk of morality is marked by aggression and self-righteousness, Robert Coles, child psychiatrist, is a gentler and deeper moral voice.
A Few Words Before They Drag Me Away
In and out of hospital since childhood, Diana Atkinson on a life cut to pieces.
Where Outer and Inner Meet
Eva Wong explains kanyu, the Taoist philosophy of external and internal harmony that is the basis of feng shui, energetic principles that govern nature.
The Karma of Happiness
In measuring and prescribing human skills for a good life, lasting happiness requires that we carefully weigh the consequences of our actions.
Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo talks meditation
Weezer frontman Rivers Cuomo speaks to Jeff Pardy about his introduction to meditative practice, and it’s impact on both his music and the band.
Two Sciences of Mind
Barry Boyce reports on the dialogue between cutting-edge science and Buddhism's 2500-year study of the mind.