Why Do Buddhists Meditate?

Lion's Roar editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod looks at the reasons many Buddhists meditate.

Everybody Loves Something

According to Pema Chödrön, love and compassion are like the weak spots in the walls of ego.

Discover the Healing Power in Your Heart

We can use this time of fear and insecurity, says famed Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön, to connect with the natural warmth of our heart. It has the power to heal ourselves and others.

Heart Emoji

Their sangha gathered virtually, but it was still real. Rachel Paige King on the loss of an online dharma brother.

The Family That Meditates Together

It’s not easy, but getting your family to meditate could be the best thing you do as a parent. Gail Silver on how to interest your kids in breathing, seeing, and being.

Eat! Eat!

Forced to overeat as a child, Sharon Suh finally learns for herself what is enough.

How to Practice Shamatha (Breathing) Meditation

How to Practice Shamatha Meditation

Shamatha meditation is the foundation of Buddhist practice. Lama Rod Owens teaches us a breathing meditation from the Vajrayana tradition.

What to Do in An Emergency: A Zen Firefighter’s Wisdom

When the going gets tough, the tough get mindful. Hersch Wilson offers valuable tips for any stressful situation when you need to be calm, cool, and effective.

The Why and How of Lojong, or Mind Training

The teachings on lojong, are an invaluable aid to practitioners. They show us how the wisdom and skillful means of the Mahayana can actually be put to use.

Stream of Tears

Grief offers a unique opportunity, says bereaved mother Cecilia Mitra, but only if we’re not afraid to discover its primal source.

Meet a Teacher: Mary Stancavage

An interview with Mary Stancavage from our "Meet a Teacher" series in the July 2021 issue of Lion's Roar magazine.

Sonic Satori

Music as a contemplative practice requires both the performer and the listener to pay close attention. Culture critic Donald Brackett offers suggestions for meditative albums.

Born I, from the new  How Many Times  video.

Watch “How Many Times,” rapper Born I’s “new meditation on rebirth and reincarnation”

I’ve been thinking a lot about death and rebirth, says Born I, "and this song is a reflection of that."

Faith for Troubled Times

Anne Lamott, Joko Beck, the mindful family, Black liberation—Tracy Franz looks at new books offering the spiritual wisdom we need today.

Who Are You, Really?

You don’t have a surface public self and a private inner self, nor do you have one true, unchanging self. What you have, says Barry Magid, is multiple shifting self-states—and they can get along just fine.

After the Fire

The opening editorial from our July 2021 issue.

Kids and the Climate Crisis

Mary Ray Cate offers parents these Buddhist principles to help children with their fears about climate change.

Acerca de la práctica de la paciencia, del homenaje budista May We Gather para los ancestros asiáticos-americanos

En el reciente homenaje “May We Gather” [que reunamos], ofrecido en apoyo a la comunidad asiática-americana tras la balacera ocurrida el 16 de Marzo en Atlanta, Bhante Sanathavihari habló acerca de nuestra capacidad para desarrollar sabiduría y compasión incluso frente a lo insoportable.

Cherry blossoms.

Shikantaza is Understanding Emptiness

What is shikantaza? Suzuki Roshi, the great Zen teacher, says that it is the experience of receiving a "letter from emptiness"

Meditation cushion

How to Meditate Every Day

Featuring “Ten Suggestions for Having a Regular Daily Practice Even if You Would Rather Be Thrown into a Shark-Infested Ocean.”