Archives: LR Articles

Erased No More

After years of painful struggle to fit in, Yenkuei Chuang decides to stand up for her identity, her anger, and the heritage of Asian American Buddhism. She will resist erasure.

Love Trumps Hate

Bill Gaston despises a certain someone at the White House. Can any good come of it?

The Fifth Sight: The Suffering of Injustice

To the Buddhism’s traditional four causes of suffering we must now add a fifth: the suffering caused by racism, sexism, poverty, and all the other forms of human injustice. Only when seeing that clearly, says Ann Gleig, will our compassion will be complete.

My Sourdough Starter

Laura Munson finds an unlikely friend named Edgars.

The Heart of Good Spiritual Friends

When we are with others in times of suffering, says contemplative care expert Koshin Paley Ellison, we can take the four noble truths as our guide.

Our Inner Light

Only when we awaken to our own light can we be fully present to another person’s inner light and life, says Shinge Roko Sherry Chayat. "Only then can we respond fully, with nothing in the way."

In the Zone: The Zen of Sports

Mystics and poets aren't the only people who experience the transcendent. Andy Cooper on sports beyond conventional mind.

A Dive Into Emptiness

A talk by Dainin Katagiri Roshi about the Buddhist idea of emptiness — and, an unusual sport.

The Golden Chain: Guide to a Life of Love

The Golden Chain is a traditional recitation within American Shin Buddhist communities. For Camille Hamilton Pating, it comes as naturally—and joyfully—as saying the Name of Amida Buddha.

I Thought I Knew How to Fix the World

We cling to our own worldviews, says Dorotea Mendoza. Imagine if we listened to each other instead.

Wisdom x Compassion = Freedom

The combination of wisdom and compassion—the very essence of Buddhism—leads to that all-American value, freedom. It is, says Duncan Ryuken Williams, freedom in the most profound sense.

Put Out the Fires

As we learn to limit our consumption, a peace appears, says Sean Feit Oakes. Without this peace, the fire that burns our hearts and communities can never be put out.

beginner's mind, meditation, eyes, shamatha, look at, gaze, lion's roar, buddhism, how to, shambhala sun, magazine

Should I meditate with my eyes closed?

Whether you keep your eyes open or closed during meditation depends on your approach.

How to meditate with kids (and why it’s important)

Teaching mindfulness to kids is an "extraordinary way to help them generate esteem, cultivate calm, and deal with difficulty."

Not for Happiness

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse tells us that if it feels too good, it’s probably not Buddhism. If you want real, honest painful, transformation, then read on.