Zen Koan Shambhala Sun Buddhism

Koans: One with the Question

The enlightenment stories of the ancient masters are confounding to conventional mind. Their truth, says Melissa Myozen Blacker, is revealed only when our whole being becomes the koan.

Investigación independiente confirma “abuso físico, sexual y emocional” por parte de Sogyal Rinpoche

Una investigación independiente sobre las denuncias contra el maestro budista tibetano Sogyal Lakar (conocido ampliamente como Sogyal Rinpoche), fundador de la comunidad Rigpa, descubrió que cometió actos de “abuso físico, sexual y emocional grave”.

Basics Buddha Families Irini Rockwell Loving-Kindness Shambhala Sun - Nov '02

The Five Buddha Families

The five buddha families, traditionally displayed as a mandala, are an ancient Buddhist system of understanding enlightened mind and its various aspects.

5 Surprising Slogans to Help You Handle Anger

Zen teacher Norman Fischer applies five mind-training slogans to anger and other emotions.

How to Read Dharma

Studying Buddhist teachings is different from learning other subjects. Judy Lief shows you how to read the dharma so that it really changes you.

Why do Buddhists bow?

In Asian traditions, bowing is a gesture of humbleness and respect, but it can seem strange in the modern West.

Girl on a bicycle with trainingwheels

The Five Precepts—Buddha’s Training Wheels

Zachary Bremmer explains why we should approach the five precepts as training wheels to guide our practice.

Bringing Manjushri Home

When Diana Reynolds Roome brought home a thangka of Manjushri from Nepal she wondered, “How could I bring this great bodhisattva into my humdrum existence?”

Philip glass with microphone

Philip Glass and the Exquisite Moment

A 1997 interview with composer and performer Philip Glass, conducted by Stephen Brooks.

The protector Vajrasadhu, painted by Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche.

The Wisdom of Anger

If you know how to use it, says Melvin McLeod, the energy of anger becomes fierce and compassionate wisdom. Even the buddhas get angry about injustice.

Trash.

Loving-kindness for Litterbugs

Armed with a trash picker and a garbage bag, Lina Blanchet finds an unusual opportunity to discover the sacred nature of life, in all of its guises.

Why Is Rebecca Solnit Hopeful?

Writer and activist Rebecca Solnit tells the truth about misogyny, injustice, and environmental destruction, along with the hope found in uncertainty.

The front of a Victorian house.

San Francisco’s famed Zen hospice closes doors while seeking funding

The Zen Hospice Project guesthouse opened in 1990, during the height of the AIDS epidemic.

How to Unleash Your Creativity

Geshe Tenzin Wangyal tells us how to unleash powerful creative energy and turn every action into a work of art.

Going Outside

When life gets too busy, Kathleen Dean Moore remembers the childhood joy of nature. Stress, she reminds us, is the antonym of gratitude.

What are the Eight Awakenings?

The eight awakenings are pithy descriptions of what bodhisattvas and other enlightened beings realize, which are chanted mainly in the Mahayana tradition.

tomi um, lion's roar, shambhala sun, gail silver, metta, children, buddhism

Metta (Loving-Kindness) Meditation for Kids

You’re never too young to practice loving-kindness. Gail Silver on how to teach metta to your kids.

Poison Tree art

How to Transform Anger in 4 Steps

Using the traditional metaphor of the poison tree, Judy Lief teaches us four Buddhist techniques to work with our anger.

Buddha Shakyamuni.

The Message of the Buddha’s Four Noble Truths

The message of Buddha's Four Noble Truths is that paying attention and seeing clearly lead to behaving impeccably in every moment on behalf of all beings.

This Land is Pure Land: The Buddhist Churches of America

Lindsay Kyte traces the history of the Buddhist Churches of America — and the Japanese immigrant experience in America — through four generations of one family.