Lama Willa Miller talks to Lion's Roar deputy editor Andrea Miller about how to build a movement that can change the world. Lama Willa Miller offers advice for activists on working with emotion, community, and uncertainty. Read Lama Willa Miller's article from the May 2018 Lion's Roar magazine "5 Buddhist Practices to Face the Truth of Climate Change and Take [...]
5 Buddhist Practices to Face the Truth of Climate Change and Take Action
Climate change can feel so immense that it hurts just to think about. Lama Willa Miller offers five meditations to help bring the truth of climate change into your awareness and lay the ground for a skillful response. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria have come and gone, leaving hundreds dead. We’re left facing a dire reality: we live on a warming planet. Homes blown [...]
Bhikkhu Bodhi: Solidarity as Compassion
In February, 250 Buddhists from across traditions gathered in New York to brainstorm solutions to social issues and discuss the prospect of a joint Buddhist action movement. Buddhist monk and translator Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi was part of the organizing team for the conference. LionsRoar.com editor Sam Littlefair caught up with Bhikkhu Bodhi to discuss the outcome of the conference, [...]
What “radical dharma” means to Rev. angel Kyodo williams
"I'm dedicated to promoting what the Buddha was dedicated to promoting, which is liberation," says Rev. angel Kyodo williams. Williams talks to Lion's Roar's Melvin McLeod about the meaning and impact of "radical dharma." Read our profile of williams from the January 2018 issue of Lion's Roar. Transcript Melvin McLeod: Hi, this is Melvin McLeod, the editor-in-chief of [...]
Why We Go for the Gun
Greg Snyder on how to reclaim the grace and humanity that our access to guns has led us to squander. Just over twenty years ago, a friend was shot five times in the face a few feet in front of me. He was a music venue doorman, and earlier that night he had asked a young college student to leave for drunken, aggressive behavior. The few words spoken by the shooter betrayed [...]
The Radical Buddhism of Rev. angel Kyodo williams
"I just want people to be liberated." John DeMont on the radical Buddhism of Rev. angel Kyodo williams. She is a well-known author, activist, and one of American Buddhism’s most dynamic and provocative teachers. But once, Rev. angel Kyodo williams was a lonely, bruised little girl living in New York City who would hide her face in a comic book as she walked home from [...]
250 Buddhists gather in New York to address urgent social crises
Buddhists came together from across traditions to envision solutions to social ills and to discuss the prospect of a joint Buddhist action movement. Teachers, practitioners, monastics, and administrators. Young and old. Novice protesters and veteran activists. Buddhists from all walks of life and virtually all major traditions. They want to join forces. That was the [...]
Dena Merriam: “We Need an Evolution in Consciousness”
"A significant shift is needed," says Dena Merriam, a founding member of the Contemplative Alliance, "and for that shift to take place we need a growth in consciousness." Merriam spoke with Lion’s Roar editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod about what contemplative practitioners can bring to political, social, and environmental discussions to transform their relationships with each [...]
“Aspiring Buddhist” activist Ai-Jen Poo walks Golden Globes red carpet with Meryl Streep
"We all deserve workplaces where we're safe and our work is valued and we can live and work with dignity," said Poo in an interview on the red carpet. Ai-jen Poo on TwitterSelfie in case I forget once everything gets started! #TimesUp #GoldenGlobes Activist Ai-Jen Poo walked the red carpet with Meryl Streep at the Golden Globes, Sunday night, as part of an effort at the [...]
Peace Begins With Peaceful Actions
To change the world, says Jan Willis, we need hope. And hope grows from nonviolent actions, no matter how small. Sharing this tiny planet amidst a vast universe, we are all interconnected beings, incapable even for a nanosecond of complete independence. Yet we conduct our lives as though we each possessed complete and ultimate control of our individual, isolated universes. [...]
