When we can no longer bear the suffering of sentient beings, says the Seventeenth Karmapa, we unleash our full potential to help others and ourselves. Practices of loving-kindness and compassion are indispensable elements of all religious traditions. These are qualities everyone can practice, regardless of their religious affiliation or ancestry. In fact, training to [...]
Between Arhat and Bodhisattva
Ajahn Amaro examines the arguments for and against the arhat and bodhisattva ideals that define and too often divide the Buddhist traditions. He suggests a way out of the polarizing debate. A student of Buddhism asked, “Which do you think is the best path: that of the arahant [arhat] or that of the bodhisattva?” “That kind of question is asked by people who understand [...]
Burning with the Fire of Shingon
Richard Payne's account of his experience with the Shingon tradition. From the first time I saw it, I knew what I wanted. The raw emotional power of the Shingon fire ritual was so moving that it has given definition to my practice and study of Shingon ritual since that New Year’s morning in 1982. My wife and I had driven up to Sacramento from our home in the south San [...]
What is a Koan?
A koan as defined by Steven Heine, a scholar of Zen Buddhism at the Florida International University. The koan forms the centerpiece of the vast storehouse of Chinese Chan literature as well as techniques for training, and it is the key to understanding the quixotic utterances and pedagogical puzzles that epitomize the ingenuity and creativity of classical Zen Buddhism and [...]
The Karmapa in America
The Seventeenth Karmapa, one of the most important figures in Tibetan Buddhism, is making his historic first visit to the West. Barry Boyce reports on this young lama’s dramatic life and his responsibilities as holder of the Karmapa lineage. This May His Holiness the Seventeenth Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, is making his historic first trip to the United States. [...]
On Becoming Karmapa
An exclusive interview with His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa by Melvin McLeod. In anticipation of his historic first visit to the West, I had the honor of traveling to India to interview His Holiness the Seventeenth Karmapa. I met him at his hotel in New Delhi, as he was en route to his home in McLeod Ganj. Since I had received instructions and transmissions from his [...]
Forum: How to Work with Emotions
In this forum, Buddhadharma’s Barry Boyce speaks with Sharon Salzberg, Judith Simmer-Brown, John Tarrant, and the Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche about their views on skillful and unskillful involvement with our emotions. Their descriptions of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana practices open new perspectives on how to think about and engage with our emotional lives. Many of us [...]
Grace Under Pressure
Alan Senauke reports from Burma on the ongoing repression following the military regime’s brutal crackdown last fall and the unbreakable spirit of the monks who refuse to be silenced. Courage that comes from refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions could be described as “grace under pressure”—grace which is renewed repeatedly in the face of harsh, unremitting pressure. [...]
Adapt or Die
Now that Buddhism has come to the West, how are they changing each other? Many Western Buddhists are hopeful that the dharma will provide fresh perspectives and possibilities to a West that sorely needs them. At the same time, however, this interaction challenges Buddhism in new ways. If the dharma is to fulfill its liberative potential, it must make the transition from [...]
Ask the Teachers: How do I know if I’m having a moment of realization?
Question: How do I know if I’m having a moment of realization or if I’m just deluding myself (still in ego)? Zenkei Blanche Hartman: I think that if there is an actual experience of reality, if you are seeing just this, as-it-is, you will recognize at once: “Oh, so that’s how it is!” The unmistakable reality of the experience will be clear. The delusion part is any [...]