A heartfelt message to us all, from Jack Kornfield. Dear friends, after more than forty years teaching mindfulness and compassion to thousands on the spiritual path, the most important message I can offer is this: You don’t have to wait to be free. You don’t need to postpone being happy. All too often these beautiful spiritual practices of mindfulness and compassion [...]
The Dalai Lama, Heart of Compassion
In the July 2017 issue of Lion’s Roar, 12 leading teachers, writers, and activists reflect on why we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever. Roshi Joan Halifax reflects on personal moments with him that exemplified his compassion and wisdom. During a talk on compassion I gave at a neuroscience meeting, I shared with the Dalai Lama some words from a clinician who [...]
How I Got Comfortable with My Imperfections
John Manderino stumbles through Zen meal practice — and decides that’s perfectly okay. It’s called oryoki, this very formal, ceremonial-type Zen Buddhist meal where every little thing you do has to be absolutely correct. It’s supposed to help you be mindful—be here, be now, be Zen. At yesterday’s breakfast, they held a sort of run-through for us newcomers. What a [...]
The Inspiration of the Dalai Lama
In the July 2017 issue of Lion's Roar, 12 leading teachers, writers, and activists reflect on why we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever. Richard Gere reflects on how the inspiring leader has impacted him. I remember having an intimate conversation with His Holiness many years ago. At one point he touched the tip of his tongue and quietly said, “This tongue [...]
The Dalai Lama: The Lamp for Our Path
In the July 2017 issue of Lion’s Roar, 12 leading teachers, writers, and activists reflect on why we need the Dalai Lama and his message more than ever. Jan Willis reflects on the importance of his life's example of compassion, peace, and joyfulness. Some people’s very presence in the world gives hope, solace, and courage to the rest of us. Their life and being is a gift [...]
Lion’s Roar Book Briefs for July 2017
Sit, Walk, Don’t Talk: How I Survived a Silent Meditation Retreat By Jennifer Howd Parallax Press, 2017; 111 pp., $14.95 (paper) For her fortieth birthday, Jennifer Howd gave herself a special present: a nine-day silent meditation retreat at the Spring Insight Retreat in Yucca Valley, California. Things started badly. After checking in, her throat began to ache and her [...]
Develop a Mind Like Sky
Meditation teacher Jack Kornfield explains the why and how of developing wise attention, or open awareness. (You'll also find this piece inside the July 2017 Lion's Roar magazine, alongside "Be Free Now," a new interview with Jack Kornfield, and "Don't Wait to Be Happy," a heartfelt message from Jack to us all.) Meditation comes alive through a growing capacity to release [...]
Ethics, Service, and a Meaningful Life
In the opening editorial of our July 2017 issue, our editor-in-chief Melvin McLeod discusses living an ethical life of service on the Buddhist path. Buddhism is the shapeshifter of religions. There are some bottom-line principles — I think of the four noble truths and the three marks of existence — but beyond those it is flexible and pragmatic. Because the point is not dogma [...]
Mandala Kitchens Project blends Zen, social work, and the culinary arts
Zen priest and former social worker Rev. Daiken Nelson is combining his passions to offer free culinary training to Harlem's unemployed. Rev. Daiken Nelson, a Zen Buddhist priest and former social worker, began offering free culinary training in Harlem last September to those who've faced employment challenges. His program, the Mandala Kitchens Project, is open to anyone, [...]
Is a More-Enlightened Social Media Possible?
Dan Zigmond, a Zen priest and the director of analytics for Facebook's News Feed, argues that social media can promote thoughtful and compassionate discussion. As the director of analytics for Facebook’s News Feed, Dan Zigmond works on the algorithms that decide what more than a billion people read each day. That’s a big responsibility. After the U.S. election, commentators [...]