Buddhadharma: Deepen Your Practice & Study of Buddhism

Venerable Dr. Pannavati, Heartwood Mandala spiritual leader and humanitarian force, has died "Everything that she did," writes her community, "was for the Dharma and for saving sentient beings."

Lion’s Roar wishes to share our condolences with the Heartwood community and all who were impacted by Ven. Pannavati’s work and teachings.

The Dark Side of Buddhism If you think Buddhism is free of the religious nationalism and violent extremism that plague other religions, think again. Editor-at-large Melvin McLeod talks to journalist Sonia Faleiro about her new...

"What we are seeing is that in many cases it is monks who have supported or participated in this violence or incited it. This has been documented by human rights organizations. It is these facts that drew me to this story and to voyage across these countries."

What Does the Bardo Sound Like? Forty years ago, Éliane Radigue synthesized The Tibetan Book of the Dead into a sonic masterpiece.

The brilliant modern composer Eliane Radigue has died. Read Lion's Roar's 2017 appreciation of her masterwork, inspired by the Bardo Thödol, often referred to as the Tibetan Book of the Dead.

David Chadwick, chronicler of San Francisco Zen Center Community, has died He was the author of the classic biography, Crooked Cucumber: The Life and Zen Teaching of Shunyru Suzuki, as well as Thank You and OK: An American Zen Failure in Japan, and, most recently, Tassajara ...

"Our deepest bows and appreciation to David," writes San Francisco Zen Center, "who was indefatigable in his care for the history and memories of Suzuki Roshi and SFZC’s founding years. Our hearts and thoughts go out to David’s loved ones at this tender time of loss.”

Making Sense of Buddhism’s “Six Realms” “Here,” writes Timothy Addison in this piece from Turning the Mind, the third book in his new series, Like Honey Amidst Bees, “is what helped me understand the six realms in a way that felt both intel...

"I am someone who gets frustrated when something doesn’t make sense. [...] That frustration drove me to keep looking for clearer explanations. What I eventually found wasn’t something new, but something old."

Shinchi Linda Galijan to be installed as first female abbot of Berkeley Zen Center The ceremony will be viewable by livestream via the BZC website.

Galijan has been co-leader of the Bay Area Soto Zen center since 2004. Congrats to her and to the sangha.
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The Inspirational Example of Venerable Jotika Hein Htet Kyaw profiles Venerable U Jotika of Maha Myaing Forest monastery​ — monk and advocate for democracy, interfaith and multi-culturalism​.

"His unique transition — from intellectually gifted individual from a Muslim heritage to sincere forest monk — highlights a remarkable spiritual integrity."

Three Buddhist Nunneries Dance a New Chapter of Empowerment and Opportunity For over a thousand years, mostly monks performed the sacred cham dances of Vajrayana Buddhism. Then in 2014, the 17th Karmapa made a significant move by inviting nuns to learn and perform these dance...

"I wondered if this was the groundbreaking moment that I thought it might be. As I scrolled down the page, I noticed the caption below: An Historical First: Nuns Perform in Tsechu Lama dance. The description identified two nunneries involved, so I set to work arranging to visit them."

New Atlanta exhibit features Rima Fujita's works on the Dalai Lama The exhibit will run from February 13 through June 7, featuring imagery of the Dalai Lama, whom Rima Fujita considers her principal teacher.

In addition to her illustrations for the book, An Illuminated Journey, the Story of the Dalai Lama, the exhibit will feature Fujita’s extensive interviews with the 14th Dalai Lama, with an eye toward honoring His Holiness in this, his 90th year.

Bringing Yidam Practice to Human/AI Encounters Deborah McGlauflin wades into the “virtual buddhafield” — and asks us to consider joining her there.

"The question became practical and immediate: What changes when we bring yidam practice — not just mindfulness and compassion — into our encounters with AI?"

The Nation is Shattered; Mountain and Rivers Remain A heartfelt commentary by Zen teacher Roshi Joan Halifax on how, in this time of danger and loss, we can find “the measure of our humanity.”

"There are so many things that we could say. Yet in many ways, no words. But here is a final note."

Oh Tara, Protect Us In this teaching, Thubten Chodron comments on a prayer to the buddha Tara to protect us from the eight dangers.

"The fundamental way Tara—or any other buddha—benefits sentient beings is by teaching us the dharma and inspiring us to investigate its meaning so we reach a correct understanding. She then guides us in meditation practice so we generate transformative realizations."

What “Integrated Meditation” Is, and Why It Matters Amma Thanasanti explains how her program functions to "restore the relational ground required for deeper healing — and for meditation itself — to function."

"In my own life, meditation brought genuine realization. And still, something essential remained unhealed. This is not due to a failure of the dharma, but a mismatch of tools."

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars and New Professorships in Buddhist Studies is accepting applications Lion's Roar is honored to be among its participating host institutions. The deadline to apply is January 27.

Deadline: one week away!

A Glimpse of the Buddhist Monks’ “Walk for Peace” Across the United States A group of monks from the Huong Dao Vipassana Bhavana Center in Fort Worth, Texas have inspired folks in person and online with their walk “to raise awareness of peace, loving kindness, and compassion...

"They aren’t arguing for peace — they’re living it. Through harsh weather, pain, obstacles, crowds, and opposition, they mindfully return again and again to love, compassion, and peace."

The Building Blocks of Belonging According to Willa Blythe Baker, making a strong, healthy community starts with understanding how it is constructed.

"Most dharma communities, though strong in values, are weak in structures. This is overlooked by most people walking in the door. They are looking for a dharma that fits. They rarely look at the contours of power."

The Surprising Good News of Karma No Buddhist teaching is as challenging to the modern mind as karma. Is it determinism, cosmic justice, or the simple truth that unwholesome states of mind create suffering and virtuous states of mind ...

"If your volition is clear and strong—you have a clear idea of what you want to do and you set about doing it—then the karmic result will be equally clear and strong. On the other hand, if your intention is weak and hesitant the karmic result will not be well defined either."

Joseph Goldstein: It’s Not Either-Or In this conversation with Buddhadharma, the Insight Meditation Society cofounder applies the “harmonized understanding” approach championed in his book One Dharma to the idea of buddhanature. In the e...

"For me, the test of different teachings is simple: does it result in no clinging or not? If they’re seen as skillful means for not clinging, it doesn’t matter if they’re positing different metaphysical views."

How to Practice Sila Without Calculation How do we practice ethical conduct, or sila, without falling into judgment, and without ignoring the complexity of each moment? According to Norman Fischer, the way has always been there.

"The question then becomes, what do I need to do to express, develop, and sustain compassion? And the answer is, practice the six practices: generosity, morality, patience, energy, meditation, and wisdom. That’s the way to develop compassion."

When Bodhisattvas Break Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön invites us to find hope and resilience in our grief, just as the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, even after shattering under the weight of samsara, finds strength to alleviate th...

"Yes, even bodhisattvas shatter. They pause, and grieve, weep and wail, and heal. And eventually, when their time has come, bodhisattvas rise."

San Jose Buddhist temple suffers three-alarm fire It was the second fire that Vietnamese Buddhist temple Chua Duyen Giac has endured since May 2024. No injuries have been reported.

Luckily, as local news outlet KRON and others report, “There were no occupants inside the temple at the time of the blaze” and no injuries have been reported, though four individuals who lived on the temple property have been displaced.

All Beings Liberating, Together, At Once Judy Roitman unpacks the Mahayana vision. "The essence of this vision," she says, "is a universe in which time and space are flexible, and in which beings are neither separate nor dissolved in each ot...

"The most famous manifestation of this vision is Indra’s net. ... Nothing is left out—not the things we like and not the things we don’t like. Reality is vast and transcendent, excluding no one, connecting everyone, as intimately as the fingers on a hand are connected.

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Buddhism Public Scholars and New Professorships in Buddhist Studies is accepting applications Lion's Roar is honored to be among its participating host institutions.

“ACLS will place up to five early-career scholars of Buddhism in one-year professional positions with host institutions that present and interpret knowledge of Buddhist traditions."

Steadfast in the Midst of Samsara Shinshu Roberts examines the suffering inherent in the bodhisattva path, what Dogen referred to as being “the blue lotus in the flame.”

"Each of us must find a vow that speaks to our specific needs. When we do this, we invoke our deepest intention, which will encourage us to sit in the midst of the fire of our own difficulties and act in response to our individual inner desire to practice this vow at this moment."

Philanthropist and patron of contemporary Buddhism Robert H. N. Ho dies, age 93 Lion’s Roar joins our friends and colleagues across the world in reflecting with gratitude upon the life and work of Robert H. N. Ho.

The foundation and the Buddhist world at large — the uncountable organizations, institutions, and individuals that have been direct or indirect beneficiaries of his generosity — mourn and remember him.

New Spanish translation of The Heart of Tibetan Language – Volume 1 released “The main purpose of this Spanish edition is to offer all Spanish speakers — whether they know English or not — the opportunity to learn Tibetan and appreciate its nuances without relying on materials...

The first volume of Franziska Oertle’s groundbreaking colloquial Tibetan coursebook, The Heart of Tibetan Language, has now been digitally released in Spanish.

Self-Care for Liberation The new book Emergent Dharma (North Atlantic Books) is a ground-breaking collection of Asian American feminist Buddhist voices. In this excerpt, the book’s editor Sharon Suh says Asian American women ...

"For this Asian American feminist, Buddhism is about liberating ourselves from systems of domination and cycles of trauma that requires a deliberate and thoughtful process of self-care and self-love."

“mitigating dHARMa” site launches to support abuse/spiritual abuse survivors The professional interfaith chaplain and committed Buddhist practitioner behind the site explains its impetus and structure.

Content includes articles from Buddhadharma and Lion’s Roar, and Tricycle — as well as varied books, podcasts, papers, and more.

Visualizing a Pure and Perfect World Heidi Köppl looks at how Vajrayana visualization practice, when applied correctly, helps us to acknowledge the emptiness of the present moment.

"Through visualization practice, we can come to understand emptiness not just as a negation of real things but as an open space within which anything is possible."

The Story of Buddhist Reformer Venerable Ādicca Vamsa Hein Htet Kyaw offers a profile of a monk, author, and hero of Buddhism deserving of true appreciation.

"Despite facing severe criticism and accusations of posing a threat to Buddhism, Venerable Adicca Vamsa’s progressive stance on the revival of the bhikkhuni order has been vindicated [and] his literary contributions continue to hold significant influence."