Adapting Buddhism’s Five Precepts for Reconciliation

Patrice Clark Koelsch reimagines the five precepts to apply when engaging in morally-charged activist settings.

Photo of streetscape and the bookshop City Lights in San Francisco.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Enlightenment

Things to see, do, and enjoy in three American Buddhist hotspots.

Meditation Only Goes So Far

If you want to connect with the open, spacious quality of mind, says Willa Blythe Baker, at some point you have to stop trying to meditate.

The Best Souvenir

In the opening editorial from our July 2022 issue, Deputy Editor Andrea Miller reflects on her time in Morocco, and the feeling of connection we experience through travelling. 

The Search for Light

Koans, Shakespeare, working with suffering — Bonnie Nadzam looks at new books offering different insights into Buddhist practice today.

Meet a Teacher: Jan Chozen Bays

An interview with Jan Chozen Bays from our “Meet a Teacher” series in the July 2022 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine.

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How to Practice Zen Koans

John Tarrant demystifies Zen koan practice. Yes, it’s paradoxical, poetic, and totally personal. And so is life.

Reimagining School Through a Buddhist Lens

Susan Yao explores how Buddhist principles could help us reimagine the American school system.

I Never Gave Up on Dharma: Ngakpa Kalzang’s Journey from Tibet

Dhondup T. Rekjong tells the story of Ngakpa Kalzang, an exile of Tibet and experienced tantric Buddhist practitioner working as a landscaper on Canada's Vancouver Island.

She Who Hears the Cries of the World

In Buddhism, compassion is embodied in the bodhisattva Kuan Yin, who is said to manifest wherever beings need help.

When We Do Harm

Avery Grace reflects on what to do when we harm others, how we can move forward, and the compassion we need for ourselves to do better. 

The Spirit of Plum Village

“The next Buddha may be a sangha,” Thich Nhat Hanh famously said, and the practice of community was always central to his life and teachings. Dharma teacher Mitchell Ratner experienced the wonders, lessons, and challenges of living the mindful life at Plum Village.

My Flight from the Real

Pico Iyer thought he would find what is truly real by going off to a monastery, but he was really fleeing it. Dropping his spiritual romaticism, he found it in ordinary life.

The Heart of a Story

From the healing power of storytelling to the dharma of literature—Bonnie Nadzam recommends new books to help us make sense of our lives.

Meet a Teacher: Gregory Pai

An interview with Gregory Pai from our “Meet a Teacher” series in the May 2022 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine.

The Primal Vow of Pure Land Buddhism

The foundation of the Pure Land path, explains Takashi Miyaji, is Amitabha Buddha’s vow to liberate anyone who calls on him.

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What do all of the terms for Buddhist meditation mean?

I’m confused about all the different terms for meditation, like shamatha, vipassana, zazen, mindfulness, calm abiding, insight, just sitting. What's what?

Finding Home on My Path of Transition

On the Transgender Day of Visibility, Ray Buckner shares his journey to find home on both the Buddhist path and the path of transition.

Architectural drawing of a door.

Thich Nhat Hanh’s Doors of Liberation

No self, no form, no goal: Thich Nhat Hanh on the truth we’re distracting ourselves from.

10 Steps to Tame the Elephant

For generations, Tibetan practitioners have been guided by a chart outlining the nine stages of samatha meditation. Jan Willis takes us through the map and introduces us to the characters along the way.