Wherever We Find Ourselves on the Path

The opening commentary from the Spring 2021 issue of Buddhadharma.

Know Your Enemy

We call people who harm us enemies, but is that who they really are? When we see the person behind the label, say Buddhist teachers Sharon Salzberg and Robert Thurman, everyone benefits.

This Is My Mind, Luminous and Empty

In Vajrayana, the fast track to awakening is to look directly at your own mind and discover its true nature. Tsoknyi Rinpoche shows us how.

The Compassionate Attitude of Bodhichitta

Tsoknyi Rinpoche talks about how the most important thing in spiritual practice is motivation and the wish to free all beings from suffering.

Recognizing Clarity: A Dzogchen Meditation

Dzogchen master Tsoknyi Rinpoche shares a meditation to encourage clarity of mind.

The Natural Liberation of Habits

When you recognize the true nature of mind, says Dzogchen master Tsoknyi Rinpoche, all habitual patterns are naturally liberated in the space of wisdom. That includes the ultimate habit known as samsara.

The Ultimate Healing

The Buddha’s analysis of how to free ourselves from suffering is profound, universal, and eternal, says Melvin McLeod.

Woman floating over the earth.

This Floating World

Zen teacher Joan Sutherland on life's dreamlike nature and why it should be embraced.

Cutting Through Views: Three Practice Verses by Machig Labdrön

Charlotte Z. Rotterdam shares three verses by Machig Labdrön, the founder of Chöd, that we can carry with us in our daily lives.

Welcome to the Charnel Ground

Chöying Khandro takes us on a tour of Chöd, where we visit the places we don’t want to go and offer ourselves up to the things that frighten us the most.

Glimpse of a Deeper Order

Synchronicity, says Rachel Naomi Remen in this holiday teaching, can startle us awake and restore us to ourselves.

Sculpture of Shakyamuni Buddha sitting and touching the earth.

Who Was the Buddha?

Lion's Roar deputy editor Andrea Miller tells the story of Siddhartha Gautama.

iBme Brings Mindfulness to Teens of Color

After launching their first Teens of Color in-person retreat in 2019, Inward Bound Mindfulness Education pivots to online programming.

We Always Have Joy

The sun doesn’t stop shining just because there are clouds in the sky. Our buddhanature is always present and available, even in difficulty.

Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.

How to Practice Mahamudra Meditation

Through Mahamudra meditation, says Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche, we relax into the emptiness, clarity, and awareness of ever-present buddha wisdom.

This Is the Origin, This Is the Cessation

Teachings on the Four Noble Truths from Handful of Leaves, Thanissaro Bhikkhu’s new translations of selected suttas from the Pali Canon.

The Bodhisattva Attitude

We all have an attitude, says Zen teacher Norman Fischer, our own way of approaching life. You can start to take a bodhisattva’s attitude toward life by practicing generosity and appreciation.

Buddhism, Sex, Lion's Roar

Revisiting the Traditional Buddhist Views on Sex and Sexuality

When it comes to sex, Western Buddhists tend to be fairly liberal. But as scholar José Cabezón explains, Buddhist tradition takes a much more conservative approach, prohibiting, among other things, oral or anal sex, male homosexuality, and even sex during daylight hours. 
He challenges us not to dismiss traditional Buddhist views on sexuality but rather to critically examine them, beginning with the study of sexual ethics in Buddhist texts.

Pagoda in the mist.

Koans for Troubled Times

How do we as Buddhists meet the challenges of our time? Joan Sutherland says an answer lies in the teachings of two great Chan masters.

Why Mindfulness Isn’t Enough

Scholar Sarah Shaw explains why mindfulness must work together with ethics, compassion, and wisdom — in Buddhism and in life.