Buddhadharma: Deepen Your Practice & Study of Buddhism
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Whether you’ve been practicing for two years or twenty, Buddhadharma is your ideal source for deepening your understanding of and connection to Buddhism. Buddhadharma is a project of Lion's Roar, found at https://www.lionsroar.com/buddhadharma/
"In a world that never stops interrupting us, this ancient Tibetan practice offers a way to reset body, mind, and spirit, clearing these poisons in a few breaths."
Let the “Nine Breaths of Purification” Clear Your Mind and Open Your Heart
Daniel Ahearn, LMFT, shares an article and accompanying video on the how and why of a practice he says offers "a gentle revolution, a way to clear what weighs us down, to reconnect with the body, and ...
www.lionsroar.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:14 PM
"In a world that never stops interrupting us, this ancient Tibetan practice offers a way to reset body, mind, and spirit, clearing these poisons in a few breaths."
"What was once recorded in guidebooks, or held in the monastic library, may also be found in the form of pilgrimage YouTube vlogs (video-blogs). These vlogs are offering new pilgrimage experiences, education, and re-historicized versions of Buddhism’s past."
How YouTube Is Changing Buddhist Pilgrimage and Re-Historicizing Buddhism’s Past
Nikhil Stewart shares what he's learned by interviewing 30 monks about how vlogging (video-blogging) has impacted Buddhist pilgrimage — online, and "IRL."
www.lionsroar.com
November 17, 2025 at 5:00 PM
"What was once recorded in guidebooks, or held in the monastic library, may also be found in the form of pilgrimage YouTube vlogs (video-blogs). These vlogs are offering new pilgrimage experiences, education, and re-historicized versions of Buddhism’s past."
"When nightmares, panic, and fear began to resurface, he turned to his teacher, a highly regarded master. The teacher’s response: 'Snap out of it. You know how to meditate.'
"Perhaps he meant, 'You’ve got this.' But that’s not what landed."
"Perhaps he meant, 'You’ve got this.' But that’s not what landed."
Why Meditation Alone Can't Heal Every Wound
Amma Thanasanti asks “the question that won’t go away”: If a dharma teacher has authentic awakening, how are they able to still cause so much harm?
www.lionsroar.com
November 13, 2025 at 3:08 PM
"When nightmares, panic, and fear began to resurface, he turned to his teacher, a highly regarded master. The teacher’s response: 'Snap out of it. You know how to meditate.'
"Perhaps he meant, 'You’ve got this.' But that’s not what landed."
"Perhaps he meant, 'You’ve got this.' But that’s not what landed."
"You’re a bodhisattva when you never waiver from your powerful aspiration to be of benefit to everyone, not just in meditation but throughout daily life." —Anne Klein
Awakening the Bodhisattva
Venerable Pannavati, Anne Klein, and Ejo McMullen on the possibilities and challenges of the bodhisattva path. Introduction by Taigen Dan Leighton.
www.lionsroar.com
November 12, 2025 at 1:42 PM
"You’re a bodhisattva when you never waiver from your powerful aspiration to be of benefit to everyone, not just in meditation but throughout daily life." —Anne Klein
This is just one of the pieces featured in Buddhadharma's Deep Dive, about no-self, this month. Visit the Buddhdharma homepage for more: www.lionsroar.com/buddhadharma/
Looking Deeply into Impermanence, No-self, and Nirvana
Thich Nhat Hanh teaches that by looking deeply we develop insight into impermanence and no self. These are the keys to the door of reality.
www.lionsroar.com
November 6, 2025 at 8:02 PM
This is just one of the pieces featured in Buddhadharma's Deep Dive, about no-self, this month. Visit the Buddhdharma homepage for more: www.lionsroar.com/buddhadharma/
Psychotherapist and Zen practitioner Sheryl Lilke has written an open letter about clergy sex abuse in our sanghas to "put our understanding of wisdom and ethics into practice to create communities that prioritize the safety of vulnerable individuals." Read it via the link.
Open Letter to American Zen — Therapy for Women - Sheryl Lilke Madison WI
www.sheryllilke.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Psychotherapist and Zen practitioner Sheryl Lilke has written an open letter about clergy sex abuse in our sanghas to "put our understanding of wisdom and ethics into practice to create communities that prioritize the safety of vulnerable individuals." Read it via the link.
The upcoming bhikshuni ordination will be the final segment of the inaugural Global Peace Prayer Festival, now underway in Thimphu, Bhutan, through November 19. The festival welcomes dharma practitioners, teachers, and leaders from all Buddhist traditions and from all over the world.
Over 250 Buddhist Nuns to Receive Full Ordination at Global Peace Prayer Festival in Bhutan
Hundreds of Buddhist nuns will receive full ordination as part of the Global Peace Prayer Festival in Bhutan from November 15-19.
www.lionsroar.com
November 5, 2025 at 2:33 PM
The upcoming bhikshuni ordination will be the final segment of the inaugural Global Peace Prayer Festival, now underway in Thimphu, Bhutan, through November 19. The festival welcomes dharma practitioners, teachers, and leaders from all Buddhist traditions and from all over the world.
"Awakening is something different from the projects of self-improvement and self-actualization many Westerners are used to; it’s not about being a better self but about discovering our true self, which is another thing entirely."
Everything Is Enlightenment
Enlightenment is everywhere we look, says Joan Sutherland — we can choose to notice it, but at the same time, we can also trust that it will find us, wherever we are.
www.lionsroar.com
October 31, 2025 at 6:35 PM
"Awakening is something different from the projects of self-improvement and self-actualization many Westerners are used to; it’s not about being a better self but about discovering our true self, which is another thing entirely."
"In our greatest hardship, to also think of other people’s sorrow seems like too much. But by the power of our interdependence with beings, by acknowledging this interconnection through open-hearted presence, we actually find relief."
When We Have No Choice
Sometimes, says Pema Khandro, there’s no way out. It’s at those times that we can discover the depth and resilience of the mind.
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October 28, 2025 at 11:15 PM
"In our greatest hardship, to also think of other people’s sorrow seems like too much. But by the power of our interdependence with beings, by acknowledging this interconnection through open-hearted presence, we actually find relief."
"Now, perhaps more than ever, it seems as though there is nothing that can be done about climate change. Indeed, climate change seems unstoppable, insurmountable. But so too are sentient beings innumerable, our desires inexhaustible, the dharma boundless, and the way of the buddha unattainable."
A Buddhist Response to “Climate Overshoot”
“Catastrophic climate chaos has become a fact," writes Colin H. Simonds. “Once-in-a-generation disasters have become near-yearly events thanks to anthropogenic climate change. In the midst of these...
www.lionsroar.com
October 23, 2025 at 3:58 PM
"Now, perhaps more than ever, it seems as though there is nothing that can be done about climate change. Indeed, climate change seems unstoppable, insurmountable. But so too are sentient beings innumerable, our desires inexhaustible, the dharma boundless, and the way of the buddha unattainable."
"The view that freedom and change are possible reminds us that we needn’t be limited by our conditioning, and can instead, with wisdom, practice, and understanding, respond freely and appropriately to present circumstances."
How Buddhism’s “Three Marks of Existence” Can Lead Us to Freedom and Change
Chan practitioner Mark Van Buren shares how the Buddhist concepts of impermanence, interdependence, and unsatisfactoriness (often rendered as "suffering") can point the way to our liberation.
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October 21, 2025 at 9:09 PM
"The view that freedom and change are possible reminds us that we needn’t be limited by our conditioning, and can instead, with wisdom, practice, and understanding, respond freely and appropriately to present circumstances."
"The good news is that these emotions themselves can lead us back to our true nature. In fact, there are three main ways to work with emotions: removing, transforming, and transcending." Read to learn more and read Rinpoche's helpful meditation instructions.
Three Ways of Working with Emotions
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares a new article and video on the five kleshas — ignorance, aversion, craving, pride, jealousy — how they lead to suffering, and how not to let them.
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October 16, 2025 at 3:29 PM
"The good news is that these emotions themselves can lead us back to our true nature. In fact, there are three main ways to work with emotions: removing, transforming, and transcending." Read to learn more and read Rinpoche's helpful meditation instructions.
"Fittingly, the two were in adjacent rooms at a meditation retreat in 1979 when Kabat-Zinn hatched the revolutionary idea of MBSR. 'Who else could I talk about it with but Larry?'”
True Dharma Brothers
A snapshot of the special friendship between Larry Rosenberg and Jon Kabat-Zinn — two leading lights of the American vipassana and mindfulness movements — from Madeline Drexler’s introduction to the n...
www.lionsroar.com
October 15, 2025 at 12:05 AM
"Fittingly, the two were in adjacent rooms at a meditation retreat in 1979 when Kabat-Zinn hatched the revolutionary idea of MBSR. 'Who else could I talk about it with but Larry?'”
"Ultimately, the teaching on the six sense fields is an invitation from the Buddha to return to that which is most intimate, most present."
The Mind That Knows Itself
Until we begin to make the distinction between observing thoughts and observing the knowing mind, writes Ayya Dhammapida, "we have not yet begun to study or to experience the mind directly."
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October 14, 2025 at 11:24 PM
"Ultimately, the teaching on the six sense fields is an invitation from the Buddha to return to that which is most intimate, most present."
“Just as the dawn is the forerunner of the sunrise, so good friendship is the forerunner for the arising of the noble eightfold path,” the Buddha stated.
Spiritual Friendship Is the Path
Each one of us, says David Viafora, can be a kalyana mitra, or “spiritual friend.” Here’s how.
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October 9, 2025 at 6:42 PM
“Just as the dawn is the forerunner of the sunrise, so good friendship is the forerunner for the arising of the noble eightfold path,” the Buddha stated.
For the first time ever, 92 bhikkhunis (fully ordained female monastics) came together to connect and support each other. Venerable Dhammananda: “The key word is unity. We must be united and strongly rooted in the Dhamma Vinaya to sustain the bhikkhuni sangha in the future.”
Dhammananda Bhikkhuni Hosts Groundbreaking Conference for Thai Bhikkhuni Sangha
Cindy Rasicot, author of This Fresh Existence: Heart Teachings of Bhikkhuni Dhammananda, shares a report from this historic event.
www.lionsroar.com
October 7, 2025 at 4:56 PM
For the first time ever, 92 bhikkhunis (fully ordained female monastics) came together to connect and support each other. Venerable Dhammananda: “The key word is unity. We must be united and strongly rooted in the Dhamma Vinaya to sustain the bhikkhuni sangha in the future.”
The monk asked, “Does a dog have buddhanature?” Zhaozhou responded, “Wu [No]!”
It’s a puzzling exchange. All beings have buddhanature, so why did Zhaozhou say no?
It’s a puzzling exchange. All beings have buddhanature, so why did Zhaozhou say no?
The Practice of Wonderment
When your life takes the shape of a question, says Guo Gu, then you have entered the practice of huatou.
www.lionsroar.com
September 30, 2025 at 12:22 PM
The monk asked, “Does a dog have buddhanature?” Zhaozhou responded, “Wu [No]!”
It’s a puzzling exchange. All beings have buddhanature, so why did Zhaozhou say no?
It’s a puzzling exchange. All beings have buddhanature, so why did Zhaozhou say no?
The Compassion Shift Global Launch, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, will consist of free talks, panels and workshops highlighting the work and reach of Emory’s Compassion Center.
Speakers include Daniel Goleman; Samdhong Rinpoche (virtually), and more.
Speakers include Daniel Goleman; Samdhong Rinpoche (virtually), and more.
Year of Compassion to kick off with Compassion Shift event and Tibet Week | Emory University | Atlanta GA
The unveiling of a new digital learning platform will usher in Emory College’s Year of Compassion, aiming to promote the education of both heart and mind. The launch also coincides with Emory’s Tibet ...
news.emory.edu
September 24, 2025 at 12:27 PM
The Compassion Shift Global Launch, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1, will consist of free talks, panels and workshops highlighting the work and reach of Emory’s Compassion Center.
Speakers include Daniel Goleman; Samdhong Rinpoche (virtually), and more.
Speakers include Daniel Goleman; Samdhong Rinpoche (virtually), and more.
“Each of these six keys is easily worth a lifetime of practice; they invite us to grow in our professional lives as well as in the whole of our lives.”
Opening to the Joy of Work
Making a living while living our values can be easier said than done, but Maia Duerr has discerned six keys for cultivating the qualities and conditions for doing abundant, cheerful, sustainable work.
www.lionsroar.com
September 23, 2025 at 6:32 PM
“Each of these six keys is easily worth a lifetime of practice; they invite us to grow in our professional lives as well as in the whole of our lives.”
"...from the Buddhist point of view, we have a choice: to direct our story of living and dying now, or to wait, closing our eyes to the message of impermanence, until death itself opens them. Since we value happy endings, why choose to gamble with the Lord of Death?"
Are You Ready for Death?
What we see as the worst crisis of our lives is actually an opportunity to discover enlightened mind, says Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche.
www.lionsroar.com
September 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
"...from the Buddhist point of view, we have a choice: to direct our story of living and dying now, or to wait, closing our eyes to the message of impermanence, until death itself opens them. Since we value happy endings, why choose to gamble with the Lord of Death?"
Sit in on the Q&A session with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the end of the second sesshin ever at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. An excerpt from David Chadwick’s new book, Tassajara Stories.
www.lionsroar.com/negation-aft...
www.lionsroar.com/negation-aft...
“Negation After Negation You Attain Liberation”: Shosan with Suzuki Roshi
In a pivotal moment for Zen in America, Tassajara Zen Mountain Center was founded in 1967, the first Zen monastery established outside Japan. David Chadwick’s new book, Tassajara Stories (Monkfish Pre...
www.lionsroar.com
September 15, 2025 at 10:14 PM
Sit in on the Q&A session with Shunryu Suzuki Roshi at the end of the second sesshin ever at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. An excerpt from David Chadwick’s new book, Tassajara Stories.
www.lionsroar.com/negation-aft...
www.lionsroar.com/negation-aft...
Diana Mukpo, known as Lady Diana to the Shambhala International Buddhist community for whom she was considered a leader, died at her home in Florida on September 10 at the age of 71.
Diana Mukpo, widow of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, dies
As Trungpa’s partner, Mukpo played an active role in shaping Buddhism’s presence in the English-speaking world.
www.lionsroar.com
September 12, 2025 at 1:12 PM
Diana Mukpo, known as Lady Diana to the Shambhala International Buddhist community for whom she was considered a leader, died at her home in Florida on September 10 at the age of 71.
"There is no real death that exists inherently, from its own side. It is merely a convenient label, ultimately unreal. ... The real death that we so fear — that real independent death — is merely labeled by the mind."
You Don’t Have to Fear Death — But You Should
In the new book How to Live and Die: The Transformative Power of Meditating on Impermanence (Wisdom Publications), Lama Zopa Rinpoche says death is just a mental construct, but it’s helpful to fear it...
www.lionsroar.com
September 8, 2025 at 12:07 PM
"There is no real death that exists inherently, from its own side. It is merely a convenient label, ultimately unreal. ... The real death that we so fear — that real independent death — is merely labeled by the mind."
"Explore. Investigate. By investigating you are actually getting to notice the way it is, the Dhamma. You come to recognize that there is actually no person who is being aware. Nevertheless, awareness will include what seems personal."
The Problem of Personality
We believe deeply in ourselves as personalities, says Ajahn Sumedho, each committed to the reality of our own personal history and distinctive traits.
www.lionsroar.com
September 5, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"Explore. Investigate. By investigating you are actually getting to notice the way it is, the Dhamma. You come to recognize that there is actually no person who is being aware. Nevertheless, awareness will include what seems personal."
"If the mind keeps its balance, stopping to watch and know itself, it realizes these things for what they are. When it does that, it lets them go automatically without being attached. This is the knowledge that comes with true mindfulness and discernment."
See Things Clear Through
Upasika Kee Nanayon, shows us how to combine concentration and clear-seeing to penetrate the "mass of deceit" that is the mind.
www.lionsroar.com
September 4, 2025 at 1:38 PM
"If the mind keeps its balance, stopping to watch and know itself, it realizes these things for what they are. When it does that, it lets them go automatically without being attached. This is the knowledge that comes with true mindfulness and discernment."