Deep Dive
Spiritual Friendship
“Noble friends are the whole of the holy life,” the historical Buddha taught. Read up on Buddhism’s notion of the kalyanamitta, or spiritual friend. Do you know how to recognize one? Do you know how to be one?
“A kalyana mitra [spiritual friend] is not just any pal you hang out with.
A virtuous friend is someone who uplifts your path
to a higher level of ethical and spiritual well-being.”
—David Viafora
What to Do When Your Dharma Group Doesn’t Get Along
What to do when spiritual friendships turn into spiritual feuds? Erric Solomon draws on management principles, dharma teachings, and personal experience to offer practical tips for dealing with conflict in dharma groups.
How Am I Doing?
From time to time, says Anyen Rinpoche, it’s important to take an honest look at yourself and ask, how am I doing on the Buddhist path?
Take Refuge in the Three Jewels
The Dalai Lama and Thubten Chodron outline three levels of Buddhist ethical codes and how we can follow them.
Fear, Forgiveness & Self-care with Mushim Ikeda
Feelings of grief, panic and helplessness can lead one to do unpredictable, irrational things. In this selection from Lion’s Roar’s online course, Medicine for Fear, dharma teacher Mushim Patricia Ikeda of the East Bay Meditation Center talks about the art of “feeling all the feelings” without causing harm to yourself and others and why the smallest act of kindness can be a powerful form of activism.
The Treasure of the Teacher
“You do the practice, you realize the way,” writes Norman Fischer. “And yet you must begin by finding a teacher you can have faith in.”
Always a Student
Three dharma teachers on what they continue to learn from their current teachers.
Ever Present
Five dharma teachers recall formative teachers of their own who have passed away, but in their ways, remain.
Buddhadharma on Books: Winter 2023
Constance Kassor reviews “Notebooks of a Wandering Monk” by Matthieu Ricard, “Illumination” by Rebecca Li, “The Buddhist Tantras” by David B. Gray, and more.
Living Buddhist Ethics
Looking primarily at the three sila aspects of the Buddha’s eightfold path—right action, right speech, and right livelihood—leading dharma figures explain how, as Buddhists in today’s world, we can live ethically, and in accord with what the dharma teaches.
Ethics, Meditation, and Wisdom
Norman Fischer on how sila, samadhi, and prajna work together to give us stability on the Buddhist path to liberation.
Understanding the Vinaya
Amy Paris Langenberg on the history, evolution, and modern manifestations of the training rules followed by Buddhist monastics.
Dukkha as a Doorway to Liberation
Scott Tusa on how Buddhist ethics transcend mere morality and help us to realize awakening.
Post-Election Wisdom
The ’24 US presidential campaign and election marked new levels of division. Here, Buddhist teachers and leaders share reactions and practices to help us go forward with more harmony.
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 the suffering of all beings.
Our Shared Struggle
Ray Buckner reflects on the recognition of our shared experience of suffering. And how, through acknowledging this interconnectedness, we find strength and purpose in working collectively to alleviate suffering for ourselves and others.
I Vow Not to Burn Out
Mushim Patricia Ikeda says it’s not enough to help others. You have to take care of yourself too.
The Six Dharmas of Naropa
Considered a fast track to buddhahood, the Six Dharmas are advanced tantric practices including tummo (inner heat), yoga of the dream state, resting in luminosity, and more. Featuring an overview by Pema Khandro Rinpoche, plus in-depth teachings by specialists in each of the Six Dharmas.
The Swift Path to Buddhahood
Pema Khandro on the fascinating history, practice, and purpose of the Six Dharmas of Naropa.
The Practice of Fierce Inner Heat
Judith Simmer-Brown on tummo, one of the most famous esoteric practices of Tibetan Vajrayana and the Six Dharmas. What is it, what are its benefits, and what role does it play in our journey to enlightenment?
A Wake-Up Call
Andrew Holecek on bardo, one of the Six Dharmas of Naropa’s two practices for helping us find our way, when the time comes, through the death experience. It can help us in life, too.
The Teacher & The Student
All about this most crucial of dharma relationships—what a teacher (ideally) is, how to know when one is right (or wrong) for you, how to be a student, understanding the guru-disciple bond in Vajrayana Buddhism, and more.
The Treasure of the Teacher
“You do the practice, you realize the way,” writes Norman Fischer. “And yet you must begin by finding a teacher you can have faith in.”
A Meeting of Minds
Anne C. Klein on the importance of listening, relating, and actively engaging with our teachers as the foundation for a genuine, transformative connection with them.
When You Are Ready…
Willa Blythe Baker on the many forms in which our teachers might manifest, including even our body and our community.
Buddhanature
Buddhanature is a Mahayana Buddhist concept that, while foundational, can sometimes be confounding. Here, great Buddhist thinkers of the present and past shine a prismatic light on buddhanature so that we might all better recognize the potential for awakening within.
Why Buddhanature Matters
Lopen Karma Phuntsho, writer-in-residence for Tsadra Foundation’s Buddha-Nature project, takes a look at the history and development of the Mahayana concept of buddhanature.
The World Between Breaths
Vanessa Zuisei Goddard on the famous Zen koan “Mu,” and how it helps us dive into buddhanature.
To Be or Not To Be? Be a Buddha!
Looking at the words of classical texts, Karl Brunnhölzl explores the notions of buddhanature and emptiness—how they may be understood as one and the same, and how they are not identical.