Buddhadharma: Deepen Your Practice & Study of Buddhism
@buddhadharma.bsky.social
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/
"The late Annie Dillard once said, 'I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam.' But there is more we can do. Cultivating clear seeing shows us we’re not apart from that light. We are, in fact, the beam."
Moving Through the Three “Karma Doors”
Vanessa Zuisei Goddard on how understanding our gateways to the world — body, speech, and mind — is key in our practice of sila.
www.lionsroar.com
September 16, 2026 at 5:43 PM
"The late Annie Dillard once said, 'I cannot cause light; the most I can do is try to put myself in the path of its beam.' But there is more we can do. Cultivating clear seeing shows us we’re not apart from that light. We are, in fact, the beam."
"Those of you practicing, especially when you’re young, please… do it now! Keep at it! Because it’s not just about now."
Going on 94, and Still Waking Up
Dharma teacher Larry Rosenberg reflects on how Buddhist practice has changed not just his life, but his relationship to death. 'Even facing the end,' he writes, 'I really don't feel helpless.'"
www.lionsroar.com
September 14, 2026 at 2:57 PM
"Those of you practicing, especially when you’re young, please… do it now! Keep at it! Because it’s not just about now."
"Appakicco — being free from cares and duties — intrigues me. It suggests that the Buddha was telling us that our practice may require something more: We may have to become less busy."
Is Your Life Too Busy for Loving-kindness?
One small word in the Metta Sutta raises a question that modern practitioners may prefer not to ask: What if meditation cannot compensate for the lives we have constructed?
www.lionsroar.com
September 14, 2026 at 2:47 PM
"Appakicco — being free from cares and duties — intrigues me. It suggests that the Buddha was telling us that our practice may require something more: We may have to become less busy."
Andrew Holecek speaks to Lion’s Roar about what makes him tick, and what he teaches in “Waking Up to Death,” his new online course coming soon from Lion’s Roar.
Meet the Teacher: Andrew Holecek | Lion’s Roar
Andrew Holecek, whose work involves studies on dream yoga, the practice of dark retreat, and coming to terms with death, impermanence, and loss, speaks to Lion's Roar's Rod Meade Sperry about what mak...
www.lionsroar.com
September 10, 2026 at 1:51 PM
Andrew Holecek speaks to Lion’s Roar about what makes him tick, and what he teaches in “Waking Up to Death,” his new online course coming soon from Lion’s Roar.
Steinem: "The ultimate goal of coming together is always the same, I think. Some of us tried to establish a female-honoring tradition as a preparation for coming together, and some of us tried to transform and integrate from within."
Waking Up to Patriarchy
In this 2015 conversation, the late Gloria Steinem joins Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo to talk about personal challenges they’d each faced, progress they’d seen, and why there’s more to be done.
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September 3, 2026 at 11:33 AM
Steinem: "The ultimate goal of coming together is always the same, I think. Some of us tried to establish a female-honoring tradition as a preparation for coming together, and some of us tried to transform and integrate from within."
"If Nepal has given you anything over the years," writes James Gritz, "this is a good time to give something back." Here's how.
A Prayer for Nepal and Tibet, and How to Help
James Gritz reflects on the devastating flash floods in Nepal and Tibet and shares resources for those looking to support relief efforts.
www.lionsroar.com
August 27, 2026 at 6:43 PM
"If Nepal has given you anything over the years," writes James Gritz, "this is a good time to give something back." Here's how.
"There is a way of holding both truths, that the dharma should not be sold and that the dharma requires resources to thrive, without letting the two cancel each other out. Finding this way forward requires open-hearted listening to the broader range of Buddhist experiences in today’s world."
Devotion in Three Keys
At a monastery's grand reopening in Kathmandu, Justin Kelley watches three very different expressions of Buddhist devotion sit side by side — and finds, in his teacher Mingyur Rinpoche, a living examp...
www.lionsroar.com
August 24, 2026 at 1:51 PM
"There is a way of holding both truths, that the dharma should not be sold and that the dharma requires resources to thrive, without letting the two cancel each other out. Finding this way forward requires open-hearted listening to the broader range of Buddhist experiences in today’s world."
"There’s nothing as hard to keep watch of as the mind, because it’s so accustomed to wrong views and wrong opinions. This is what keeps it hidden from itself. But thanks to the teachings of the Buddha, we can gain knowledge into the mind, or into consciousness with its many layers and intricacies"
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.
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August 19, 2026 at 12:36 PM
"There’s nothing as hard to keep watch of as the mind, because it’s so accustomed to wrong views and wrong opinions. This is what keeps it hidden from itself. But thanks to the teachings of the Buddha, we can gain knowledge into the mind, or into consciousness with its many layers and intricacies"
A group of Buddhist teachers and supporters has organized to help the Uganda Buddhist Centre secure a piece of land they say could determine its future, and protect a fragile ecosystem on the shores of Lake Victoria.
Uganda Buddhist Centre seeks to save wetland, build Africa's first dedicated retreat center
As Bhante Buddharakkhita's Uganda Buddhist Centre marks 20 years, supporters worldwide are mobilizing to save a threatened wetland and build the continent's first retreat center built solely to share ...
www.lionsroar.com
August 18, 2026 at 4:14 PM
A group of Buddhist teachers and supporters has organized to help the Uganda Buddhist Centre secure a piece of land they say could determine its future, and protect a fragile ecosystem on the shores of Lake Victoria.
“Rather than debating political positions — or whether Buddhists should engage politically — the event will focus on how to engage.”
Pre-midterms virtual town hall to examine how Buddhism can address political anxiety, issues
Tara Brach, Ben Connelly, and Kaira Jewel Lingo will appear as panelists, exploring how Buddhist practice can support democratic values.
www.lionsroar.com
August 13, 2026 at 4:44 PM
“Rather than debating political positions — or whether Buddhists should engage politically — the event will focus on how to engage.”
"Equanimity is not what good Buddhists achieve. It is what any sentient system achieves when it stops adding distortion to its registration of reality. Equanimity then is simply what health looks like."
Equanimity Is Not Detachment
Nichiren Buddhist teacher Mark Herrick argues that equanimity isn't stoic composure — it's homeostasis, the same balancing function that lets a single cell survive change.
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August 7, 2026 at 3:42 PM
"Equanimity is not what good Buddhists achieve. It is what any sentient system achieves when it stops adding distortion to its registration of reality. Equanimity then is simply what health looks like."
New at Lion's Roar: "Bob was ultimately motivated by one thing," recalls Melvin McLeod: "how to create the most possible benefit. I think that’s the definition of a bodhisattva: someone who amid all the challenges and eccentricities of this human life is concerned with one thing—creating benefit."
Celebrating an American Bodhisattva
Melvin McLeod attends the memorial for Robert Thurman.
www.lionsroar.com
August 6, 2026 at 2:13 PM
New at Lion's Roar: "Bob was ultimately motivated by one thing," recalls Melvin McLeod: "how to create the most possible benefit. I think that’s the definition of a bodhisattva: someone who amid all the challenges and eccentricities of this human life is concerned with one thing—creating benefit."
"Five schools, one mountain. That’s why it gets called the mother mountain of Japanese Buddhism.
The Mother Mountain
Zen, Pure Land, and Nichiren all trace to one mountain outside Kyoto. James Gritz on Mount Hiei, his own teachers, and a trip that returns to the source.
www.lionsroar.com
August 6, 2026 at 12:11 PM
"Five schools, one mountain. That’s why it gets called the mother mountain of Japanese Buddhism.
Wisdom from GuoGu, Myokei Caine-Barrett, Kokyo Henkel, Qalvy Grainzvolt, Heidi Nevin, and Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön.
Glimpses of Buddhanature
Buddhist teacher-practitioners from across traditions share personal moments that gave them insight into the true nature of mind.
www.lionsroar.com
July 28, 2026 at 12:05 PM
Wisdom from GuoGu, Myokei Caine-Barrett, Kokyo Henkel, Qalvy Grainzvolt, Heidi Nevin, and Lama Karma Yeshe Chödrön.
An excerpt from the new collection, Alive For It All — Wisdom for Everyday Life: The Teachings of Darlene Cohen, by Cynthia Kear.
What My Body Taught Me When It Stopped Working
The late Zen teacher Darlene Cohen was athletic, fearless, and self-reliant — until rheumatoid arthritis took her strength, her independence, and her ability to care for her own child in four months. ...
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July 20, 2026 at 7:02 PM
An excerpt from the new collection, Alive For It All — Wisdom for Everyday Life: The Teachings of Darlene Cohen, by Cynthia Kear.
Happy 81st to Jack Kornfield! Here's a classic JK piece from the Buddhadharma archive:
Buddhism’s Call to Action
Jack Kornfield on the importance of contributing to activism with Buddhist practice and wisdom.
www.lionsroar.com
July 16, 2026 at 1:33 PM
Happy 81st to Jack Kornfield! Here's a classic JK piece from the Buddhadharma archive:
A friendly reminder that this event is coming up, on July 25.
Karmapa Center 16 to hold July consecration ceremony, teaching
Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche will lead the ceremony and offer a free public teaching on Guru Rinpoche on Saturday, July 25. These events will take place both onsite at the Center and broadcast live online...
www.lionsroar.com
July 16, 2026 at 1:11 PM
A friendly reminder that this event is coming up, on July 25.
"Who wrote this? That question stays open. But the deeper question Buddhism is asking is this: through this, what conditions are being created, what relationships sustained, what direction set?"
Who Wrote This? On Buddhism & Agency in the Age of AI
When AI writes your emails, edits your prose, and so on, where does "you" end? Hajeong Park finds that Buddhism has been sitting with this question for centuries — and that its answer, rooted in non...
www.lionsroar.com
July 16, 2026 at 12:51 PM
"Who wrote this? That question stays open. But the deeper question Buddhism is asking is this: through this, what conditions are being created, what relationships sustained, what direction set?"
"What struck me later was not the anger itself, but how quickly it had appeared. Thirty days of silence and meditation had not erased the old patterns. Awareness had become stronger, certainly. But wisdom had not fully learned how to meet unpredictability and difficulty with equanimity."
The Taxi Was the Teacher
Thirty days of silent retreat didn't prevent a flare of anger when a driver failed to show. The Buddha's Simile of the Cook explains why — and what to do about it.
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July 13, 2026 at 12:11 PM
"What struck me later was not the anger itself, but how quickly it had appeared. Thirty days of silence and meditation had not erased the old patterns. Awareness had become stronger, certainly. But wisdom had not fully learned how to meet unpredictability and difficulty with equanimity."
On his birthday today, why not celebrate with some wisdom from His Holiness the Dalal Lama?
Seeing Ourselves Clearly
“The suffering and happiness each of us experiences is a reflection of the distortion or clarity with which we view ourselves and the world.”
www.lionsroar.com
July 6, 2026 at 11:51 AM
On his birthday today, why not celebrate with some wisdom from His Holiness the Dalal Lama?
"By cultivating an awareness of the subtle body, we can synchronize mind and body, anchor ourselves in the present moment, and skillfully work with the natural flow of energy to promote balance and well-being."
Ground Yourself from the Inside Out
Working with the subtle body's inner wind can calm restlessness, restore emotional balance, and anchor you in the present — here's a practice to begin.
www.lionsroar.com
July 2, 2026 at 4:43 PM
"By cultivating an awareness of the subtle body, we can synchronize mind and body, anchor ourselves in the present moment, and skillfully work with the natural flow of energy to promote balance and well-being."
"Nichiren Shonin’s attitudes toward women were based on the Lotus Sutra and reflected his understanding of the Buddha’s teachings on equality, not the standards of medieval times."
Nichiren Shonin: A Teacher of Equality
Based on letters Nichiren Shonin wrote to his female followers, Myokei Caine-Barrett explains why the thirteenth-century champion of the Lotus Sutra was a practical feminist.
www.lionsroar.com
June 25, 2026 at 7:36 PM
"Nichiren Shonin’s attitudes toward women were based on the Lotus Sutra and reflected his understanding of the Buddha’s teachings on equality, not the standards of medieval times."
"International commentary on Myanmar’s Buddhist monastic community often relies on a simplistic binary... The legacy of Shwe Nya War Sayadaw shatters this, demonstrating an inclusive Buddhist nationalism that resisted military tyranny while championing Muslims as citizens rather than scapegoats."
Remembering Venerable Shwe Nya War and his Work for Democracy
Political-activist monk Venerable Shwe Nya War Sayadaw, who died in July 2025 after years of imprisonment under Myanmar's military junta, embodied a form of Buddhist nationalism that championed democr...
www.lionsroar.com
June 19, 2026 at 4:29 PM
"International commentary on Myanmar’s Buddhist monastic community often relies on a simplistic binary... The legacy of Shwe Nya War Sayadaw shatters this, demonstrating an inclusive Buddhist nationalism that resisted military tyranny while championing Muslims as citizens rather than scapegoats."
The Lelung is regarded as “one of The Three Principal Incarnations of Tibet, Vajrapani”, as Samdhong Rinpoche has explained it.
Tibet's Lelung Tulkus — Shaping Peace for 700 Years
In advance of the 700th anniversary of Tibet’s first Lelung Tulku, Tenzin Wangmo offers an appreciation of the lineage and its current-day incarnation, whose work is decidedly nonsectarian.
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June 18, 2026 at 2:22 PM
The Lelung is regarded as “one of The Three Principal Incarnations of Tibet, Vajrapani”, as Samdhong Rinpoche has explained it.
Robert A.F. Thurman, Buddhist scholar, activist, teacher, and co-founder of Tibet House US died on Tuesday at 84. In this profile from our archives, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong shares his story. We share our sympathies to all who were touched by his presence and work.
Remembering Robert A.F. Thurman (1941-2026)
Robert A.F. Thurman, renowned Buddhist scholar, activist, teacher, and co-founder of Tibet House US died on Tuesday, June 16, 2026 in Woodstock, New York. He was 84. In this profile from our archives,...
www.lionsroar.com
June 17, 2026 at 10:20 AM
Robert A.F. Thurman, Buddhist scholar, activist, teacher, and co-founder of Tibet House US died on Tuesday at 84. In this profile from our archives, Jennifer Keishin Armstrong shares his story. We share our sympathies to all who were touched by his presence and work.