Articles & Interviews
FEATURED BLOG:
Author: Lama Döndrup
Like many religions, Buddhism inspired various paths of practice, philosophy, and ceremony. While there are many different lineages of Buddhism, the two main branches are Theravada and Mahayana. Vajrayana is part of the Mahayana.
The Refuge of the Boundless Heart
Lama Döndrup discusses the power of cultivating the four immeasurable states of love, compassion, joy, and equanimity.
Shattered Complacency and the Path to Awakening
Our world has known specific conflict and suffering more acute than the current situation, be it from wars — most recently we can think of Syria and the Middle East; or natural disasters — we can remember vividly Hurricane Katrina and New Orleans, or the more recent hurricane in India. These have tended to be local or regional, and so in most cases far from our own lives.The current pandemic is different. It is silent and invisible, global, and deadly, at least to a percentage of the population — particularly those more vulnerable.
How to Find Joy in Suffering
When I began reading Shantideva, I was very taken at the invitation he was offering us through the Bodhicaryavatara, which is his guidebook to becoming a bodhisattva. When I got to chapter six, which is on patience (sometimes translated as forbearance), I was in a long dark night of the soul.
Welcoming Everyone: Dharma Practice for Daily Life
With all that's going on in the world, the yidam practices have been particularly helpful, because there’s a point where you can welcome everyone, including people you’re having difficulty with, into the practice. That’s so profound for a time like this, because there are so many voices in the world that are so difficult to hear — that are so destructive. These times are stressful, but not nearly as stressful as if I didn’t have that kind orientation.
Monday Night Meditation
Practicing the dharma is much more than just sitting on the cushion. Though our sitting practice is absolutely important in helping us calm the mind and gain insight into the working of our mind, the integration of what we learn on the cushion or on the chair is vital to the transformation of our habitual patterns that cause us to suffer.