1. Light a bonfireQuickly, write down all my sinsToss them in the flames 2. Do not get too closeFire burns through flesh and boneBut stay close enough 3. Winter is so coldThe snow gets deeper each dayA fire would be nice
Answering the Conch Shell’s Call: Schooling and the Religious Life
The second instalment of Choje Lama’s biography: a look at his early school years, and preparation for his religious vocation
Poem for Chris La Tray
you pour coffee into your cupin montana it turns into tea in my cupin scotland
Women Leading: Sakyadhita Spain
The day when “women in Buddhism” is no longer a separate category of discussion, is perhaps the day when the tradition has reached true gender equality. That day is a long way off, and so we are left with using this skilful means (upaya) to highlight the progress and difficulties of women in the Buddhist […]
A Buddhist Prayer for Peace in Kyiv
Shortly before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, a small group of Buddhists, affiliated with the Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga, gathered in Kyiv’s majestic Mikhailovska Square to pray for peace, chant the Lotus Sutra in the Nichiren tradition of “Namo myoho-renge-kyo,” and call for an end to Russo-Ukrainian hostilities. The Nipponzan-Myōhōji-Daisanga is a Nichiren-aligned movement founded in 1917, consisting […]
Breathe Easy
A simple meditation object is oftentimes the best object for beginners to meditation. When your mind is running wild and your body feels even more restless, it can hard to settle down. This is particularly true when you’ve chosen to focus on an object that doesn’t provide much substance. That’s why learning to breathe in […]
Breathless
As a teen, I’d occasionally suffer from intense stomachaches, as result of food allergies or physiological imbalances in the body. Witnessing my battles with stomach pain, my father gave me specific instructions for how to find ease, even though I felt my body was under relentless attack. “When you feel pain, breathe as deeply and […]
Havana Zen: A Japanese Tradition Arises in Cuba
One of the fastest-growing schools of Buddhism in Cuba is that of Japanese Zen, which has enjoyed a long and rich history in Latin America. It found roots in other countries earlier, most famously Brazil thanks to waves of immigration by Japanese people since the early 20th Century. However, thanks to a visionary pair of […]
Blazing a Bodhisattva Trail in Cuba, with Ven. Zhihan
The reinvigoration of the Chinese Mahayana tradition in Cuba has largely been thanks to a single Buddhist monk, Taiwan-born Ven. Zhihan. Ven. Zhihan was already an established name in Vancouver, where he had founded the Bodhiyana Foundation, an educational non-profit devoted to spreading the Buddhist teachings. Ven. Zhihan is a charismatic and thoughtful religious leader, […]
