Pema Tseden, also called Wanma Caidan, was a prolific Tibetan film director, screenwriter, and author. One of the first filmmakers in greater China to make films entirely in the Tibetan language, Tseden was known for his realistic portrayal of modern Tibetans in a changing world. His sole collection of fiction, Enticement—deftly translated by New York City–based translator and psychoanalyst Michael […]
“Buddha, Please Bless My Family” In a silver temple, in the country of his ancestors, Ira Sukrungruang bridges the generations. As our van pulls in, drums reverberate in the small temple courtyard, the music of celebration and grief. A funeral is taking place at Wat Sri Suphan, one of the oldest temples in Chiang Mai, Thailand. Some mourners exchange wrapped […]
While studying for his master’s degree in music performance, Nathan Sheppard’s goal was “to be the next principal trumpet of the New York Philharmonic.” But with plans to marry soon after graduation, Sheppard decided that paying off his student loans should be his top priority. He auditioned for the Army band, was accepted, and took a job with full-time pay […]
Most of us start to practice Buddhism because we feel dissatisfied and disillusioned with life, in a general way or for some specific reason. Indeed, it is rare to meet someone who has turned to the dharma simply out of curiosity and not because of a real need to alleviate some discomfort or a painful situation. What else do we […]
Tea bowl, Otagaki Rengetsu (aged 85). The poem: “In this world / things that mature well / produce happy thoughts / ripe eggplants are a matter of celebration.” When I moved to Japan, I became enamored of the life and work of the fascinating Buddhist nun Otagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875). She was a martial artist, go player, poet, calligrapher, painter, and […]
Faith, along with effort, mindfulness, concentration, and wisdom, are collectively known as the five spiritual faculties, or the five powers. This framework gives you a sense of where faith is found in the teachings so you can understand its relationship to other things, and also to show that the dharma is alive with all of these lists illuminating the interdependence […]
Jack Kerouac’s two most popular books—On the Road and The Dharma Bums—showed people they could live a completely different way of life: a bohemian existence at odds with postwar American consumerism. Both books are about freedom. Both depict a life free from thirty-year mortgages, nine-to-five jobs, conventional relationships, and family responsibilities. They present the liberating idea that you could do […]
Between-States: Conversations About Bardo and Life In Tibetan Buddhism, “bardo” is a between-state. The passage from death to rebirth is a bardo, as well as the journey from birth to death. The conversations in “Between-States” explore bardo concepts like acceptance, interconnectedness, and impermanence in relation to children and parents, marriage and friendship, and work and creativity, illuminating the possibilities for […]
Pregunta: Tengo dos hijos, uno de siete años y otro de catorce. Me gustaría iniciarles en la meditación y las enseñanzas budistas, pero es difícil competir contra los juegos de Nintendo, sus programas de televisión favoritos y todas las demás cosas emocionantes y llamativas que atraen a los niños hoy en día. ¿Cómo puedo compartir el regalo del dharma con […]
“Go placidly amid the noise and the haste and remember what peace there may be in silence.” With this sentence the German-American writer Max Ehrmann began “Desiderata.” My mother appreciated this poem so much that she hung a framed copy across from the toilet in our bathroom, and for years I found myself reflecting on it several times a day […]
