Joan Duncan Oliver

Joan Duncan Oliver is a Tricycle contributing editor and the author most recently of Buddhism: An Introduction to the Buddha’s Life, Teachings, and Practices (St. Martin’s Essentials).

Obituaries

Maniwa Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche, Beloved Tibetan Buddhist Retreat Leader and Stupa Master, Has Died

Remembered as a strong champion of women in Tibetan Buddhism, Sherab Gyaltsen Rinpoche was the first Karma Kagyu lama to support training nuns as khenpos.

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Sep 12, 2025

Obituaries

Larry Ward, Respected Buddhist Teacher in the Plum Village Tradition, Has Died

The poet, author, and cofounder of the Lotus Institute is remembered as a “lighthouse of love.” Ward was 77.

Joan Duncan Oliver remembers Larry Ward

Aug 26, 2025

Obituaries

Ecodharma Leader and Activist Joanna Macy Has Died

For more than half a century, scholar, Buddhist, ecologist, and "awake activist" Joanna Macy, PhD, worked tirelessly for personal, social, and planetary transformation.

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Jul 20, 2025

CultureMagazine | Book Reviews, Books

Love, Thay

Who knew Thich Nhat Hanh was a prolific correspondent?

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Summer 2025

Obituaries

Choeje Ayang Rinpoche, a Preeminent Tibetan Buddhist Phowa Master, Has Died

A holder of both Drikung Kagyu and Nyingma lineages, the late lama established numerous monasteries and was widely considered to be the foremost phowa master of his generation.

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Jan 23, 2025

CultureMagazine | Portfolio

The Art of Impermanence

With luminous artwork, Miya Ando chronicles the passage of time

By Joan Duncan Oliver, Artwork by Miya Ando

Winter 2024

Obituaries

Renowned Buddhist Scholar Jeffrey Hopkins, Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia, Has Died

His groundbreaking Tibetan Buddhism PhD program graduated many of the most esteemed academics in the field today.

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Jul 02, 2024

final baatarzorig batjargal mongolian painting 2

CultureMagazine | Portfolio

Visions of a Cultural Shift

Past and present, dreams and reality comingle in Baatarzorig Batjargal’s art, as he chronicles Mongolia’s transition from a nomadic culture to oppressive Soviet regime to democracy and global consumerism.

By Joan Duncan Oliver

Summer 2024