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The Buddhist Review
Back Issues
Why are we so reluctant to bring politics into the meditation hall?
With the world spinning from crisis to crisis—and election season fast approaching—many American Buddhists are asking: What can we do to make a difference? How do we work in a flawed but functioning democracy to create a society that reflects our deepest values of compassion and wisdom? And how do we do so without drowning […]
Get off your cushion and get involved
Dolma Choephel: Tibetan Hunger Striker; David Kaczyski: Death-Penalty Opponent; Mariane Pearl: Journalist; James Baraz: Teacher & Activist
Kenneth Kraft, a scholar of engaged Buddhism, discusses the Iraqi prison abuse scandal from a Buddhist perspective.
An Interview with Dennis Kucinich
How to navigate the labyrinth of contemporary politics and keep a cool head.
Even if they are really horrible, greedy, corrupt, and completely deserve it. . .
Katy Butler searches for the Buddha on the campaign trail.
Should Buddhists enter the political fray?
Gardening on the frontlines
Stop clinging to peak moments and open to true realization.
A dark elephantLiving in a dark forestCame to sip from a pondAs the Buddha watched A dark elephantFrom a dark forestHas come to the pondAnd sippedThe trembling visionOf the moon A dark deerFrom a dark forestAlso came to sip from the pond The deer has also […]
Artist Ned Kahn finds the world in a grain of sand.
Vipassana teacher Gina Sharpe talks to Tracy Cochran about a Buddhist retreat for people of color.
Everyone has their Vietnam.
Geshe Rabten asks: Are you a bovine or a bodhisattva?
Two ancient Buddhist tales from the One Hundred Parable Sutra, a Chinese Buddhist scripture from the sixth century C.E., known as the most humorous sutra in all of Buddhist literature. Translated, retold, and illustrated by Kazuaki Tanahashi and Peter Levitt, each tale is followed by a simple lesson for everyday living
A tale of betrayal
Exploring the wilderness of the mind
Zen lore is rife with tales of unconventional masters, idiosyncratic, non-verbal teachings, and disregard for traditional Buddhist scripture. The Zen Canon: Understanding the Classic Texts (Oxford University Press, 2004, $60 cloth, $22.50 paper, 336 pp.), an absorbing collection edited by Steven Heine and Dale S. Wright, redeems the written word. Nine previously unpublished essays explore […]
Remembrances from Sean Murphy, Don Morreale & Kenneth Kraft
Amy Schmidt & Dr. John J. Miller offer positive ways to transform trauma.
What are religion’s prospects in an increasingly individualistic society? Tricycle contributing editor Andrew Cooper speaks with prominent sociologist Robert Bellah.
Iconoclast, astrologist, communist sympathizer, and devoted practitioner, Edward Conze translated Buddhism for the West.
Victoria’s Dirty Little SecretVictoria’s Secret got in hot water with Buddhists around the world in May, when the lingerie retailer offered the “Asian Floral Bikini” in its spring catalog. The skimpy two-piece ladies’ bathing suit featured brightly colored flowers . . . and pictures of the Buddha and the bodhisattva Kwan-yin yanked from the catalog, […]
In poet Diane Frank’s first novel, a monk and a geisha explore the limits of the precepts.
A scholarly introduction
An excerpt from Buddhist Religions
Contributing editor Andrew Cooper chats with Zen teacher and poet Norman Fischer.
Do we really believe we can awaken? Stephan Bodian talks with popular lay teacher Adyashanti.
Karmic GraceThe riddle of desire was poignantly unraveled in Joan Duncan Oliver’s essay, “A Drink and a Man” {Summer 2004}. The way she expressed herself brought me right into the experience of her “karmic grace”—when the excruciating pain of addiction and potential for liberation came together. Her essay revealed the essence of the dharma, and […]
Beauty and impermanence beneath the mango trees
Aldous Huxley on flouting the will to silence.
Since 1970, The Buddhist Religion has introduced countless students and practitioners to the history of Buddhism. Readers of the fifth edition, published in July, are in for some surprises: juicy new material on early Indian Buddhism and on the development of the Mahayana tradition, plus a new title, Buddhist Religions, which expresses the notion that […]
Capturing the movement of the mind
Whenever we’ve gone political, a good number of our readers have gone ballistic. Letters pour in exhorting us to stay above the fray. Politics, some would have us think, is off-limits to Buddhists. Just the same, when West Coast Editor Anne Cushman proposed a special section on politics this election year, I braced myself for […]
Amy Schmidt’s article on practicing with trauma, coauthored with Dr. John J. Miller, appears here. She tells us, “Like many trauma survivors, I spent lots of time believing that I was a hopeless yogi because I couldn’t get beyond the emotional turmoil. When I became the resident teacher at Insight Meditation Society, I was able […]
Is it alright to practice for material gain?
