In 1974, Philippe Petit walked a wire strung between the Twin Towers in New York City. For forty minutes, he walked, knelt, lay down, even danced—1,300 feet above the street. What made this possible wasn’t just courage. It was training. Petit had practiced balance his...

Melvin McLeod: Tell us about writing your new book The Robe and the Sword: How Buddhist Extremism Is Shaping Modern Asia.  Sonia Faleiro: It’s based on two years of research. I started out in India, where I was born, and which is, of course, the birthplace of...

As we develop the ability to focus on the nature of mind itself through our shamatha (calm-abiding or mindfulness) meditation, then the mind naturally begins to slow down. As our concentration becomes stronger, the stream of thoughts becomes slower. It can happen that...

Recently, I had an epiphany while practicing loving-kindness meditation using Tara Brach’s guidance.  For context, the practice I was using is her “Loving-Kindness for Others” meditation presented in this issue. In this version, you offer phrases of goodwill to three...

In the wake of the 2024 American election, leading Buddhist and mindfulness teacher Tara Brach gathered with friends to sit in silence. They were just outside of Washington, D.C., and fear and reactivity swirled through their minds. But slowly, their thoughts...

This loving-kindness practice invites us to awaken the heart by seeing the goodness in others and offering sincere blessings for their well-being. We begin with those who are easy to love, then extend care to those we know less well and, finally, to those with whom we...