Walking the High Wire of Love

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...

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The Shadow Side of Buddhism

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...

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Reveal the Mystery

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...

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Boundless Loving-Kindness

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...

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Tara Brach’s Love & Courage

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...

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Tara Brach’s Loving-Kindness Practice for Others

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...

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Jet Li’s Search for Truth

Andrea Miller: What was your introduction to Buddhism? Jet Li: In the 1980s, I was making my first movie, Shaolin Temple. I went to a few temples to make that film, and I was so happy. The temples just felt very familiar. After the movie was released, then I was quite...

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How to Flourish

Our research told us that the path to inner flourishing demands both steady practice and a comprehensive approach to training the mind, one focused on a range of different qualities, from mindful awareness to deep insight into the workings of the human mind. We...

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Books in Brief: July 2026

Land is being returned to native tribes. Renewable energy is taking hold as an obvious and cost-efficient choice. Women’s rights are so firmly entrenched there’s now a right-wing backlash against them. Rebecca Solnit, in her new book The Beginning Comes After the End:...

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