‘Aren't we living in awareness day and night?’ Avalokiteshvara

Growing old, like anything else, has its advantages and disadvantages—the disadvantages obvious, the advantages less so. But they are there. If you are an older person, you have known yourself, and others in your life, for a good long while. Friendship is one of...

The tent was ten feet wide by twenty feet long, and its plastic roof and walls were the color of raw chicken. It had two large windows whose mesh screens were green with algae and black with mold; geckos laid delicate white eggs in the rolled-up weather flaps. My...

I’ve had the good fortune of studying with His Holiness the Dalai Lama for several decades. Let me tell you what it’s like to study with him. His Holiness is extremely broad-minded and inclusive, respecting all religions and doing practices from the four Tibetan...

Mariana Restrepo: You don’t consider yourself a Buddhist. However, you often talk about Buddhist concepts as well as your meditation practice. Can you tell us how you first encountered Buddhism and meditation? Ada Limón: My meditation practice changed my life. When I...

The personal pronouns I use are she/her/they/we. My use of rolling pronouns is representative of my identification with a fluid spectrum of gender expression as well as my spiritual awareness that I’m composed of both feminine and masculine qualities. The “we” is a...

In 1979, for His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s first-ever visit to the United States, the Episcopal priest James Morton invited him to the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in New York City. The cathedral that day was full, not just with Westerners, but also with...

While he has earned many accolades, ask the Dalai Lama who he is and he’ll offer a modest answer: “I am a simple Buddhist monk, no more, no less.”  His Holiness’ humility is a testament to his uniqueness as a world leader. Despite his global influence and remarkable...

The first time I tried to meditate, I didn’t like it. It was long. It was difficult. Worst of all, I felt bad at it. I was a college student attending a meditation talk and practice session. During the practice, I couldn’t experience anything but my default thought...

His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, is a living testament to the power of resilience and compassion. His Holiness’ path has not been easy, and yet, despite challenges and the loss of his homeland, his love for all beings has never wavered. His...