There are days when I feel like I’m drowning in it all—the endless scroll of news, the pressure to stay connected, the constant stimulation that comes with wanting to show up for those needing care. As someone who lives at the intersection of being Black, queer, and...
Spirituality
Continuing Our Journey Together
My Buddhism and my career have always been intertwined. I became a Buddhist sitting in front of a bank of police radios in the newsroom of the old Montreal Star, where I was a junior police reporter. I opened a book on Buddhism I had happened to buy and felt an...
What to Say to Someone Who Is Dying
When the doctor sent my mother home to die, I went with her even though I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. In those days, hospice offered little support beyond a weekly nurse visit. I moved in, kept my mother clean, took care of her cat, made smoothies for her...
Patience Opens the Heart
My mountain of a dog, Monty, is bouncing around the foyer, pawing at the door, whinnying and whining like a racehorse straining at the bit. We’ve just adopted this big guy—ninety-five pounds of pure strength and sweetness—and he’s eager to muscle his way past my legs...
True Great Sound: The Life & Teachings of Larry Ward
When Larry Ward died suddenly on August 19, Buddhism in America lost a unique and powerful voice. “His dharma name was True Great Sound, and he was indeed a master of sound,” said dharma teacher Kaira Jewel Lingo after his death. “He soothed, uplifted, and gave...
Fierce Determination
One of the tales from the Japanese Zen tradition recounts the story of Ohashi, the daughter of a samurai family that had fallen on hard times. To save them, Ohashi sold herself to a brothel and gave the money to her parents. In The Hidden Lamp: Stories from...
The Temple of Healing Meditation
We all need healing. Sometimes we need healing for physical illness. At other times, we need to heal the traumas that we’ve suffered and the past difficulties we still carry in our bodies. We need release from the struggles and emotions brought about by our conflicts...
From Trauma to Freedom: An Interview with Jack Kornfield
Andrea Miller: How can Western psychology and Buddhism work together to help people heal from trauma? Jack Kornfield: There’s a very simple word underlying this question, which is suffering. The deep medicine of the dharma acknowledges that there’s suffering, that it...
Dharma 101: The Branches of Buddhism
Buddhism began in a very simple setting. Under a sheltering tree by the banks of the Niranjana River in northern India, Siddhartha Gautama, a prince turned wandering yogi, sat steadfast in meditation until he attained enlightenment. Then, after contemplating for many...
The Unexpected Therapy I Found on My Phone
“Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory.” ~Dr. Seuss The notification pops up on my phone: “Jason, we made a new memory reel for you.” I pause whatever I’m doing, probably something stressful involving deadlines or dishes, and...
