I was ten years sober when, in 1996, I first checked out the California Diamond Sangha at the urging of several AA friends. Early on, when I told its leader, John Tarrant Roshi, that I was sober and in AA, he replied that the “Big Book” of Alcoholics Anonymous “was a...

The poet Muriel Rukeyser once wrote: “The universe is made of stories, not of atoms.” Among the many stories that shape the human experience, those involving panic add a particular disorientation, intensity, and unpredictability to the narrative of any moment. ...

I am standing on a vast expanse of palm-lined sand on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica; a hundred baby sea turtles claw their way out of the safety of their nest. Inch by inch, these tiny beings wriggle across the runway of sand toward the ocean. I watch in wonder as...

No matter how advanced our spiritual practice might be, in the end, we should always remember not to be reckless in our behavior. Therefore, ethics is the foundation of all Buddhist practices, including the Dzogchen tradition in which I practice. Without the framework...

In Buddhism, equanimity is traditionally considered one of the most beneficial states of mind, yet in American Buddhism it is often sidelined by better-known qualities such as mindfulness and compassion. Margaret Cullen corrects this in her new book, Quiet Strength:...

“Vulnerability is the only path through the wall that separates us from each other.” ~Brené Brown Every time I share something deeply personal—an article, a post, a piece of my story somewhere or to someone—there is a part of me that lights up with energy. I feel a...