These past 6 months have been the hardest, most emotional, darkest times of my life. But through it all, I'm so grateful and blessed because of it. On August 29, 2023, I was blindsided by my now ex that he was wanting a divorce. He didn't tell me face to face but...

I have always heard about the benefits of being grateful, but I honestly never experienced them until recently. Let me tell you about my life prior to gratitude. I would always be in a fussy mood about little things going wrong or at least not the way I wanted them to...

Who needs the Negro? What does the Negro want? I grew up hearing these types of questions. I don’t recall my parents losing sleep over them; they were busy placing food on the table so that I could eat.  Black intellectuals have always wrestled with the riddle of how...

The paramis or paramitas are qualities that help us develop and reach true happiness, our highest potential. They are often translated as “perfections,” as they are the perfections of character necessary for enlightenment.  Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh called them...

Pamela Ayo Yetunde: How do you understand the particularities of Black people’s suffering in the United States?  Jean Marie Robbins: I understand them as an intentional device to maintain an enslavement mentality, in order for the people on top and in power to do as...

Lion’s Roar: What drew you to Buddhist practice? Bryant Terry: Daily sitting practice helped me feel more connected to something greater than myself.  In 2005, I spent a week at Deer Park, Thich Nhat Hanh’s monastery in Escondido, California. The woman who is now my...