Reviews: Milarepa, He Started Like Us

Karl Brunnhölzl reviews "The Yogin & The Madman" by Andrew Quintman, a new biography of Milarepa.

Reviews: How the Buddha Became St. Josaphat

Reviews of "In Search of the Christian Buddha: How an Asian Sage Became a Medieval Saint" by Donald S. Lopez, Jr. and Peggy McCracken.

Book Briefs – Summer 2014

Brief summaries of Buddhist books from the Summer 2014 issue of the Buddhadharma magazine.

Women in Buddhism Dalai Lama University of Hamburg

Women in Buddhism Study Initiative, University of Hamburg

Bhikkhu Analayo spent many years poring through the voluminous discourses of the Pali canon, trying to unravel an enduring mystery. What, he wondered, was the Buddha’s true view on the ordination of female monastics, or bhikkhunis?

The World Catches Us Every Time

A mysterious beast captures your attention. Is it distracting you or calling you? It can be hard to tell, says Zen teacher John Tarrant, what’s distraction and what could have real meaning for your life. Either way, there’s no going back.

The Distortions We Bring To The Study of Buddhism

Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse calls on Westerners to acknowledge the distortions we may bring to the study of Buddhism—through our cultural arrogance, the deceit of ego, and simple ignorance. The successful transplant of such a subtle and challenging practice as Buddhism, he says, depends on thorough study and clear recognition of our habitual patterns.

Ono No Komachi Old Woman Poetry Poems Ruth Ozeki Japan

About a Poem: Ruth Ozeki on Ono no Komachi

How do we remember a woman’s life? Can we piece her together from a few lines of poetry?

Losing Katherine

Katherine was the sort of person who might suddenly ask, “How do you know love?” Natalie Goldberg recounts what she learned from this friend.

The Bearable Lightness of Being

When we honor life but don’t make it a big deal, we become more joyous. The fancy name for that, says Pema Chödrön, is enlightenment.

Forum: Your Teacher and You

A forum on what it means to have a teacher today, how you can make the most of the relationship, and what you can do when it’s not working.