Commitment and Freedom – A Paradox Unfolding in Changing Times
Ratnadevi
22 October 2024
Ratnadevi reflects on Buddhist retreats’ unique ways of teaching us that commitment can lead to freedom
Metta’s Back
Mettamorphsis
14 May 2024
Our loving-kindness practitioner embarks on a Goenka-style Vipassana retreat and realizes that it is time for a new direction in her practice
Cutting Metta’s Losses
Mettamorphsis
3 April 2024
Our loving-kindness practitioner explores the practice of pruning, both literally and metaphorically, as a way to make space for future growth
Take Down a Musical Instrument
Ratnadevi
15 March 2024
Having just returned from a two-month retreat in Wales, Ratnadevi offers us a glimpse of the path and process of engaging with the non-dual nature of the mind
Metta’s Silent Treatment
Mettamorphsis
5 February 2024
Resting in silence and loving-kindness, we can embrace the uncertain place where we are
Safe, Satisfied, and Loved: Coming Home to Our True Selves
Ratnadevi
16 January 2024
Using that time just before a long retreat to reflect on the mind, seeing the distractions and worries and meeting them with kindness
The Koan of Gaza: Not Turning Away
Maia Duerr
21 December 2023
Acknowledging the complexity of the current war, columnist Maia Duerr invites us to look back at our own minds as we think about and discuss this and similar situations
Shambhala USA at Heart of Vermont Supreme Court Case Extending Abuse Survivor Rights
Justin Whitaker
19 September 2023
Vermont Supreme Court upholds a 2019 law allowing abuse survivors extended time to sue those responsible
The Horse, the Rider, and Onions . . .
Tiffani Gyatso
8 September 2023
Buddhist artist Tiffani Gyatso delves into the Buddhist teaching of self and non-self, examining what it means to strip away the layers of delusion that hide our true nature
Having a Voice During Silence on Retreat
Ratnadevi
17 August 2023
A meditation on the many ways that silence and being silenced can impact our lives
Healing Our Sanghas: New Website Seeks Discussion of Karmapa Abuse Allegations
Justin Whitaker
2 November 2022
A new website, created by practitioners with support from prominent Buddhist studies scholars, seeks to break the silence around allegations of abuse by the Karmapa
The Joy of Renunciation – In Retreat and in Everyday Life
Sarah C. Beasley
25 June 2022
On the blessing of stepping back from our busy lives and turning toward our deeper values and ideals