Featured Content Archive

Black Lives Matter We grieve for the loss of lives of George Floyd. Breonna Taylor. Ahmaud Arbery. Eric … Continue reading →

Response to Pandemic In response to the global corona virus Pandemic, Pema Khandro has moved all her sprin… Continue reading →

Aren’t You Supposed To Be Enlightened? Are we supposed to be “enlightened?” Are we supposed to be perfect? If not, how do we… Continue reading →

Beautiful Tibet & A Buddhist Yogi This is a photo I took of Katok monastery in Tibet, last month during the celebration of Padmasambhava. Katok offers another example of how Tibet’s Buddhist Yogis have … Continue reading →

Carrying Illness onto the Path Buddhist biographies have few detailed accounts of illness and disease. However, since illness and disease have been such teachers to me, I have found inspiration from… Continue reading →

She Was A Natural Yogini There was a fourteenth century female master of the Nyingma lineage who came from the Zur family. Her name was Zurmo Gendun bum. (Tib. zur mo dge ’dun ’bum). … Continue reading →

Buddhist Women: One Nun’s Hardship & Beauty The historical stories of Tibetan Buddhist women often contain shocking elements which blatantly address the difficulties of life and how Buddhist teachings can be… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women – The Story of A Survivor This is a brief summary of the legend of Nangsa Obum. She is beaten almost to death and in the end survives and moves on to live a life devoted to liberation of her self… Continue reading →

Photos: Sakyadhita Conference 2015 Photos from the recent Sakyadhita Buddhist Women’s Conference in Yogyakarta, Indonesia with representation of numerous Buddhist lineages… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women - A Hero in Dark Times One of my favorite Buddhist stories of Buddhist women is that of the eighteenth century leader, Jetsunma Mingyur Paldron (Tib. rJe btsun Mi ‘gyur dpal sgron, 1699– 17… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women – Remembering the Yoginis Without the great Buddhist leaders of the past, the tradition would not have survived. Women and men who have devoted their lives to study and practice of Buddhism have… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women – the Dalai Lama’s Mother Today is the birthday of the extraordinary and inspiring leader, His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. However, since this month’s articles are all about women, this is a brief… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women’s Conference – Mutual Appreciation and Non Sectarianism The Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women met for one week in beautiful, humid, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Over a thousand people, from different countries… Continue reading →

Buddhist Women – Tibet’s First Female Tulku (reincarnate lama) This is the story of Sonam Peldren, a Tibetan yogini, is the earliest recorded female tulku. She lived in thirteenth-fourteenth century Tibet. The system of finding… Continue reading →

Surrounded by Buddhist Women The fourteenth Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women is well underway, with approximately a thousand people here to celebrate women in Buddhism… Continue reading →

A Buddhist Women’s Rights March The story of the first women’s rights march recorded in history is the march led by Buddhist women for inclusion and equality. During the early years of the Buddha’s … Continue reading →

When Buddha Was A Woman In the Buddha’s past life he was a woman, according to several medieval Pali texts. These texts, containing collections of the Buddha’s past life stories, portray how… Continue reading →

International Conference on Buddhist Women I have arrived in Indonesia for the International Conference on Buddhist Women, where I will be presenting my research on women’s leadership roles in Tibetan history… Continue reading →

Saga Dawa Today is Saga Dawa, the anniversary of the Buddha’s birth, awakening and passing away (parinirvana).It is a day when Buddhists around the world practice mantras, make… Continue reading →

From True Self to the Bare Fact of Being Buddhadharma quarterly is featuring an article I wrote on waking up while facing crisis. Buddhism orients around finding freedom from suffering through changing the way … Continue reading →

Buddhism on Death & Dying Part 5: Organ Donation There is a traditional story, a Jataka tale, of the Buddha’s past life before he became a Buddha. While walking in the mountains he happened upon a mother tiger and her… Continue reading →

Buddhism on Death & Dying Part 4: Practices for the Deceased After the death Vajrasattva mantras can be done for the deceased. If possible, Lamas can be asked to perform the rituals such as Shitro practices for the deceased. This … Continue reading →

Buddhism on Death & Dying Part 3: Pain Medicine Practically speaking the essence of the Buddhist path and practice is loving compassion. This can be the measure for such decisions. It is extremely difficult to… Continue reading →

Buddhism on Death & Dying Part 2: Life Support Is there anything wrong with withdrawing life support to a person who seems unlikely to recover and is unconscious? This is a difficult decision. Some practical thoughts … Continue reading →

Buddhism on Death & Dying Part 1 One of the most profound things that Buddhism has to offer are its teachings on death and dying. Having presided over funerals and worked with students as they face the… Continue reading →

Emptying out Misconceptions – Making sense of Madhyamaka The Buddhist teaching on emptiness offers radical perspective that breaks through the chains that bind us, the concepts and assumptions that obscure our perception. But… Continue reading →

Buddhism on Self and Non-Self How do ideas of true-self, finding one-self and being the authentic self relate to the Buddhist idea of an-atma, non-self? Pema Khandro discusses Buddhism’s view of the… Continue reading →

Karmapa- Full Ordination for Tibetan Women In another act of inspiring leadership, the 17th Karmapa (1) has announced that he will restore the full ordination of nuns in Tibet. The growing presence of female… Continue reading →

Harmonious Relationships Pema Khandro answers students questions about whether it is useful to give other people critical feedback and advice. She explains that the root of the Buddhist teachings… Continue reading →

Things Are Not What They Seem – 2 Minute Buddhist Philosophy Lesson with Pema Khandro Spiritual intelligence is one of our greatest assets. We live out our entire life based on our ideas of who we are, what life is, what matters, what does not. Many of the… Continue reading →

Solstice, Equinox & Eclipses – A Prayer for All Goodness On solstices, eclipses and equinox day, Tibetan Buddhists have the practice of the Kunzang Monlam, also known as “Kuntuzangpo Aspiration Prayer.” This prayer begins w… Continue reading →

Four Travel Essentials Part 1: Tricks from Tibetan Medicine to help avoid exhaustion from holiday travel Don’t let travel be more stressful, exhausting and health draining than it needs to be. Here are four things I never travel without doing. Do these in lieu of the four… Continue reading →

Anniversary of Yogi – Ngakpa Lama Chagdud Tulku Rinpoche Today is the anniversary of the passing away of one of the great Tibetan Lamas who was also a Yogi (Ngakpa). He came to the west, trained and ordained many westerners… Continue reading →

Vajrayana Meditation Enhances Brain Performance Meditation is Not A One Size Fits All Practice. Of course we all know that different meditation techniques would have different results, but since so many scientific… Continue reading →

Lha Bab Duchen – Buddhist Holiday In the Buddha’s life stories this time celebrates the time when the Buddha came back down to earth after a period of teaching in the higher realms. It is commemorated … Continue reading →

Celebrating Buddhist Wisdom – Lha Bab Duchen Today is the celebration of “Lhabab Duchen.” It is not just a tradition in Tibetan Buddhism, it is celebrated by Buddhists everywhere. The name “Lhabab Duchen,” l… Continue reading →

Mind is like the sky “Mind, continual source of meanings, is like the sky: the sky is Mind, genuine meaningfulness, without duality, complete and identical with itself - understand it … Continue reading →

Desire – Reflection of Buddha-Nature Desire is also a reflection of the radiance of Buddha-nature, our wakefulness to the sparkling, sacred qualities of existence. We glow with it. Our world is lit up when… Continue reading →

Anger and Sanity Transforming emotions is a matter of harnessing the basic energy of the emotion itself. This can be done in three steps. Anytime we have a knee-jerk reaction in one… Continue reading →

Skillful Means – Rays of Sanity In Dark Times Rarely do we hear the story of dharma heroes and heroines, who conquered the cause of war altogether by finding impeccable awareness. The telling of that story is up to… Continue reading →

Beyond the “Its All One” Approach – A Celebration of Diversity A mark of familiarity with Buddhism is to become aware of the diversity of Buddhist schools and sects, Buddhist views and philosophies and the diversity of Buddhist… Continue reading →

The Power of Mind in Buddhist Thought Buddhist philosophy centers on the power of mind. Our perceptual habits can imprison us. Yet, when the nature of mind is understood, then our perceptions can also… Continue reading →

Doubts Are the Basis For Learning Doubts don’t necessarily imply that there is something fundamentally flawed about what we are doubting. Having doubts about the Buddhist teachings is not a problem. Qui… Continue reading →

Warriorship Beyond Fight or Flight The idea of warriorship comes from the Tibetan term for Bodhisattva (byang chub sems pa). This describes the mind set on awakening, (Tib byang chub sems) and the person… Continue reading →

What to do when emotions are tumultuous? “What shall I do when forever emotional reactions and frustrations are raging in tumultuous waves? Then quickly don the armor of perseverance, and in order to let the… Continue reading →

Restoring Psychological Balance Through Hor-me Therapy One of the most widely practiced home remedies in Tibetan Medicine used by families and Amchis (Tibetan doctors) as part of the Tibetan Medicine oral tradition. Horme… Continue reading →

What is Tibetan Yoga? Tibetan Yoga practices regulate the flow of energy in the body and mind in order to remove negative tendencies and blocks. The goal is to allow our natural state of… Continue reading →

When Sadness Rages Like Fire Pema Khandro Rinpoche shares the life of the Tibetan yogi Shabkar, whose practice and teachings were inseparable from loss and grief. From the Fall 2020 issue of… Continue reading →

Be Kind to Yourself You have enlightened nature, says Pema Khandro Rinpoche. If you truly know that, you’ll always be kind to yourself. When people talk about daily practice, they usually… Continue reading →

Forum: Hear Our Voices Myokei Caine-Barrett, Narayan Helen Liebenson, Rebecca Li, and Myoan Grace Schireson share their experiences and insights into being a female teacher and leader in… Continue reading →

You’re Caught in a Dream. Wake Up! When you see that much of your life is spent in dreamlike states, says Pema Khandro Rinpoche, you are freed from the suffering they cause. If we think about it, we see… Continue reading →

The First Women’s March More than two-and-a-half millennia ago, Mahapajapati Gotami, the Buddha’s aunt, set a precedent for women’s rights. Although the Buddha had female students during the… Continue reading →

The Power of Buddhism If you ignore power, you ignore powerful Buddhist teachings. Pema Khandro Rinpoche says that Buddhism teaches us how to be powerful and compassionate at the same time.… Continue reading →

Inside the July 2018 Lion’s Roar magazine The July 2018 issue of Lion’s Roar magazine features Buddhist teachings on the real reasons to meditate. Inside, you’ll also find a profile of Oakland’s East Bay… Continue reading →

The People Who Inspire Us Each Friday, we share three topical longreads in our Weekend Reader newsletter. This week, Buddhadharma editor Tynette Deveaux talks about the people who inspire us.… Continue reading →

Pema Khandro Rinpoche recites a prayer to awaken bodhicitta Pema Khandro Rinpoche offers a recitation from the Heart Essence of the Vast Expanse to awaken bodhicitta, or enlightened mind. This clip was recorded at the Lion’s … Continue reading →

Inside the Fall 2017, 15th-anniversary issue of Buddhadharma In this special anniversary issue, now available, we celebrate with a selection from some of the best teachings and articles we’ve published over the last fifteen years… Continue reading →

Open Your Heart Further Pema Khandro Rinpoche on cultivating the boundless love of a bodhisattva. Don’t give up on love. When love is hard or painful, open your heart even further. That’s th… Continue reading →

You’re Ready Enough Wherever you find yourself, says Pema Khandro, that’s the starting point of the bodhisattva path - all you need to do is take that first step. Once upon a time, many… Continue reading →

Breaking Open in the Bardo It’s when we lose the illusion of control - when we’re most vulnerable and exposed - that we can discover the creative potential of our lives. Pema Khandro Rinpoche… Continue reading →

Healing Traditions/Tibet: Tibetan Medicine Where does Tibetan Medicine stem from? It is one of the oldest medical systems in the world. Tibetan Medicine’s primary influences are Buddhist philosophy and Indian… Continue reading →

The Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women The Sakyadhita International Conference on Buddhist Women met for one week in beautiful, humid, Yogyakarta, Indonesia. Over a thousand people, from different countries… Continue reading →