Your Deepest Questions
A Zen practitioner recounts a week‑long, highly ritualized retreat where strict protocols forced constant attention. The teacher assigned a seemingly simple koan—“When you see the stick, where is God?”—that ultimately led the author from intellectual guessing to a non‑conceptual breakthrough. The experience introduced the idea of “life koans,” using unresolved questions as ongoing meditation objects. The narrative shows how disciplined practice can turn ordinary uncertainty into a source of insight.
May 2026: Books in Brief
May 2026’s Lion’s Roar roundup spotlights a wave of new Buddhist titles, from Margaret Cullen’s *Quiet Strength* that re‑centers equanimity, to Bodhipaksa’s 28‑day habit builder *Sit*. It also features Reb Anderson’s Zen parable collection, the Hases’ partnership guide, Roy Remer’s caregiver...
Ethics Are the Heart of Spiritual Practice
The article argues that ethics is the essential foundation of any Buddhist or spiritual practice, emphasizing non‑violence (ahimsa) toward all beings. It warns that advanced non‑dual teachings can tempt practitioners to abandon moral restraints, leading to ego‑driven misuse of spiritual...
The Wisdom of Animals
The Lion’s Roar article weaves Buddhist practice with observations of five animal species—bears, snakes, owls, salmon and eagles—to illustrate mindfulness principles. Each creature’s natural behavior is presented as a concrete reflection on rest, letting go, deep listening, perseverance and resilience....
What to Do When Panic Attacks
The article outlines practical, Buddhist‑inspired techniques for managing panic attacks, emphasizing mindfulness, breath control, narrative reframing, multisensory grounding, and TIPP skills. It explains how simple practices like box breathing and sensory cues can interrupt the physiological surge of cortisol and...
Finding My Higher Power in the Ten Thousand Things
The author recounts a decade‑long sobriety journey that merged Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with Zen Buddhism, highlighting how the AA Big Book eventually recognized Buddhist members. He explains that the Buddhist Eightfold Path mirrors AA’s Twelve Steps, allowing both frameworks to...
How to Find Your Middle Way
The article explains the Buddhist concept of the "middle way," tracing its origins from the Buddha’s rejection of both self‑indulgence and extreme asceticism to the Mahayana Madhyamaka school’s philosophical emphasis on emptiness. It illustrates how the Buddha’s first turning of...
The Five Remembrances
The article revisits the five remembrances from the Upajjhatthana Sutta—aging, illness, death, separation, and karmic consequence—and describes how the author uses them in Buddhist chaplaincy work. Personal anecdotes from a hospice setting illustrate how confronting these truths fosters authentic presence...
One Stitch at a Time
The author recounts sewing an okesa, the traditional Zen ordination robe, as a meditative practice where each stitch serves as a mantra. The painstaking, collaborative effort mirrors the challenges of collective activism and personal resilience amid social upheaval. By intertwining...
Are You an Artist If No One Sees It?
The essay asks whether an artist remains an artist when unseen, weaving personal experience with meditation practice. It argues that true artistic worth stems from internal recognition rather than clicks, likes, or external validation. The author describes how the tension...
Does Mindfulness Help Kids? There’s A Better Question to Ask
Recent large‑scale school studies in the UK and Denmark found that ten weekly mindfulness sessions delivered by teachers produced little measurable improvement in adolescents’ mental health, sparking doubts about the efficacy of universal programs. The author argues that these findings...
Love Without Limits
The article explains Buddhism’s view of love as a practice rather than a fleeting emotion, centered on the four immeasurable qualities—loving‑kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy, and equanimity. It argues that genuine love begins with self‑understanding and acceptance, which then enables compassionate...
The Seeds I Water
The author marks a decade of sobriety, Buddhist practice, and the anniversary of his father’s fatal overdose, reflecting on how both trauma and recovery are shaped by mental habits. He describes his father’s life of addiction, incarceration, and eventual death,...