Stephen Ishwara Futral belonged to that rare first generation of Western seekers who encountered Sri Swami Satchidananda not as an established global teacher, but as a living mystery—one whose presence quietly rearranged the inner lives of those who crossed his path....
From one of the central figures in Buddhism’s introduction to the West and the founder of Tricycle magazine comes Lotus Girl: My Life at the Crossroads of Buddhism and America by Helen Tworkov, a brilliant memoir of forging one’s own path that Pico Iyer calls...
If you immerse yourself in your Yoga practice, you’ll undoubtedly notice many of your fellow yogis consume a plant-based diet. You may see your relationship with food changing, too. Why do so many yogis give up eating animals? While the practice deeply connects to...
My father would have been in a coffin when I was 16 years-old had he not noticed subtle changes in his breathing and the way that he felt while running on a treadmill at the gym. My father was an avid runner, and a wonderful example of one who takes care of their...
A meditation teacher of mine once quoted a Burmese teacher as saying “When everything that can go is gone, what’s left is the truth.” That sentence resonated with me. I heard it maybe 20 years ago and I still reference it and repeat it a lot. And I think that’s...
Many of us come to meditation for the first time to still our mind. We recognize that the source of suffering has something to do with the way our minds work (or don’t work) and we believe that by sitting still and taming our mind we will become calm and peaceful. One...
During these challenging times, the stresses and strains on our relationships can take a toll. What does Yoga have to say about this? Swami Asokananda and Rev. Prem discuss relationships (with oneself & others), communication, and how to respond vs. react....
Sharon Salzberg, the popular meditation teacher and co-founder of the Insight Meditation Society, recently wrote an article for Tricycle magazine on voting, meditation, and how to counteract despair through changing the system. During these challenging times, Tricycle...
My 10-day “Introduction to Buddhism” course was held in the main Gompa of Tushita Meditation Center. One of the texts that was written on the walls inside read the following: “If it can be remedied, why be upset about it? If it cannot be remedied, what is the use of...
In this interview, one of Buddhism’s most respected teachers in the West, shares her initial experiences with lovingkindness meditation, and the value of beginner’s mind. Sharon’s belief in the power of meditation as a conduit to happiness is the subject of her book,...
In our current environment we see suffering everywhere as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. How do we understand suffering and work with suffering from a yogic point of view? What do the Yoga Sutras have to teach us about suffering? This article will discuss the...
Andrew Holecek (author, Buddhist scholar and teacher), recently shared the following message with students in his online course, "Bardos in Everyday Life." Hi friends, I received this teaching and prayer from Dzogchen Rinpoche to contemplate. A Tibetan dharma friend...
Yesterday I finished “Dracula,” a limited series by Netflix. I was amazed by the unanticipated plot twists, the ingenious script, and, above all, the ending. Throughout the three episodes, we see that Count Dracula fears the cross, direct sunlight, and can’t step into...
I have a friend who has told me, on multiple occasions, that she cannot meditate. Up to this point, I have failed miserably to convince her otherwise. I have used all the best quotes, like the old Zen saying, “You should sit in meditation for twenty minutes every day,...
An Interview with Timothy McCall, M.D. What yogis realized thousands of years ago—and what the western medical community and researchers are just now catching on to—is that practicing Yoga can make a critical difference in one’s health and wellbeing. In this...
An Interview with Geshe Michael Roach Geshe Michael Roach has spent most of his adult life as a monk in Tibetan Buddhist monasteries and has been meditating for over 30 years. He’s gone deep in the study of both the Hatha Yoga Pradipika and Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra,...