Savaka Sangha ::: A Buddhist Community

The passing of the legendary modern Tibetologist E. Gene Smith marks a milestone moment for all those concerned with Tibet’s literary and cultural heritage, and in fact for Buddhists everywhere. As such, the Shambhala Sun Foundation has, through our publications Buddhadharma and Shambhala Sun (and their websites) paid special attention to Gene and to the [...]

If you’re a fan of the Shambhala Sun, we hope you’re plugged into the good work done by our friends at Elephant. For example, starting today at 11 Mountain Time, Elephant will be airing a new interview with meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg. To watch it live, just click here. (And if you miss it, no [...]

Buddhist tattoos are, in ways, like every other kind of tattoo: not everyone agrees that they’re a good idea, but of those who do, many get their ink out of a feeling of commitment, wanting to honor something of real value in their lives. So imagine our pleasant surprise when our art director Liza Matthews [...]

Our friends at Karuna-Shechen, which focuses on humanitarian work in the Himayalyan region, are sharing some exciting news: “The first soil test will be done in April to check the quality of the site chosen for the new earthquake-resistance Shechen School in eastern Tibet. Architectural plans are being drawn-up and many creative ideas for this [...]

The documentary film Colors of Compassion: Teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh has just been released on DVD. The film is especially concerned with giving voice to Buddhist practitioners of color, documenting Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh’s first-ever retreat for people of color and allowing interviewees to address “how practice impacts their lives, along with issues [...]

In this new segment for ABC News’ Belief series, Sharon Salzberg talks to host Dan Harris about the concept behind her new book, Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation. “Just because I said the word meditation,” says Harris, “don’t get turned off. Hear her out.” Good advice! So, watch the video here: More of Sharon [...]

Photo (detail) by James Gimian. Used by permission. The ground of fearlessness, said Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, is renouncing hard-heartedness and allowing ourselves to be tender, sad, and fully present. You’ll find his teaching on this, “The Tender Heart of the Warrior,” inside the current, March 2011 Shambhala Sun — which features Pema Chödrön’s “Smile at [...]

Sounds like an Onion story, doesn’t it? But it isn’t. As James Ure of The Buddhist Blog writes today, Arizona has — seriously — proposed an act which would ban the evocation of karma in its court systems. According to Act SB 1026, “A court shall not use, implement, refer to or incorporate a tenet [...]