BY MELVIN MCLEOD| SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
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2019 marks 40 years of Lion’s Roar. But instead of looking back, we’re looking forward — to Buddhism’s next 40 years.
2019 marks 40 years of continuous publishing at Lion’s Roar. We’re maturing, and Buddhism in the West is maturing too, but it’s still early days by any standard. We see a landscape rich with diverse voices, traditions, teachings, and practices; societal and individual challenges that are more urgent than ever; and evermore opportunities for Buddhism to have a positive impact.
In our 40th-anniversary year, we’re peering into the future, bringing together some of today’s finest Buddhist thinkers to hear what they think is in store, or should be, for the dharma’s next 40 years.
On this page, you can find all of the introductions and essays from the series. Read, share, and come back throughout the year for thought-provoking perspectives on the future of Buddhism.
What’s the Message?
In our first issue, we asked leading Buddhist teachers (and one astute observer of spiritual America) what they feel is the most helpful message or teaching Buddhism can offer in coming decades. As people who benefit from Buddhist practice, we have a common project: to benefit people’s lives, society, and the future of the earth. This is in fact the common project of all humanity. To it we offer the brilliance of the teachings, the power of the techniques, and whatever wisdom is in our minds and love in our hearts. To be of benefit is the basic Buddhist vow. It is the basic human vow. Let’s talk about how to fulfill it with skill and foresight.
Meet the Blue Dragon
JULY 31, 2019
John Tarrant shares what he feels is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in the coming decades.
Heal the Wounds and Trauma
JULY 21, 2019
DaRa Williams, Devin Berry, Noliwe Alexander, and Rosetta Saunders share what they feels is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in coming decades.
Tools to Wake Up and Grow Up
JULY 12, 2019
Krista Tippett shares what she feels is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in the coming decades.
Let’s Just Call It Love
JULY 12, 2019
Jack Kornfield shares what he feels is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in the coming decades.
You Already Have What You’re Looking For
JULY 9, 2019
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche shares what he feels is the most helpful message Buddhism can offer in the coming decades.
The Importance of Diversity
It’s easy for privileged people to think of diversity as just about appearances—how a company looks, who’s in a community, what groups are represented on stage. People who run things would like us to think of diversity that way, as kind of superficial. Because real diversity challenges power structures and puts us on the spot about who we are as human beings.
This collection of five powerful essays on diversity and Buddhism is part of our year-long series marking the fortieth anniversary of Lion’s Roar. Our theme is the next forty years of Buddhism—how it can change, deepen, and, yes, diversify in order to be of most benefit to many different people’s lives, to our society, and to the future. Benefit, after all, is Buddhism’s only goal and the standard by which it is measured.
