Lion's Roar

On the morning of August 26th, a glacier gave way above Kyirong, on the Tibetan side of the border. The water and debris tore down through Rasuwa, then Nuwakot, taking villages, bridges, and hydropower stations with it, down the Bhote Koshi and into the Trishuli. As of this writing, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, more than 350 people are confirmed dead in Nepal, with over 800 still missing. Three more are dead in Tibet, with hundreds unaccounted for.

“Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like struggle.” —Fred Rogers This year, August 31st marks twenty-five years since the last episode of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood aired. Growing up outside of the United States, I wasn’t exposed to Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood as a child.

Paula Arai explores what it means to be a Buddhist woman in her new book Of Mud & Lotuses: Dreaming the Lives of Buddhist Women (Shambhala Publications). Part One is a collection of imagined accounts of women’s lives throughout Buddhist history. Examples include a fictitious exchange of letters between Siddhartha and his stepmother Mahaprajapati, and a story about a fifteenth-century Japanese woman who smuggled her hair into a monastery hidden inside a statue she donated.

On the morning of August 26th, a glacier gave way above Kyirong, on the Tibetan side of the border. The water and debris tore down through Rasuwa, then Nuwakot, taking villages, bridges, and hydropower stations with it, down the Bhote Koshi and into the Trishuli. As of this writing, according to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, more than 350 people are confirmed dead in Nepal, with over 800 still missing. Three more are dead in Tibet, with hundreds unaccounted for.

The dancers weave a graceful grapevine step, holding objects of enjoyment mounted on colorful ceremonial scarves — musical instruments, flowers, perfume. Wearing long, silk, Tibetan gowns in bright hues, we circle the ritual mandala in Tara Mandala’s prayer hall in a dance of offering. This sacred dance is part of an elaborate form of inner offering called “Chötreng,” or Garland of Offerings, performed duringthe “White Dakini Drupchen” a communal ritual of accomplishment.

I recently attended the grand opening of Tergar Osel Ling Monastery in Kathmandu. It was splendid by any measure. And it revealed something profound: a new way of being that sits at the confluence of three Buddhist cultures. On the first morning, Vajradhara Chamgon Kenting Tai Situpa spoke directly to his disciple, Mingyur Rinpoche. Tai Situpa is the last living member of the circle of four teachers who shaped Mingyur Rinpoche’s training.

As the Uganda Buddhist Centre (UBC) marks its 20th anniversary this year, a group of Buddhist teachers and supporters has organized to help the center secure a piece of land they say could determine its future — and protect a fragile ecosystem on the shores of Lake Victoria. As a monk, Bhante Buddharakkhita, UBC’s founder and abbot, does not solicit funds himself.

On Thursday, September 24, 2026 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. ET, the Buddhist Coalition for Democracy (BCD) and Insight  Meditation Community of Washington, DC (IMCW) will host “The Bodhisattva Path in Action: How Buddhism, Politics, and Social Engagement Serve Democracy,” a virtual town hall, via Zoom, presented in advance of the US midterm elections. Buddhist teacher/authors Tara Brach, Ben Connelly, and Kaira Jewel Lingo will feature as panelists.

Soon after moonrise, Venus glistens awake to the southwest. An oil lamp is set aflame, a dim reading lamp is tugged to light. Prostrating on all fours, I touch my forehead to the cold oak floor. I stand, adjust a white chunni, or scarf, over my temples, and rest my palms together. On another continent, within the hour, my grandmother’s body will be cremated, and the kirtan sohila will be sung.

Four verses from the sixteenth chapter of Buddhism’s Lotus Sutra poetically assure us that it is possible to live without suffering even in the midst of the greatest difficulties: Ga jo do fu ki — My pure land is never destroyed Ni shu ken sho jin — Yet all see it as consumed by fire Shu jo ken ko jin — When living beings see great fires burning Ga shi do an non — This land of mine is tranquil and calm We can find peace and ease, these verses tell us. We can find a safe place.