Shambhala Sun

I have read many different Buddhist magazines over the years, and Shambhala Sun stands out in taking a fresh new look on the traditions. Where many other magazines might talk about meditation basics or a history of a famous person, Shambhala Sun is interviewing Buddhists with tattoos who swear and who bring Buddhism into inner city environments. The same issue had a look at the blogging firestorm that erupted around Tiger Woods, his infidelities, and his statements about Buddhism.

Yes, there are the articles on the Dalai Lama, there are reviews of recent books that touch on the Buddhism world, and there are the typical pages and pages of advertisements. I really wish magazines didn't have to be so densely populated with ads. Do they really need *that* many in order to pay their basic bills?

For me, I'm taking off one point because while many of the articles are interesting, they're more newsy than practical. I do enjoy learning about Buddhism in other parts of the world, but I can do that online fairly easily. I am hoping with the magazine to get more of a direct, helpful way to improve my own practice.

Still, a fairly minor complaint, and if you're keen to learn about the various ways Buddhism is changing and growing as it spreads into untouched nooks and crannies of our world, this magazine is the one which will cover it.



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