Picture this: It’s a lazy Sunday afternoon. You turn on the kettle to make yourself a little afternoon pick-me-up of your favorite coffee or tea. You sit down on the couch ready to enjoy a little rest and relaxation. Before you can stop yourself your monkey mind has you reach for your smartphone and start scrolling. You’re immediately bombarded by ads for mobile games, bad news, and other distractions.
Your soothing afternoon has suddenly transformed into a digital hellscape full of nonsensical content. All designed to keep you clicking and scrolling for those little dopamine bursts smartphones are designed to deliver. So, what can we do to avoid this cycle in today’s ever increasingly digital world? We need to look to the past to find the key to a more mindful future. The answer is print media! To help you on a journey to more mindful downtime we’ve assembled a list of the few remaining, and the best, Buddhist print magazines available today.
How Print Media Can Help you Lead a More Mindful Life
There are an endless number of studies on the toxic affects digital media and social media can have on our mental health. The modern internet is rife with content that can cause feelings of anxiety, depression and FOMO(aka “fear of missing out”). Researchers have proven that the blue light emitted by cellphones causes disruptions in sleep patterns. What’s more, Social media has transformed from a place to catch up with your friends to a vehicle of misinformation and propaganda. Scientists have proven that our smartphones are turning us into dopamine addicts, with these high-tech devices putting microdoses of the powerful brain chemical at our literal fingertips.
Given the state of the modern internet and dangers of smartphone technology, more and more people are choosing to opt out and disconnect. Despite their best intentions, these tricky little devices can pull us back in with little effort. A quick glance at your email can turn into hours of browsing social media, reading through endless articles generated by the 24 hour news cycle, or playing mindless app games. In an effort to fight cell phone addiction many people are turning towards traditional media.
Individuals who substitute digital media for traditional media, such as print magazines or newspapers, find the antiquated form of literature provides a slew of benefits, mindfulness being at the top. Having a tangible, limited resource that you can hold in your hands prevents you from wandering into the depths of the internet. It can keep your attention focused and the scope of your attention limited to a single topic; such as Buddhism! No more starting an article then getting swept away by intrusive notifications.
Here’s the problem. Print media is going the way of the dinosaurs. Magazines and newspapers are going extinct. As a result, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find print publications for your favorite topics. To help you on your way to a more mindful daily life, we’ve assembled a list of the best Buddhist print magazines and publications available today.
*Editors note: All pricing listed in this article reflects rates at the time of publication and is subject to change.
lion’s Roar Magazine
Delivery Cadence: Bi-Monthly
Price: $36/Year to start. Renews at $46/Year
Buddhist wisdom in plain english. Topics range from health, parenting, and relationships to politics, social action, and the arts. Lion’s roar features articles and opinion pieces from notable Buddhist figures like Dalai Lama, Pema Chödrön, and Thich Nhat Hanh. Whether you’re looking for meditation instructions or how to integrate the Dharma into you’re daily life Lion’s Roar has all the content you need and is widely considered one of the best Buddhist print magazines available today due to it’s popularity.
Lion’s Roar takes a more casual approach to the Dharma, examining how you can implementing learnings into tasks such as cooking, cleaning, or, as seen in the accompanying image, driving. Lion’s Roar is one of our favorites for lay practitioners who are looking for a “Middle Way” and practical tips on how to live a more mindful life.
The content here is aimed at individuals who recognize the universal truths the Buddha taught and, more importantly, are looking for tips on how to integrate this ancient wisdom into a modern world. It’s not for monks living in a monastery in the hills of Japan. Rather, it’s for the busy mom, stressed out student and hard-working “average Joe” looking for the Dharma in everyday life.
Tricycle Magazine
Delivery Cadence: Quarterly
Price: $48/Year
Tricycle’s podcasts, digital articles, on-demand videos and weekly and monthly online group meditation and Dharma talks have made it one of the most well-known Buddhist publishers today. Yet many subscribers and casual readers don’t realize they also have a long running print edition! They published their first edition in 1991. Making them one of the first Buddhist print magazines available to the general public. The quarterly deliver makes Tricycle magazine the perfect coffee table reading material. Finding the perfect “middle way” between overwhelming you with content and giving you ample time to read cover to cover before a new edition arrives in your mailbox.
Tricycle is the behemoth of all Buddhist literature, and as such you’ll also find articles from the big names of the modern Buddhist zeitgeist. However, Tricycle truly shines when they give a voice and platform to lesser-known monks and lay practitioners. You’ll find articles from ordinary Buddhists and how they incorporate the dharma into their everyday lives and Monks reflecting on how their teachings have impacted their local Sangha and temple.
In addition to reflections from Buddhist practitioners you’ll also find book and film reviews. As well as notifications for upcoming retreats and other community gatherings to enhance your practice. The best thing about a Tricycle subscription? Access to their print edition also includes access to all of their digital content.
Buddhadharma Journal
Delivery Cadence: A la cart
Price: $9.99-12.99/Issue
Buddhaharma “The Practitioners Guide” is the second print Buddhist magazine on our list published by Lion’s Roar. Buddhaharma Journal offers a more in-depth look at Buddhism and it’s practices than it’s counterpart, Lion’s Roar Magazine. Lion’s Roar describes the magazine as “the one journal for serious practitioners of all Buddhist schools”. While it may be enlightening for new Buddhists, the publication focuses on delivering more granular discussions of Buddhist topics for seasoned practitioners.
The topics discussed cover all sects of Buddhism, with no focus on any particular school, and that’s entirely by design. The publishers of this magazine emphasize the importance of furthering your practice by learning from other schools of thought. In doing so, you’re expanding your understanding of the Dharma as a whole.
With topics ranging from meditation to philosophy to tradition there is wisdom for all Buddhists, regardless of their place on their path to enlightenment. Given their focus on providing high quality, intensive exploration of Buddhist concepts, this publication is recommended for experienced practitioners looking to deepen their understanding of the Dharma in their downtime. Unfortunately, Lion’s Roar has decided to cease publishing new additions, but their back issues are still available for purchase on their website.
Meditation Magazine
Delivery Cadence: Yearly
Price: $29.97/yr
Meditation Magazine is the James Dean of Buddhist Print Magazines. They’re on a mission to make Buddhism and Buddhist teachings hip, fresh and… sexy? These are their words, not ours! Their website states they’re on a mission to create a magazine that is informative, satori-inducing but also “sexy, interesting, entertaining” and most appropriately for the purposes of this article “attractive enough to pull your attention away from the hundred million distractions in your life…”.
The Meditation Magazine brand is focused on cultivating a young, cool persona that would probably resonate best with Gen Z and younger readers. Like the generation they’re targeting, they’re “here for the vibes”. Moreover, They bring an energy similar to Maxim, Seventeen, or Rolling Stone magazine. It’s spiritual, it’s new-age, it’s Buddhist-adjacent. In other words, it blends pop culture appeal with mindful themes.
Much of their content focuses on interviews with various Gurus, meditation techniques and travel articles. This one is for the spiritually minded, not necessarily Buddhists. Yet much of their content focuses on topics with Buddhist roots. They deliver one edition yearly. However, like some of the other publishers on this list, they also offer access to back issues, online meditation courses and their digital content library.
Sign up for your yearly copy here.
Mindful Magazine
Delivery Cadence: Yearly
Price: $19.99
Mindful magazine is a print version of mindful.org that you can hold in your hands. If you’re not familiar, it’s a website dedicated to, you guessed it: Mindfulness! While this is yet another magazine that some might not consider to be purely Buddhist, their mission statement, “We’re All Mindful” demonstrates their understanding that we all have an inherent Buddha-nature.
Mindful is more of a lifestyle magazine than a strictly Buddhist publication. It covers topics ranging from meditation, to mindful eating to the science behind the benefits of a meditation practice. Like many other print editions on this list, a subscription unlocks access to a vast digital archive and discounts as well as a copy of their print magazine delivered directly to your door.
Mindful has content from the same “big shots” of the Buddhist world that would find in Tricycle or Lion’s roar. Unlike pure Buddhist publications, it takes a lifestyle, rather than Buddhist or spiritual, approach to exploring the topics they present. Think of Mindful as a spiritual version of “Men’s Health” magazine. With a focus on mental health and Buddhist beliefs and concepts serving as the backbone philosophy for each topic.