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| Type | Bimonthly |
|---|---|
| Format | Magazine |
| Owner | Lion's Roar Foundation |
| Editor | Melvin McLeod |
| Founded | 1993; 33 years ago (1993) |
| Headquarters | Halifax,Nova Scotia,Canada |
| ISSN | 1190-7886 |
| Website | www |
Lion's Roar (formerlyShambhala Sun) is an independent, bimonthly magazine (in print and online) that offers anonsectarian view of "Buddhism, Culture, Meditation, and Life". Presented are teachings from theBuddhist and othercontemplative traditions, with an emphasis on applying the principles of mindfulness and awareness practices to everyday life.
Launched byChögyam Trungpa Rinpoche as an internal publication of theShambhala community, the Sun has evolved from a community newspaper, the Vajradhatu Sun founded in 1978, to a small young magazine, to the largest-circulation Buddhist magazine in the English language.[1]
Established in 1995, the magazine is now a publication of the independent, nonprofit Lion's Roar Foundation.[2]
In 2002, theSun launched another periodical,Buddhadharma: Practitioner's Quarterly, which is focused strongly on Buddhist practice.[3]Buddhadharma is currently published by the Lion's Roar Foundation.
In 2003, theShambhala Sun was the most successful Canadian magazine in the United States.[4]
In November 2015, the magazine's name was changed toLion’s Roar.[2]
Distributed internationally, the magazine is based and published inHalifax,Nova Scotia,Canada.[5]
Lion's Roar has a circulation of 80,000 copies, with a readership of several hundred thousand.[6]
TheLion's Roar online archive includes a substantial amount of previously published articles and essays, all free to the public.
At the 2007 Alternative Press Awards,Utne Reader magazine awardedShambhala Sun for a fourth time, this year for Best Spiritual Coverage.[7]Utne had this to say about theShambhala Sun:
The stated goal of the Shambhala Sun Foundation, which publishes this year’s winner, is to 'promote the growth and development of genuine buddhadharma as Buddhism takes root in the West' and to 'work with and support all those who share the values of wisdom, sacredness, and compassion.' Shambhala Sun, while clearly aligned with the nonprofit’s specific take on this brand of spirituality, stands out not so much as a doctrinaire instructional manual (there are other publications better geared for that task) as it does a user-friendly guide for culturally curious, searching souls. With a focus on health and wellness and a decidedly gentle approach to the lifelong trial that is personal transformation, the editors tap a surprisingly diverse cast of philosophers, psychologists, educators, and storytellers to breathe life into its lessons, which ultimately boil down to a clearer vision of ourselves, our neighbors, and the world’s beauty and fragility.[8]
Recent awards include:
Shambhala Sun has received generally positive reviews for its application of Buddhist wisdom to a variety of contemporary topics, including the arts, politics, and health. In 1995, Morris Wolfe ofThe Globe and Mail wrote that "at its best, Shambahala Sun demonstrates how important, and yet how difficult it is to live in the moment, to see and experience what is in front of us".[10] In 1997,Antonia Zerbisias described the magazine as "thoughtful" and "startlingly original" in a review for theToronto Star.[11] In 2008, theNew York Review of Magazines described the magazine's layout as "elegant, spacious and calming" and the editorial content as "effective".[12]