Dr. Larry Ward
I am a class of color created by a colonial mind missing its own self-worth. But the dance of my ancestors in my bones has kept me awake and kept me alive.
Dr. Larry Ward was the co-founder of The Lotus Institute and a beloved senior Dharma teacher in Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh’s Plum Village tradition of socially engaged Buddhism.
A renowned voice on healing and transformation, Dr. Ward’s teachings live on through his books, including Love’s Garden, co-authored with his wife, Dr. Peggy Rowe Ward, the critically
acclaimed America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal, and his most recent work, Morning Night, a powerful book of poetry exploring themes of race, spirit, and nature.
Dr. Ward held a PhD in Religious Studies with an emphasis on Buddhism and the neuroscience of meditation. As a teacher, he interwove profound insights with personal stories and resounding clarity that perfectly expressed his Dharma name, “True Great Sound.” Dr. Ward passed away on August 19, 2025.
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America’s Racial Karma
An Invitation to Heal
View this bookImmediate, illuminating, and hopeful: this is the key set of talks given by leading Zen Buddhist teacher Larry Ward, PhD, on breaking America's cycle of racial trauma.
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Love’s Garden
A Guide to Mindful Relationships
View this bookA collection of real-life Buddhist love stories, with commentary and guided exercises for couples developed by Peggy Rowe-Ward and Larry Ward, senior students and ordained Dharma teachers in the tradition...
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Morning Night
View this bookWelcome to Morning Night, Dr. Larry Ward's first poetry collection. This book emerged from his thirty years of teaching mindfulness and focuses on the themes of spirit, race, and nature with the aim of lifting our sights. It has been washed in holy tears and the joys of many hearts.
