Breathing together, we remember Dr. Larry Ward — teacher, author, and true brother on the path. His voice, like his Dharma name “True Great Sound,” carries on through the lives he touched.
Dear Friends,
With tender hearts full of both grief and gratitude, we share that our beloved teacher and author Dr. Larry Ward (True Great Sound) has passed.
Larry was a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh,
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Breathing together, we remember Dr. Larry Ward — teacher, author, and true brother on the path. His voice, like his Dharma name “True Great Sound,” carries on through the lives he touched.
Dear Friends,
With tender hearts full of both grief and gratitude, we share that our beloved teacher and author Dr. Larry Ward (True Great Sound) has passed.
Larry was a senior Dharma teacher in the Plum Village tradition of Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, and co-founder of the Lotus Institute with his wife, Dr. Peggy Rowe-Ward. He was the author of America’s Racial Karma: An Invitation to Heal and co-author, with Peggy, of Love’s Garden: A Guide to Mindful Relationships.
Larry’s Dharma name, True Great Sound, spoke to the clarity, courage, and compassion of his voice. Through his teachings, he invited us to look deeply into the roots of suffering, to embrace the healing power of mindfulness, and to step into the work of transforming racial and social injustice with understanding and love.
At Parallax Press, we are honored to be a part of his great continuation. His books carry forward his wisdom, rooted in Engaged Buddhism and the lived experience of resilience, community, and renewal.
Larry reminded us that our ancestors live within us, that healing is possible, and that the practice of mindfulness can guide us through the most difficult of times. His teachings, like the sound of a great bell, will continue to resonate through our lives and communities.
We hold Peggy and all who loved Larry in our collective embrace, breathing together with gratitude for his presence among us.
With palms joined,
The Transformative Works of Dr. Larry Ward
In The Mindfulness Bell, we were honored to feature Dr. Larry Ward’s teaching, How to Be Engaged without Becoming Entangled (2022). In this reflection, he speaks with clarity and tenderness about tending to our own trauma so that we can meet the suffering of the world with steadiness. Sharing from his personal experience of surviving a bombing by white supremacists, Larry illuminates why returning to Plum Village and the practices of mindfulness was essential. His words offer guidance on how to act with courage and compassion without losing ourselves in entanglement. We invite you to read this teaching, along with his other contributions to The Mindfulness Bell, as a way of continuing to learn from his presence and insight.
In the How to Train a Happy Mind podcast, Dr. Larry Ward reflects on the deep work of healing racial trauma through mindfulness and compassion. He speaks to the paradox that racism is a human-made illusion, yet one that leaves lasting marks on our bodies, our speech, and our society. This conversation moves from the roots of suffering in history and the nervous system to the possibilities of joy, presence, and connection; from the courage it takes to truly see another person to the reminder that we are human beings, not human “doings.”
Tricycle: The Buddhist Review has featured Dr. Larry Ward in numerous interviews and conversations over the years. In these exchanges, he shares profound insights on mindfulness, racial healing, trauma, and the power of community practice. Exploring these teachings in Tricycle is another way to stay connected with Larry’s voice and to continue walking with the wisdom of True Great Sound.
Lion’s Roar has gathered both recent and past interviews with Dr. Larry Ward, offering a rich collection of his teachings on mindfulness, racial justice, and the work of healing in our time. These conversations highlight his clarity, warmth, and deep connection to the Plum Village tradition. We invite you to explore this collection as another way of continuing to learn from Larry’s presence and wisdom.
Walking with True Great Sound
The seeds Dr. Larry Ward’s planted continue to bloom. His teachings live on in many places. The Lotus Institute, co-founded with his wife Dr. Peggy Rowe-Ward, carries forward his vision for mindful living and collective healing, offering retreats and resources for our time.
Through his books—America’s Racial Karma invites us into the healing of historical and present wounds, while Love’s Garden, written with wife Peggy Rowe-Ward, guides us toward more mindful and compassionate relationships.
Larry’s teachings, offered with humor, humility, and courage, remain accessible in the Plum Village tradition, in his Dharma talks, and in the communities he touched around the world.
Listen Deeply: The Dharma of Dr. Larry Ward
We invite you to take time to listen to some of Dr. Larry Ward’s Dharma talks shared below. In his voice—clear, compassionate, and deeply grounded in the Plum Village tradition—you will find guidance for healing, resilience, and mindful engagement with the world. May these teachings continue to nourish our practice and collective journey.
America's Racial Karma Book Club
You are invited to join a series of book clubs on America's Racial Karma.
We are inspired to study his important invitation to heal and to engage actively in collective healing.
Please register to attend on Zoom. We will meet three times, reflecting the three parts of the book: Deep, Deeper, Deeper Still.
Our grief work is probably the most important thing we can do at this time of awakening as a society, to heal the places in us and in our country that have not known love.
—Dr. Larry Ward
