Tricycle | Awake in the World

This is part two of a three-part guest blog series by Charles Prebish, Emeritus Professor of Religious Studies at Pennsylvania State University and Utah State University. In the current issue of Tricycle, Prebish is interviewed by Linda Heuman (Read "Pursuing an American Buddhism" here), however, they had so many topics to cover in such a short time there were many items Prebish would have liked to discuss more fully. Last week we featured "Precepts as Practice in American Buddhism." Join the discussion of this blog post, and the two others, on the interview page. More »

Week 2 of Sylvia Boorstein's Tricycle Retreat begins today! The talk for this week is titled Ethics: The Bliss of Blamelessness. Thanks to those of you are sharing thoughts and questions on our discussion board following the retreat, it really helps bring these talks to life. For those of you just tuning in, the retreat is called, "The Whole of Life as Practice," guiding us through the Metta Sutta as a focal point for exploring the Buddha's teachings on morality, mental disciple, and wisdom. Sylvia's short article in our Spring 2012 issue highlighted the retreat, which can be read here. If you haven't signed up as a Sustaining or Supporting Member, please do so here to watch Sylvia's retreat—along with our other 28 previous retreat teachings! More »

His Eminence Garchen Rinpoche is giving two days of teachings in Memphis, Tennessee at the Pema Karpo Meditation Center later this month. Pema Karpo is headed by Khenpo Gawang Rinpoche, a student of His Holiness Penor Rinpoche. More »

Stories of sexual abuse in Buddhist communities touch something raw in us, often rocking us to our core. For some, this leads to overwhelming feelings of betrayal, shock, and outrage; for others, the airing of criticism of one’s teacher evokes many of the same feelings, but now toward those who do the criticizing. Discussions quickly become difficult and divisive, and sanghas may well break apart as a result. But much too often, these discussions never happen in the first place. Teachers and sanghas can sit on allegations for years, hoping that they will never see the light of day. As the victims of the abuse become pressured to keep things under wraps, the media—both Buddhist and mainstream—shy away from printing their stories, unable to publish accusations without a willing accuser. More »

Week 1 of Sylvia Boorstein's Tricycle Retreat begins today! We are very honored and grateful to have Sylvia with us at Tricycle, and we hope this month will be as fruitful and joyful for you as it will be for us in the office! The retreat is called, "The Whole of Life as Practice," guiding us through the Metta Sutta as a focal point for exploring the Buddha's teachings on morality, mental disciple, and wisdom. Sylvia's short article in our Spring 2012 issue highlighted the retreat, which can be read here. If you haven't signed up as a Sustaining or Supporting Member, please do so here to watch Sylvia's retreat—along with our other 28 previous retreat teachings! More »

The BuddhaFest film festival, taking place June 14th-17th in Washington DC and sponsored by Tricycle, is looking for your short film submissions! This Short Film Showcase is a chance to participate in the events and to share your ideas with the Buddhist community. BuddhaFest is asking for a film, just five minutes or less, that deals with the question, "What Does it Mean to be Awake in the World?" A $1000 prize goes to the top film! Here's what our friends at BuddhaFest have to say about the showcase: "We’re looking for films from new and experienced filmmakers that explore such themes as meditation, living mindfully, mindful awareness, compassion, and service to the world." More »

Get ready for the April selection of the Tricycle Film Club! On Monday, April 2, The Dhamma Brothers will begin streaming on our website. This powerful story recounts a small group of inmates in Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama who decide to partake in the first-ever Vipassana meditation program in the US prison system. We are grateful for director Jenny Phillips's desire to document and share such a moving story in our country's questionable treatment of our growing population of prison inmates. The film touches on many important issues such as social justice, politics, religion in the South, so be sure to take part in the discussion with Jenny Phillips following the film. Please join us in watching this film, available at tricycle.com for the month of April. The Dhamma Brothers is produced by Northern Light Productions. More »

  Found this funny Buddhist bumper sticker on chron.com, amid many Christian ones. As the post says, there's something about expressing your religion publicly, for all to see; it's a clear identity statement. But the thing is, I'd hazard a guess that unless you're Buddhist yourself or know something about Buddhism, this bumper sticker wouldn't mean a thing to you—not a lot of non-Buddhists know the word "mahayana." So...what does that make this? A non-identity statement? (A Buddhist bumper sticker, then, indeed!) In any case, unidentified Ford owner, I like your sticker. More »

Zen Monster is a new-ish magazine (it first appeared in 2008 but only recently released its third issue) with the following manifesto: “We commit ourselves to art, poetry, fiction, and subversive political commentary by buddhist, non-buddhist and trans-buddhist writers, artists, and essayists. Zen Monster is committed to mature achievements, beginnings, half-steps, younger artists, older artists, and any ‘fumblings by the way.’” Then, tacked on at the end, a quasi-mission statement: “No inherent limits.” Zen Monster #3 is just as funky, passionate, and raw as the first two issues. More »