Find someone special to share your life...and your Dharma. Meet local singles who share your beliefs & values. Safe, private, anonymous. In-depth profiles and photos.
Tricycle Blog |
Our daily diary of the global Buddhist movement | Subscribe to feed |
6 comments
Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of September 3
Water, water, everywhere, and not a drop to drink.
These days when I read about Buddhism in the mainstream media—heck, when I read about Buddhism in the Buddhist media—it's more like, mindfulness, mindfulness, everywhere, and not a drop of dharma.
It's not that I have anything against mindfulness. It's just that I can't jump on the mindfulness craze bandwagon because every time I read an article about so-called "mindfulness" I'm reminded of a visit that Thai forest monk and Pali expert Thanissaro Bhikkhu paid to the Tricycle offices a few months ago. While he was here, I asked him what Buddhist concept he thinks Western Buddhists most commonly misunderstand. He responded, "mindfulness." Oof. We are in trouble.
More »
0 comments
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Wheel of Life
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff tells us about the Wheel of Life.
More »
0 comments
Lost in Quotation: Partial Readings of the Kalama Sutta
The Kalama Sutta has become among Western Buddhists one of the most frequently cited scriptures in the Pali canon. But usually only a specific section is quoted. This section portrays Buddhism as being almost a precursor of European Enlightenment thought, which is to say, it is used to confirm characteristic Western attitudes as being intrinsically in line with the teachings of Buddhism. But it is misleading to present this as the whole message of the sutta, as is evident when one reads the whole thing.
More »
0 comments
September Retreat: What is Mindfulness? From Shinzen Young
This month we are offering an extended retreat led by Shinzen Young: What is Mindfulness? Shinzen will offer a comprehensive theoretical overview of how mindfulness is defined and practiced from various points of view. While most Tricycle retreats are four sessions, Shinzen's retreat runs over six sessions each with accompanying guided meditations. He dives deep into the history and translation of mindfulness while expanding traditional definitions of how we understand the effects and applications of a mindfulness practice.
More »
0 comments
Buddha Buzz On Hiatus
Hi, everyone! Buddha Buzz is on hiatus until the first Friday of September, because I am here:
That's me, on that terrace there!
But really, though. I am in Greece, eating massive amounts of tiropita and doing other things that Greek people do (yes, I'm actually Greek—just check out that last name at the top of the page). Come September 7, please check back for Buddha Buzz business as per usual.
More »
0 comments
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Hats in Religious Paintings
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff examines the four styles of hats in religious paintings.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Hats in Religious Paintings
More »
1 comment
Interview with Shinzen Young
Next week we'll begin Shinzen Young's month-long Tricycle Online Retreat "What is Mindfulness?" Through talks and guided practices, Shinzen will elucidate how mindfulness is defined from numerous points of view and discuss factors that could facilitate or inhibit a global mindfulness revolution. The practice sessions will parallel the talks and offer an experiential point of view. Retreat participants will also be guided in Breath Focus and explore how this practice develops four aspects of mindful awareness: concentration power, sensory clarity, equanimity, and insight.
In this video, Shinzen Young speaks with Polly Young-Eisendrath, a Jungian psychologist and a student of Shinzen's, about the Vipassana he teaches and why it's important for students to understand the commonalities between different forms of mindfulness practice.
More »
5 comments
The Mind Business
"Yoga, meditation, 'mindfulness' ... Some of the west's biggest companies are embracing eastern spirituality as a path that can lead to bigger profits."
That's the subhead of "The Mind Business," an article that appeared last weekend in the Financial Times. (The online version drops the "bigger profits" angle in the subhead). The point of the article is that Buddhist mindfulness practice and other "eastern spiritual practices" have entered the corporate mainstream, and the trend seems to have hit its stride at General Mills, where some 3,000 employees can avail themselves of the practices. The program's founder explains:
More »
0 comments
Video Interview with Jonathan Watts of the International Buddhist Exchange Center
Even before the triple disaster of earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear meltdown last year, Japan was a nation in crisis, writes Jonathan S. Watts in This Precious Life: Buddhist Tsunami Relief and Anti- Nuclear Activism in Post 3/11 Japan, a Tricycle Fall 2012 "Books in Brief" book of choice. Watts has been a research fellow at the International Buddhist Exchange Center (IBEC) in Yokohama since 2006. He teaches contemporary Japanese Buddhism and social issues at Keio University.
More »
0 comments
Final Week of Josh Korda's Retreat on Addiction: You Are Not Broken
This week marks the final chapter of Josh Korda's Retreat Making Friends with Your Demons and Hungry Ghosts: Buddhist Tools for Recovery. Josh has been our guide in exploring Buddhist approaches to working with and letting go of underlying stress that propel us towards addictive behavior. Josh's approach is distinct from traditional twelve-step programs that emphasize a relationship of faith to a higher power. In Buddhist approaches to recovery, the task is not to demonize the mind but learn to discern skillful perceptions from unskillful perceptions. Josh introduces the Brahma Viharas as a means of establishing a wholesome relationship to ourselves as we take a careful look at and uncover the sources of our addictions.
More »
1 comment
Buddha Buzz On Hiatus
Hi, everyone! Buddha Buzz is on hiatus until the first Friday of September, because I am here:
That's me, on that terrace there!
But really, though. I am in Greece, eating massive amounts of tiropita and doing other things that Greek people do (yes, I'm actually Greek—just check out that last name at the top of the page). Come September 7, please check back for Buddha Buzz business as per usual.
More »
0 comments
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Life Story Paintings & Literary Genre
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff examines life story paintings & literary genre.
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Life Story Paintings & Literary Genre
More »
9 comments
Tricycle Talk: Buddhist Strategies for Overcoming Addiction with Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Addiction: the topic that won't go away. We all do things that we don't like. Then we do it again. And again. This behavior may vary in scope and degree, but we all share this characteristic: We want to stop doing it. The problem is, we're not sure how.
More »
7 comments
Video Teaching: Venerable Metteyya on Addiction
To supplement this month's online retreat, "Making Friends with Your Demons and Hungry Ghosts: Buddhist Tools for Recovery," we have a special video teaching on addiction by Venerable Metteyya (you might recognize him from Tricycle's previous interview with him or the PBS documentary The Buddha). In order to discuss addiction from a Buddhist perspective, Metteyya says, we must first understand what the Buddha taught about the human condition. When we are addicted to something, whether it's a cup of coffee or a cigarette, who is in control? How can we begin to have some influence on our impulses? Is it possible to become aware of what we are craving at a subconscious level? Watch the video to find out.
More »
6 comments
"The Buddha was a person of color," an interview with Gina Sharpe
In 2004 Tricycle published an interview with Vipassana teacher Gina Sharpe titled "Does Race Matter in the Meditation Hall?" in which Sharpe spoke about race and dharma and leading retreats for people of color. Six years later, as she prepares to lead another retreat for people of color at the Garrison Institute, Sharpe spoke with Steve Kent about recognizing the needs of individual dharma students and how these retreats address an obvious cultural need.
More »
0 comments
What's at Stake as the Dharma Goes Modern?
In “What’s at Stake as the Dharma Goes Modern?” Tricycle contributing editor Linda Heuman explores the challenges posed to contemporary Buddhists and, by extension, to practitioners of all faith traditions by modern assumptions and attitudes. Heuman combines rigorous thought and research with concern for the actual living reality of religious practice:
More »
0 comments
Letting Go of Self As a Path to Freedom: Week 3 of Josh Korda's Retreat
Josh Korda welcomes us all back to his Williamsburg, Brooklyn abode for week 3 of his retreat, Making Friends with Your Demons and Hungry Ghosts: Buddhist Tools for Recovery. This week Josh takes a look at personality-view, the mistaken understanding that we are fixed or locked into our personality and limited in our capacity to achieve liberation or happiness. The Buddha's teaching is a transpersonal outlook that reminds us of the universal nature of human suffering. Though the mind experiences all things as personal and we weave our suffering into narratives of self-pity, Buddhist practice offers us the space to step outside of our small-ego view and see the universal in our experience. As Josh explains, the immanance of change becomes a teacher as we step out of self-clinging and addictive behaviors.
More »
1 comment
Buddha Buzz: Buddhist News from Around the World, Week of August 13
Happy Belated Independence Day to India! The birthplace of Buddhism celebrated its 66th anniversary of independence on Wednesday.
In another celebration, the San Francisco Zen Center, one of the largest sanghas in the United States, turned 50 on Monday, granting us the once in a lifetime opportunity to see a Shakyamuni Buddha bobblehead traversing the streets of San Francisco:
More »
0 comments
Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Yoga
Buddhist practice and Buddhist art have been inseparable in the Himalayas ever since Buddhism arrived to the region in the eighth century. But for the casual observer it can be difficult to make sense of the complex iconography. Not to worry—Himalayan art scholar Jeff Watt is here to help. In this "Himalayan Buddhist Art 101" series, Jeff is making sense of this rich artistic tradition by presenting weekly images from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining their roles in the Buddhist tradition.
This week Jeff explains how teaching lineages are represented in paintings.
Himalayan Art 101: Yoga
More »
0 comments
Video Interview with Shinzen Young
Next week we'll begin Shinzen Young's month-long Tricycle Online Retreat "What is Mindfulness?" Through talks and guided practices, Shinzen will elucidate how mindfulness is defined from numerous points of view and discuss factors that could facilitate or inhibit a global mindfulness revolution. The practice sessions will parallel the talks and offer an experiential point of view. Retreat participants will also be guided in Breath Focus and explore how this practice develops four aspects of mindful awareness: concentration power, sensory clarity, equanimity, and insight.
In this video, Shinzen Young speaks with Polly Young-Eisendrath, a Jungian psychologist and a student of Shinzen's, about the Vipassana he teaches and why it's important for students to understand the commonalities between different forms of mindfulness practice.
More »
