Tricycle | Awake in the World

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. Last week we explored Mandalas Part II, and this week we will move on to gods and deities. Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Gods and Deities in Tantric Buddhism  More »

Adam Yauch, a member of the hip-hop trio the Beastie Boys, died on May 4 after a three-year battle with cancer. In addition to being a rapper, Yauch was a dedicated Buddhist. Read Tricycle's 1994 interview with him here. In this guest blog post, Tricycle friend Ambika Cooper remembers Yauch, a childhood friend of hers. More »

I'm not trying to wax philosophical here, but writing Buddha Buzz is somewhat of a metaphor for life. Sometimes it's great, sometimes it's difficult, and sometimes you're thrown situations that you're not quite sure what to do with. Case in point: there are some strange Buddhist articles out there. Last week's highlight, for instance, was the story "Wizard arrested for raping Buddhist," which turned out to be a (poorly translated) bizarre and upsetting account of a Chinese self-proclaimed exorcist who would exorcise demons in exchange for sex. And now there's this article from i09: "In Bhutan, friendly phalluses painted on houses scare off evil spirits." What? More »

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 a weekly image from the Himalayan Art Resources archives and explaining its role in the Buddhist tradition. Last week we looked at Mandalas, and we continue the exploration this week with Mandalas Part II.Himalayan Buddhist Art 101: Mandalas Part II More »

 Marathon Monks of Mt Hiei is a compelling documentary that captures the final leg of Tendai Buddhist monk Tanno Kakudo's 1000 day kaihogyo. The documentary is based on a book written by John Stevens also titled Marathon Monks of Mt Hiei. Here is some information from John Stevens' book that will help bring the documentary into perspective: More »

Buddhist monks were all over the international news this week, and most of it was not good. Last weekend thousands of Sri Lankans, led by Buddhist monks, stormed a mosque in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, destroying furniture and exposing themselves. The day before, the mosque had been firebombed by an unknown person. Sri Lankan officials have now promised to demolish and relocate the mosque, which the monks alleged had been built illegally on sacred Buddhist ground. Mosque board members responded that the mosque had been there for 50 years—30 years before the area was declared a Buddhist sacred zone. More »

Please welcome the beginning of May with a new Tricycle Online Retreat by Acharya Fleet Maull, "Social Awakening: Realizing the Basic Goodness of Society." Starting Monday, April 30 you can find the retreat here.   "In this online meditation retreat, we will explore a contemplative path to social enlightenment or collective awakening," Maull says, "which calls us to transcend individualism and work together to create a more peaceful and sustainable society grounded in the realization of the innate goodness of all beings as well as the basic goodness of human society itself."The first session of the retreat is available to all members of the Tricycle Community. The following three weeks are open to Supporting and Sustaining Members. Hope to see you there!Here is a preview of Week 1:   More »

As promised in last week's Tricycle Talk with Andrew Mellen, today we have for you a video teaching with the most organized man in America. Think the state of your living space isn't connected to your Buddhist practice? Think again. Watch Mellen work his magic on my desk below—and see me cower under the principles of the organizational triangle. The video is full of advice on how to approach cleaning your own living space, so best of luck in your own organizational endeavors! I'm happy to report that in the two weeks since my desk got organized that it is still...almost as clean. (What can I say? Like spiritual practice, staying organized requires both diligence and the formation of new habits. And that doesn't happen all at once, you know!) We hope you enjoy watching, and let us know if you'd like to see more Tricycle videos! More »

Today is an anxious day. Yes, I know it's 4/20, and enthusiastic potheads everywhere will be bong-hitting, joint-lighting, and baked-goods-eating their way to a non-anxious existence. But it's also Hitler's birthday, the anniversary of Columbine, and supposedly, the day that Kony 2012 supporters will take to the streets (remember the Kony video?). More »