Tricycle | Awake in the World

During the month of November, the Tricycle Book Club is discussing Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche's Rebel Buddha! Look for daily excerpts from the book on the Tricycle Blog to inspire the conversation, which is happening here.

From Rebel Buddha:

"I've often told students to go outside and meditate—sit on a park bench, breathe in the fresh air, look up in the sky! It's so beautiful. Many find this difficult, though, because they think they're not in a "practice atmosphere." They're without their shrine, their Buddha, their cushions, and their meditation bibles. When it comes to practicing at home, it doesn't occur to them that they can sit on the chair passed down from their grandmother or a pillow they bought from IKEA. They think, "I need a Japanese zap or a Tibetan golden, the standardized ones with the correct dimensions from an official meditation supplier. Without these, I can't meditate!" In that case, I guess that the time we spend in a grocery store or driving a car or doing anything else is inferior to the time we spend doing our "Real" practice in the shrine room. But please explain to me, what is the difference between your driving mind, your shopping mind, and your sitting mind? Do you have different kinds of thoughts and emotions?"

Have something to say? Visit the Tricycle Community Book Club to discuss Rebel Buddha!